The "hard core", last French illusion

Le Monde.fr ^ | 11/14/04 | Abonnez-vous au Monde.fr

[Earthdweller]

Translated French to English -------It is the new illusion of the French. Depities by a widening which diluted their capacity in Europe, they dream of political Europe which would organize itself around the Franco-German couple. Would come then a second circle, a Europe-market corresponding more or less to the current Union, while a third circle, more abstract, would include Turkey, the Ukraine, the Caucasus and the Mediterranean basin. Actually, rare which is those believe in Brussels with this idea of hard core, launched in 1994 by the German Christian Democrats Karl Lamers and Wolfgang Schãuble, and begun again six years later per Jacques Delors, Joschka Fischer, German Foreign Minister, and Jacques Chirac. "the idea of a hard core is a romantic vision which will not be carried out", affirm the former Dutch police chief Frits Bolkestein.

Seemingly, Europe functioned thus in the past. Space without borders of Schengen was launched in 1990 by France, Germany and the Benelux countries. The single currency was to be a club reserved for those which respected criteria of budgetary and economic orthodoxy strictly. Lastly, defense would be the business of the great powers like the United Kingdom and France, joined by Germany.

-snip-

[Earthdweller]

Do we really need to be so fearful of a "Big Trio" aliance when even some of the French think it is delusional?

[Malleus Dei]

The stupid French continue to think of themselves as the center of the world, even though the world passed them by in 1914 and never looked back.

[GeronL]

They have a whole lotta of illusions to go

[Route101]

The only thing France has to look foward to is to try and figure how how to deal with the radical Muslim hoardes within its boarders...Good Luck Frogs!

[risk]

A France aligned with America could be great again.

[Diogenesis]

"A France aligned with America could be great again."

Not gonna happen. To trust them wouldn't be prudent.

[normy]

where is England? In the second circle? Why be in the second circle of a third rate power when you can be in the first circle of the most powerful.

[MadIvan]

Britain is a special case - we're part of the EU, but I doubt we could be described as "European".

I much prefer our independent stance - I'd rather we had nothing to do with the designs of the French and German governments.

Regards, Ivan

[Earthdweller]

You get a leader that has the spine to go with us to defeat baby killers and cowards that cut off mens heads womens limbs off in the name of religion and we will talk. Until then you are on your own. If you are French I pity you. You will be bowing down to Islamic terrorist any day now..if you already are not.

[rrrod]

I agree...France and Germany live in a make believe world.

[Earthdweller]

For proof of this just look North to the Netherlands..good luck and WAKE UP!!!

[Earthdweller]

You are right. This writer left out good old Britain. Interesting. Thank God for Tony Blair.

[JasonC]

France is at present the center of the world wide heretical philosophy of multiculturalism, which is based on the underlying teachings of radical existentialism. They won't be an ally of the US again, until they relearn morality or until we lose ours.

[JasonC]

They have no morality. That is what it means. That is what Iraq means, and the Ivory Coast, and sucking up to Arafat. All they have is identity politics, us and them multiculturalism, in the egalitarian left wing form, that thinks virtue consists in opposing white men, or anyone who still believes in morality. What men do with power, they do not care and cannot see. Murder is fine, as long as those doing the murdering are politically correct. The highest virtue is crimina, as long as those displaying it are politically incorrect.

[vikingsteve]

dont trust the french. agreed!

[normy]

Its amazing how England's offspring(if thats a good word for it) America and Australia, still are so close. I hope the British population realizes where they sit in the minds of the Germans ans French and do not allow themselves to be suckered, as so many Americans do.

The American left thinks these guys just want a utopia where all are taken care of, but they really want the power that they haven't had for decades to be returned to them.

I hope you and others who think like you work hard to convince your countrymen that America is your best friend and someone you can trust, unlike the "partners" in the EU that can never be trusted. I only say this because I read so many negative reports on the Brits attitude toward America. I have a few English friends and they are not this way, but the media makes it tough to strain what is true and what is propaganda.

[Earthdweller]

.....egalitarian left wing form, that thinks virtue consists in opposing white men.........

Well I happen to believe that white men are part of the human race last time I checked.
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...or anyone who still believes in morality.........

You are describing what is know to me as Satan here and I refuse to think we are in a global war with Satan..but I may be wrong.

[Uncle Vlad]

1914? I was thinking more of the end of the Napoleonic era as the time when the French began their decline as a world power.

[Uncle Vlad]

France and Germany won't amount to anything until they abandon Socialism. It's never worked anywhere it's been tried, bot even in the Peoples' Republic of Massachusetts.

[JasonC]

Not Satan but Sartre. Merleau-Ponty. Fanon. Sorel. Nietzsche. Foucault. Schurmann. Authenticity in support of Stalinism. Secularism advanced by terror. The violence of the oppressed. Ten thousand feet below good and evil. Paeans to de Sade. Hamstringing civilization through anarchy. There is no human race, they are post human. No grand metanarratives allowed.