Does rural France have a crime problem and why do baguettes taste different?

This new episode of Talking France tackles the big issues such as whether rural France has a crime problem and what the French government is going to do about it. We also look at why people from anglophone countries move to France, why French baguettes taste different and how you can best solve any disputes with your French neighbours.

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Over the next 30 minutes or so of your life we will do our utmost to shed light on the big issues in France right now and delve into some important matters around life in the country.

For example, why has the president announced that thousands more gendarmes will be posted to the routes and country lanes of rural France? Is crime really a problem in the countryside or is this a political stunt?

And on a different matter, why is the French government interfering with the recipe for baguettes?

And thousands of people move to France each year from anglophone countries like the UK, the US, Canada and Australia. But who are they all and why are they coming?

And what happens when you fall out with your French neighbour? We’ll look at the best ways to solve a dispute.

And after news that Paris has hiked its tourist tax, we’ll find out what exactly is this tax and what’s the money for? Is it spent on cleaning up the dog poo or on customer service courses for waiters?

Host Ben McPartland is joined by The Local France’s Editor Emma Pearson and journalist Gen Mansfield as well as our connoisseur of French politics and rural France John Lichfield.

Further reading:

• Does your baguette taste different now?
• France to post scores of new gendarmerie units to rural areas
• How France's new neighbour dispute rules work
• MAP: Where do all the Americans in France live?
• Cul: 13 of the best French expressions involving bottoms

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