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No crisps, no party games: the unwritten rules of French children’s birthdays
Columnist Samantha David describes the ups and downs of a French birthday party for children
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More amusing place names in France: from Anus and Chitry to Misery
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Vive le roi! All France needs for Christmas is its monarchy back
Columnist Simon Heffer examines the future of republicanism
Clue in the constitution
Your article “Mythbuster: France is a Catholic country” (December Connexion ) misses the most important point of all.
The opening words of the French Constitution are clear: “France is a republic, secular and indivisible.” So, to claim France is a Catholic country is arguing with the foundation on which the state is based.
By contrast, the UK is a monarchy in which the Church of England and the state are intricately intertwined.
The Church of England is the second biggest landowner (after the House of Windsor) and enjoys huge tax advantages denied both to adherents of other faiths and those of no faith. In the context of a multicultural society, such privilege is indefensible. France has set an example from which the UK could learn a great deal.
Stephen D Morgan, Finistère
