We wish to thank all of you Dear Readers, who wrote to ask as to our safety after the dreadful attacks in Paris last week. We and our family are all well, as are our friends, but not their friends,... Read more →

Daily life in France is regularly discoloured and befouled by one annoyance: dealing with bureaucrats, les fonctionnaires. They have in France an inordinate amount of power, which they delight in abusing. They are usually rude, abrupt, arrogant, critical and determinedly... Read more →

The battle over an index to French parish and civil registrations has been raging for a while, and we have reported the occasional skirmish here on The FGB. To recapitulate a few essential points: Privacy protection trumps freedom of speech... Read more →