Britain and France in mutual agreement? Not very likely
Three years ago, while Britain and France were celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the entente cordiale, it was revealed that only 9% of Britons admitted to feeling an affinity with France compared with 24% who admired America. Only 4% of French people said they could trust the British. Tony Blair was over a year into his dealings with the Iraq war and Jacques Chirac registered a net popularity rating of plus 19 points in comparison to Tony Blair's minus 20.
The entente cordiale anniversary celebrations were more symbolic of the two leaders grudging fondness of each other than any true ideological agreement. Today, Brown and Sarkozy are enjoying a lengthy honeymoon period of sustained popularity with 53% of Britons feeling Mr. Brown is the best equipped to take on the role of Prime Minister. Le Monde newspaper says: “The duo shares approximately the same age, the same stern and dominating character, the same belief in radical reform and the same desire for a strong national identity.” Brown and Sarkozy seem to have leapt from the starting blocks shoulder to shoulder.
Last week, during his visit to the Elysée Palace, Gordon Brown promised Nicholas Sarkozy he would continue to reflect on Britain’s adoption of the single currency and thanked him for his decision to support Britain in its recent dispute with Russia. What’s more, they came to an agreement on issues regarding terrorism, the environment and international crises such as the conflict in Darfur. It is perhaps the closest I have ever seen the entente cordiale reach levels of such unforced political friendship.
Lord Malloch Brown, the Foreign Office Minister, who said that Gordon Brown and President George W Bush would no longer "be joined at the hip" and that it was time for a more "impartial" foreign policy, building new relationships with the French president Nicolas Sarkozy and the German chancellor Angela Merkel, has injected new waves of hope through Europe’s crippled backbone.
After a series of European set-backs including the French ‘no’ vote in the referendum on the European Constitution and Airbus’s inability to sell any one of their record breaking fleet of aircraft, I am sure Sarkozy was breathing a slight sigh of relief that Brown is letting his hair down on the Europe issue.
All of a sudden, Britain seems to be situated smack bang in the middle of Merkel and Sarkozy- while George Bush is left stamping his foot at the fact he was third on Brown’s ‘must see list’ after taking on his role as Prime Minister.
But life was never that simple where France and Britain are concerned. Mondialisation- a word many see as portraying an army of McDonald’s restaurants- has again come into play. During Brown’s visit to the Elysée Place, he pleaded for the abolition of trade barriers between America, Europe, India and China in order to encourage free competition and prosperity. Sarkozy most probably choked on his fois gras with the thought of such liberal minded ‘gibberish’.
France wants to protect its big industrial companies and it agriculture. France does not see “competition as an end in itself.” Instead, the countries of Europe should endeavor to defend their common interests.
I can’t help but detect a few problems lying up ahead. As a Downing Street official recently said: the meeting between Gordon Brown and Nicholas Sarkozy is “a chance for them to set out their thoughts in key areas and some bilateral areas where we have shared interests and concerns.” Globalisation is simply not one of these bilateral areas.
