When Sunday trading was debated in the British parliament in 1993 one of the arguments was that we must ‘get in line with Europe’. Anyone who has lived on the continent will know how blatantly untrue this appeal was. Fortunately, the late Ray Powell MP fought against the proposals. The local boulangerie will be open but everything else is closed. Sunday in France is still considered as a family day. Driving through villages on a Sunday could make you believe that they are uninhabited – they are so quiet. People often visit their parents or grandparents and have a meal with their wider family. One of my students agreed to organize a ‘cousinade’. It was a word I had never come across. She was inviting all her cousins to a weekend get-together. I think that is an excellent idea and one that British people could copy.