Japan , canada and australia , among others , have suffered the ignominy of being downgraded from top credit ratings .
日本、加拿大和澳大利亚等国都经历过从最高评级被下调的耻辱。
But surely the bigger question is when , not if , france is downgraded meaning the inevitability of such ignominy should already be factored into asset prices anyway .
The chancellor is understandably reluctant to incur the political ignominy that ditching his blueprint would involve ; a wholesale climb-down would suggest to public-sector unions and others that the government lacks the gumption to face down their protests against the squeeze .