This unaltered story [1] was originally published on OpenDemocracy.org.
License [2]: Creative Commons 4.0 - Attributions/No Derivities/Int'l.
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Boris Johnson; finally a politician to unite the whole of France
By: []
Date: 2021-11
It isn’t just that Britain loves to hate France; for entire quarters of the press and the political sphere, the whole fun in the relationship between the two countries comes from the certainty that France also loves to hate Britain. We’ve had the best of times and the worst of times together, and for hundreds of years, we have been the best of frenemies.
“The French are always grumpy in October,” leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg tweeted earlier this week, “the anniversaries of Trafalgar and Agincourt upset them.” The spiky remark, obviously intended to offend those on the other side of the Channel, was childish but not out of the ordinary.
It was also incorrect; though it is true that Paris isn’t currently on the best of terms with London, it has nothing to do with archers, mud, or wars long won and lost. In fact, the post-Brexit battle between the two countries was largely one-sided until recently; Fleet Street’s tabloids yearned for a scuffle, but they were the only ones.
Far from fury, the events of the night of 23 June five years ago led to pained surprise in France, followed by a strong desire to swiftly move on.
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“In the five years following the British referendum of June 2016, Brexit sparked more indifference than anger in France, once the shock of the vote had subsided,” newspaper Ouest France wrote last month.
“The considerable interests put at stake by Britain’s exit mobilised the energies of Paris and Brussels in difficult negotiations. When it came to the country at large, however, indifference reigned.”
Thorn status restored
That is no longer the case. Through a combination of fishing wars, the migrant crisis, perceived betrayals on the AUKUS deal and endless quarrelling about the Northern Ireland protocol, Britain has regained its status as the largest thorn in France’s side.
Though the issues are many, this perfect storm isn’t exactly the reason behind this diplomatic headache; instead, one man is to blame. Described as a “cockerel who sings while its feet are stuck in shit” by Charlie Hebdo, Boris Johnson has managed to irritate the French in a way few of his recent predecessors have.
His tendency to joke about even the most dour of topics irritates them, and so does his relentless optimism; his innate lack of diplomacy rankles, and his very character.
“Since taking his country out of the EU, Boris Johnson seems convinced that the permanent confrontation with the continent will be more beneficial to him than arrangements that could satisfy the Irish, French fishermen or British supermarkets,” a leader column concluded in French news magazine Le Point last month.
Le Monde made a similar argument a few days later: “It is as if Boris Johnson needs to maintain a permanent conflict with the EU in order to flatter his electorate and make people forget the negative consequences of Brexit on the economy.”
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