La France, Do You Want to Turn British?

The Sunday Times ^ | April 3, 2005 | Matthew Campbell

[quidnunc]

Paris – As debate intensified in France’s referendum campaign on the European Union constitution last week, the voters were invited to consider an unusual question: should they try to be more like the British? Strange as it may seem, the complex exercise of trying to imagine Europe’s future has led to Britain becoming the focus of the May 29 referendum.

Back in 1957, when French and German politicians created the old European Community, France’s European dream consisted essentially of constructing a bigger version of itself. Now many seem to think it is turning into a bigger version of Britain and want to stop the process at all costs.

The change is rooted in French perceptions that they have lost influence to the British in an enlarged EU, and the belief, encouraged by the French left, that the proposed EU constitution will result in France being swamped by what one commentator described as the “free-market mania of the Anglo-Saxon world”.

The result has been a sharp rise in the “no” vote — the latest poll showed 53% opposed to the constitution compared with 47% in favour. It has also created panic in the conservative government at the prospect that France, always in the vanguard of European integration, will be blamed for dealing the coup de grace to the constitution.

As Nicolas Baverez, the author of the book France in Collapse, put it last week: “The rejection of a text conceived, desired, negotiated and largely inspired by France would make it look ridiculous in Europe and in the world.”

At the same time, the perception that British diplomacy had, in Baverez’s words, “taken control of the EU”, prompted a surge of interest in how business was being conducted across the Channel in what had been considered a backwater of Euroscepticism.

-snip-

[Fenris6]

should they try to be more like the British? Strange as it may seem, the complex exercise of trying to imagine Europe’s future has led to Britain becoming the focus of the May 29 referendum

Of course it has. Germany and France are out of ideas - thats why they played so strongly on Anti-Americanism in the last round of elections. Now its the British who will be demonized. Himmler lives on.

[absalom01]

"The rejection of a text conceived, desired, negotiated and largely inspired by France would make it look ridiculous in Europe and in the world."

What, France is not already ridiculous?

[Socratic]

Britain: Euroscepticism.
France: Eurosepticemia.

[Mears]

"An administrator at a job centre in London explained to the French reporter that British unemployed were not allowed to turn down too many job offers without risking their benefits. With a tone of amazement, the reporter concluded: “Even the unions seem to accept these rules.”

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

This might have something to do with Britain's success and the fact that they don't stop working after 35 hours per week.

[dts32041]

This is a more instresting La France

[LPStar]

The French are irrelevant and soon doomed not to exist at all, in the grand scheme of things. The Arab and North African influx and birthrate means they'll disappear in a few generations. Silly to worry about the British at this point.