Herald Tribune, Paris

Dear Katrin Bennhold or John Tierney.

I am a daily reader of the Herald Tribune in Paris and read your recent article "France's Murky mix of school and scandal" 15th of mai 2006.

I wonder if you are interested in taking a look at another angle of the French problematics of putting the economy back on the rails and getting control of their employment problems.

Danish of orign I started my own company up in my country at the age of 20 and was seduced by the French Camembert and the famous "quality of life" in the late 90's, where I decided to challenge the French capital. The danish medias wished me good luck and has followed on the sidelines since then. My venture in the French republic has not only been champagne and good french cheese but also turned turned out to be nothing more than a nightmare, not only for my self, but for my family, business partners and investors. Seen in retro perpective the lack of discipline, professionalism from diverse actors in the hiérarchises of the administrational/financial sector with the nummerous mistakes and manupilations experienced since my arrival. I think it is appropriate to inform your international readers about the real dangers hiding behind the seducing smell of the french perfumes.

Working with an international clientele I know I am definately not the only one complaining about the real dangers awaiting enthusiastic expatriats when they stand face to face with a large part of the French citizens and logic, which seems very much out of tune with the rest of Europe. The nummereous daily problems, polemiques and racism in the capital experienced by me and nummerous of my fellow foreign professionals and normal French people, where the clumpsy old fashioned French attitude tires you out and being dynamic and effective does not depend on your efforts and talent anymore. The lack of good visionary judgement and long term thinking is more the exception than the rule in this country which could be a new "investment paradise" as Madam Clara Gaymard proposes to foreign investors now adays, but does the majority of the French really want to start to think if they are on the right track? Which society model will the république choose in the future - A new combination mixing the latin mindset with Scandinavian logic and discipline or end up very soon becoming something totally new loosing a lot of tourism and hereby further income and jobs?

The good old friend and supporter of Jacques Chirac, mister Michel Pébereau in the curious double role as counsellor of the french economy for the gouvernement and at the same time, used to be president of the multinational banque BNP Paribas where his intern company policies would be a good place to start to better understand the decline of the French nation and economy where the banks take zero risk to be able to obtain egocentric short term profit on behalf of their most vulnerable clientele... Their computers and staff have never heard about "la cohésion sociale" and in a 12 month period in 2005 the generous team at BNP have threatened me to put me in in the Banque de France for 94 Euros 6 days of overdraft, 3% of my total income went to them in banking fees and later raised their monthly fixed fee to have an professional account (which is an obligation) in their bank with a modest 370%. In 2006 my bank fees has trippled. Theese wonderful subtle "intelligent" work ethics, productive costly castrations and gestures are the French bankers way of translating the "Rapport Pébereau" in reality, getting rid of the debt, develloping/ solidifying my company which because of a considerably delay caused by another hallucinating incident (3 years) was started up july 2004 with the goal to create new jobs and happy people. Everybody knows it takes 2-3 years for a company to make profits except the bankers at BNP PARIBAS, and maybe even in the heart of the French gouvernement who sets the tone for the rest of the country?

Yours sincerely

J / Paris