Thursday, 29 March

These have been busy times lately - although I took Friday off work to go to London... I still had to work as I had some military service to do! In theory I get 9 weeks holiday per year - though taking all that holiday is easier said than done...though when I look out of the window and see the rain, wondering what happened to spring, holidays don't seem such a priority.

At the moment work is getting busier and busier as we prepare for several large meetings and the departure of the Secretary-General of my organisation.

In Paris the students, workers and quite a few other people continue to protest against the government - when I was in London, I felt that the media over-rated the seriousness of the riots - though I guess minor riots don't make good copy. The protests are generally limited to the area around the Sorbonne. I think that their reasons for protesting are too narrowly focused - the problem of the French economy is far wider than the CPE (first employment contract). Though I also think that the French just like to complain about things - especially the government - their revolutionary traditions live on...