FPN Deputy Editor's Blog

Health of the nation

Did anyone see this http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article6149246.ece in the Sunday Times this week?

If you’re constantly put off moving lock, stock and barrel to France by scare stories in the press, this story on the thriving British community in France, buoyed by the superior French economy – which has sustained many a Brit expat over the years and continues to do so even in the current financial climate – should fill you with cheer.

Yes, times are hard for all of us right now. But those expats who risked it all on the Spanish market are decidedly worse off than most and are returning to the UK penniless, with their tail between their legs. Meanwhile, Brits living it up in France are cutting back on the odd luxury but the suitcases are still safely stowed in the attic where they belong.

At the moment, I’m sub-editing a very informative article for our June issue, written by regular contributor Peter-Danton de Rouffignac, in which he examines the state of the French economy in detail. And the conclusion? Crisis, what crisis?

Indeed the French economy looks positively rosy compared to its sickly neighbours. Yes, France is suffering from the global downturn, but it’s built up a strong immune system over the years, and with one of the best healthcare systems in the world, it will bounce back to rude health in no time – no swine flu here...