The tale goes back to the September plenary at the European Parliament where French MEP Rachida Dati (UMP), formerly a minister in Sarkozy's government, forgot that she still had her mini-microphone switched on (for a programme on M6) and starting telling a friend about how dull life is as an MEP: 'I am stuck in the Hemicycle building and I can't bear it. I just can't stand it. I think I'll explode before I get to the end of my term of office… I just have to sit here and come up with witty comments because there are a few reporters around and there's Barroso's election coming up…' Her frustration has done the rounds on the internet and has been injected with sarcasm by a co-chair of the Greens at the EP, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, who commented: 'I win all my bets so easily. I told you she wouldn't put up with it. I told you I'd buy a bottle of champagne if she's still here in a year's time.' Two months later, Rachida Dati said in an interview with 'Talk Orange-Le Figaro' that Cohn-Bendit was a 'cowardly bastard' and then she went on to tell listeners who might have missed it the first time round what had happened in September. During voting at the EP on Wednesday 16 December 2009, Daniel Cohn-Bendit was seen going over to talk with the EPP leader, Joseph Daul, possibly to congratulate him for his wise comments about Rachida Dati, who is also in the EPP. Joseph Daul said that it was a good thing that every now and again, particularly at Dati's age, people became parliamentarians again and went back to diong groundwork and learning a bit of humility. What a good way to settle matters, for the moment at least! (L.G. trans fl)