In France, there is "Paris" and there is the "Hoi Paloi" unwashed - which is the rest of France. Small town French mayors cannot tax, cannot do anything constructive in their towns and villages without running it through the Parisian bureaucracy. There's the famous story of a village mayor, who after Macron was elected, to save money cut down the official photograph (which showed boy Macron looking "powerful" with hands on his desk) to fit in the frame used with Holland. He was arrested and investigated for insulting the President (he who was 14 years old when seduced by a 39 year old with 5 kids).
Unfortunately a number of francophone African countries have adopted the Louis XIV centrist model as well as the European Union to their detriment. I suspect this Parisian central-government arrogance and indeed corruption was behind the Parisian arquebusiers being able to get away with it for so long.
Last edited by Argo44; 07/23/22 10:05 PM.
