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France’s new high-speed trains

citylab.com

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Re: France’s new high-speed trains

#11

Post by mc32 »

ucaetano wrote: post #9
mc32 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I were French and our rolling stock were competitive, I’d be upset if the government gave a leg up to the competition given the strong unions and jobs the TGV provides. It may save a buck or two but it also is a blow against local producers.

You're essentially advocating for tariffs and "buy local" requirements. Not only they are bad for the economy, they're also mostly illegal in the EU. > If I were French and our rolling stock were competitive Well, it just wasn't as competitive as the German one.

It’s from your taxes (unless the Germans are donating from their coffers), so yeah you should have a local preference if it’s competitive (near as good or better). It adds to local economy and also staves off monopolization of producers.

Re: France’s new high-speed trains

#12

Post by microcolonel »

a3_nm wrote: post #6
l9k wrote: post #5

The author mentions the similarity between the name InOui and "ennui" (boredom), but seem to ignore that "inouï" is an actual word that means unprecedented/incredible/unheard-of. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inou%C3%AF

Yeah -- I'm French and I had never realized that "inoui" was somewhat close to "ennui". In French pronunciation the two first vowels are really different ("ennui" in French starts with a nasal 'a' sound which doesn't resemble an 'i' at all, to French ears at least). Another point missed by the article is that in French "ennui" usually doesn't have the philosophical undertones that it has in English. Outside of a phil…

> In French pronunciation the two first vowels are really different ("ennui" in French starts with a nasal 'a' sound which doesn't resemble an 'i' at all, to French ears at least).

Yeah, I was confused when I tried to understand the connection they were trying to make.

> Another point missed by the article is that in French "ennui" usually doesn't have the philosophical undertones that it has in English.

Fatty liver is a disease, foie gras is a delicacy. ;- )

Re: France’s new high-speed trains

#13

Post by mc32 »

microcolonel wrote: post #12
a3_nm wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah -- I'm French and I had never realized that "inoui" was somewhat close to "ennui". In French pronunciation the two first vowels are really different ("ennui" in French starts with a nasal 'a' sound which doesn't resemble an 'i' at all, to French ears at least). Another point missed by the article is that in French "ennui" usually doesn't have the philosophical undertones that it has in English. Outside of a phil…

> In French pronunciation the two first vowels are really different ("ennui" in French starts with a nasal 'a' sound which doesn't resemble an 'i' at all, to French ears at least). Yeah, I was confused when I tried to understand the connection they were trying to make. > Another point missed by the article is that in French "ennui" usually doesn't have the philosophical undertones that it has in English. Fatty liver…

But we could say “fatted liver” and that would work, but of course food sophisticates need a more sophisticated term for their food to taste better.

Re: France’s new high-speed trains

#14

Post by ucaetano »

mc32 wrote: post #11
ucaetano wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're essentially advocating for tariffs and "buy local" requirements. Not only they are bad for the economy, they're also mostly illegal in the EU. > If I were French and our rolling stock were competitive Well, it just wasn't as competitive as the German one.

It’s from your taxes (unless the Germans are donating from their coffers), so yeah you should have a local preference if it’s competitive (near as good or better). It adds to local economy and also staves off monopolization of producers.

Nope, it is anti-competitive and bad for the economy, as it creates trade barriers and stifles innovation, as well as using your taxes badly.

It essentially accounts to government subsidies for a certain company.

And that's why it is illegal in the EU.

Re: France’s new high-speed trains

#15

Post by ousta »

mc32 wrote: post #11
ucaetano wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're essentially advocating for tariffs and "buy local" requirements. Not only they are bad for the economy, they're also mostly illegal in the EU. > If I were French and our rolling stock were competitive Well, it just wasn't as competitive as the German one.

It’s from your taxes (unless the Germans are donating from their coffers), so yeah you should have a local preference if it’s competitive (near as good or better). It adds to local economy and also staves off monopolization of producers.

I will explain something to above comment: if you re the only one putting this rule. you are the looser. welcome to europe.

Re: France’s new high-speed trains

#16

Post by realusername »

ucaetano wrote: post #9
mc32 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I were French and our rolling stock were competitive, I’d be upset if the government gave a leg up to the competition given the strong unions and jobs the TGV provides. It may save a buck or two but it also is a blow against local producers.

You're essentially advocating for tariffs and "buy local" requirements. Not only they are bad for the economy, they're also mostly illegal in the EU. > If I were French and our rolling stock were competitive Well, it just wasn't as competitive as the German one.

> Not only they are bad for the economy, they're also mostly illegal in the EU.

I wish we would stop with this meme, you should ask what they think in the UK of their private trains, I would prefer to keep the French train monopoly, at least it's cheap and it works.

Re: France’s new high-speed trains

#17

Post by jdietrich »

mc32 wrote: post #8
ucaetano wrote: post #7

Worth remembering that France hasn't fared very well in rail competition lately: the French-Government-controlled Eurostar chose the Velaro train sets from German Siemens to replace the existing TGV-derived train sets. It sparked a national outrage (because a company controlled by the French government should, in their opinion, only buy French) and a lawsuit from Alston (who makes the TGV).

If I were French and our rolling stock were competitive, I’d be upset if the government gave a leg up to the competition given the strong unions and jobs the TGV provides. It may save a buck or two but it also is a blow against local producers.

EU competition rules prohibit preferential treatment of domestic businesses in state procurement - any public contract worth more than €5.5m must be open to fair competition from firms in all EU member states. Alongside the State Aid rules, this is one of the most important principles in maintaining the fair operation of the Single Market and preventing internal protectionism.

https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/selling-in-eu/public-c...

http://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/overview/index_en....

Re: France’s new high-speed trains

#18

Post by mc32 »

ucaetano wrote: post #14
mc32 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s from your taxes (unless the Germans are donating from their coffers), so yeah you should have a local preference if it’s competitive (near as good or better). It adds to local economy and also staves off monopolization of producers.

Nope, it is anti-competitive and bad for the economy, as it creates trade barriers and stifles innovation, as well as using your taxes badly. It essentially accounts to government subsidies for a certain company. And that's why it is illegal in the EU.

So you’re saying a state like Venezuela should always keep being a raw materials exporter and an importer of goods with added value because jumpstarting or maintaining an industry is bad for global free trade?

Re: France’s new high-speed trains

#19

Post by frutiger »

mc32 wrote: post #13
microcolonel wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In French pronunciation the two first vowels are really different ("ennui" in French starts with a nasal 'a' sound which doesn't resemble an 'i' at all, to French ears at least). Yeah, I was confused when I tried to understand the connection they were trying to make. > Another point missed by the article is that in French "ennui" usually doesn't have the philosophical undertones that it has in English. Fatty liver…

But we could say “fatted liver” and that would work, but of course food sophisticates need a more sophisticated term for their food to taste better.

Side note: grammatically "fattened liver" should be preferred over "fatted liver".

Re: France’s new high-speed trains

#20

Post by frutiger »

School-Cotton wrote: post #10
l9k wrote: post #5

The author mentions the similarity between the name InOui and "ennui" (boredom), but seem to ignore that "inouï" is an actual word that means unprecedented/incredible/unheard-of. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inou%C3%AF

Thinking "ennui" and "inouï" sound similar is a bit like a non-native English speaker finding it hard to distinguish between "bottom" and "button". The vowels may sound similar to outsiders, but are completely different to French ears. (I'm not French, but I speak the language well enough to feel confident making assertions like this about what things sound like to French people).

The vowels don't even sound similar to my anglophone but French-familiar ears.
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