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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Pass notes No 3,245: Bernard Arnault | Pass notes No 3,245: Bernard Arnault |
| (21 days later) | |
| Age: 63. | Age: 63. |
| Appearance: Gallic, well-off. | Appearance: Gallic, well-off. |
| Isn't he the French five-time winner of the Tour de France? No, that's Bernard Hinault. This is Arnault, the CEO of luxury goods group LVMH and the fourth-richest man in the world, worth a reported £30bn. | Isn't he the French five-time winner of the Tour de France? No, that's Bernard Hinault. This is Arnault, the CEO of luxury goods group LVMH and the fourth-richest man in the world, worth a reported £30bn. |
| He is French though, right? For the moment. | He is French though, right? For the moment. |
| Why do you say that? Arnault has recently applied for Belgian citizenship, allegedly in order to avoid a new 75% top rate of tax brought in by François Hollande's socialist government, which critics claim will drive "wealth creators" from France. Although it has to be said that Monsieur Arnault denies all that, says he will remain a French resident for tax purposes and insists he is moving for personal reasons. | Why do you say that? Arnault has recently applied for Belgian citizenship, allegedly in order to avoid a new 75% top rate of tax brought in by François Hollande's socialist government, which critics claim will drive "wealth creators" from France. Although it has to be said that Monsieur Arnault denies all that, says he will remain a French resident for tax purposes and insists he is moving for personal reasons. |
| How did the famously well-mannered French press react to this complex story? The daily Libération went with the headline: "Casse-toi riche con!" | How did the famously well-mannered French press react to this complex story? The daily Libération went with the headline: "Casse-toi riche con!" |
| And how would you translate that into English, exactly? It depends on who you ask. The Daily Mail opted for "Go away, rich p****!" The New Statesman rendered it "Get lost, you rich bastard!" Google Translate offers "Fuck off, rich con!", the untranslated word at the end being a vulgar reference to female genitalia for which there is no real equivalent in English. | And how would you translate that into English, exactly? It depends on who you ask. The Daily Mail opted for "Go away, rich p****!" The New Statesman rendered it "Get lost, you rich bastard!" Google Translate offers "Fuck off, rich con!", the untranslated word at the end being a vulgar reference to female genitalia for which there is no real equivalent in English. |
| I can think of one. In any case, the phrase is an obvious play on Nicolas Sarkozy's famous riposte to a farmer who refused to shake his hand at a public event: "Casse-toi, pauvre con!" | I can think of one. In any case, the phrase is an obvious play on Nicolas Sarkozy's famous riposte to a farmer who refused to shake his hand at a public event: "Casse-toi, pauvre con!" |
| Oh, such a beautiful language. How did Arnault react? He threatened Liberation with legal action for "injures publiques proférées à son égard". | Oh, such a beautiful language. How did Arnault react? He threatened Liberation with legal action for "injures publiques proférées à son égard". |
| Did that silence Libération? Not really. They answered with the mocking headline, "Bernard, si tu reviens, on annule tout". | Did that silence Libération? Not really. They answered with the mocking headline, "Bernard, si tu reviens, on annule tout". |
| Very amusing. I don't get it. It's another Sarkozy reference, this time to a text message Sarko allegedly sent his ex-wife eight days before he married Carla Bruni: "If you come back, I'll cancel everything." | Very amusing. I don't get it. It's another Sarkozy reference, this time to a text message Sarko allegedly sent his ex-wife eight days before he married Carla Bruni: "If you come back, I'll cancel everything." |
| Do say: "I've learned a lot about French slang, but not much about how the wealthy avoid paying tax." | Do say: "I've learned a lot about French slang, but not much about how the wealthy avoid paying tax." |
| Don't say: "Casse-toi, spoilsport." | Don't say: "Casse-toi, spoilsport." |
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