A foreign language is never wasted, as AUT general secretary David Triesman found last week. Returning from holiday in France, Mr Triesman was caught in the blockade of Calais.
Ever helpful, Mr Triesman attempted to open negotiations with a "very terse" fisherman. "I can't say we brought the dispute to an end, but at least he was impressed that I could swear as well as he could in French," chortled Mr Triesman.