Would it be our government said the same

Is there such a thing as too much profit? In some of continental Europe’s biggest economies, it seems a nervous political establishment has decided that there is.

Corporate France has turned out record profits in the latest reporting season. But rather than celebrate the economic achievement, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the prime minister, has warned businesses not to be too greedy.

“When I hear … about the profit generated by a certain number of companies, I tell myself that if they want to continue making profits they will have to share them out,” he said recently.