You specifically said "France has lots of small owner run businesses (no chains of boulangeries or patisseries etc), and they choose to work the hours that suit them."

It's his bakery and he should be able to trade whenever he bleedin' likes.

France is a lovely part of the world, but that's not to say they aren't decades behind in working practices. Hence why they elected a bloke, with a new party, on a mandate to change it. Even the name of it is a nod to how stuck in their ways they've been.

That can't be true can it, as their productivity is 15% better than us.

Do you think French productivity figures include those sole trader shops with little signs in their windows saying closed until 2pm?

I found an article (2015) from the Guardian about French versus UK productivity. An interesting read some of the experts quoted believe it is not a valid comparison.

[Link]

As I mentioned previously I think government statistics should be taken with a pinch of salt. It suits any country to big up their numbers and I bet if someone went through the UK's they might find some dodgy ones.

I always found the lunch hour was a very busy time in France.

I think it was Jasper Carrot who joked that in England cafes closed in the lunch hour.

'To avoid poisoning with the British sandwich' I hear our French colleagues say..........

I've been to China and there's no such thing as a break or closing, you can get a fresh baked loaf and your car washed at 10 pm on a sunday

That's the future