The rejection of the proposed EU Constitution by both France and Holland some two months ago is a blow for proponents of ever closer union. It must really be gaulling (surely, galling, ed.) for the French and especially the increasingly impotent Chirac. The French President must be particularly piqued that the rejection by his own country plays directly in the hands of the perfidious British, who have only ever wanted a loosely confederated EU with a more dynamic market orientation.
There are many things to admire about France. I could go on about the food, the countryside, the elevation of high culture, the great writers, musicians and philosophers for longer than most people could tolerate. I'm also rather fond of Tin-Tin. But the French share with the Americans a singular arrogance about themselves and a national pride well in excess of the facts on the ground. Its strange then that these two republics, born about the same time and saturated in a not dissimilar hubris, should be at each others throats these days. A clashing of two mighty egos.
To jump back a paragraph, the point I set out to make was the beautiful irony of the French 'non'. The Blair Government has been sweating on the upcoming referendum (over the EU Constitution) for some time now and must have realised the difficulty if gaining a British yes vote. The consequences of a 'no' would have most damaging to Britain's perceived place in Europe. So imagine the delight in Downing St and Whitehall at the French result. Political union is dead and the French are holding the smoking gun! Sacre bleu!
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