Adieu Obelix

摘要

Superhuman strength enabled Obelix, in the Asterix cartoons, to carry heavy burdens. But the weight of taxes under Francois Hollande's Socialist government has proved too much for Gerard Depardieu, the actor who played the oversized Gaul in the films. He has announced that he is leaving France for Belgium. Far from prompting second thoughts about fiscal policy, this has provoked a moralistic manhunt. In some ways, Mr Depardieu's decision was unremarkable. Plenty of high-earning artists and sportsmen, including Johnny Hallyday and Yannick Noah, have lived abroad.