The French ban shrugging

French News: Sarkozy, the most outspoken French leader since Margaret Thatcher, today made public his crusade to wipe out the culture of time-wasting and “an all-round casual approach to life” that he sees as “poisoning French society.”

Inspired by the ‘zero tolerance’ theory where a crackdown on petty crimes such as graffiti and drooling sees a reduction in more serious offences, the President believes that a ban on shrugging will eventually lead to the demise of the three-hour lunch and taking coffee in the sun.

Protestors assembled in Paris’ Place de la Bastille today as opposition leader Martine Aubry addressed the crowd, voicing widespread anger about the shrugging ban.

“Buf,” she raged, “Voilà.”