Today we remember that is the National Day of our near-neighbours and traditional enemies.
On 14 July 1789 the French revolutionaries broke into the Bastille and released, well basically nobody. They killed all the aristocrats and, in the name of Equality, replaced them with the middle-class. They killed the king in the name of Liberty, replaced him with a succession of dictators and eventually an Emperor. And in the name of Fraternity, the new ruling elite (a French word, ne c'est pas) even started killing each other.
They renamed all the months, then had to put them back. They declared a Cult of the Supreme Being, and then decided maybe not. They slaughtered the people of the Vendee to prove how humane and tolerant their new world would be.
And now every year on this day they light fireworks to say what a great achievement it was. Well done, the French, I say..
So thats the Scottish and the French taken care of: who next?
ReplyDeleteSome inspiration here or here?
The Welsh are always with us, I guess...
ReplyDeleteI quite like the French themselves. I guess if you lived in a country ruled like France is, you'd develop decent wine, bread, cheese and cider and a relaxed attitude, just to get through the day.
Par for the course for France...get rid of one sort of tyranny, miss it, set up another one...
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