October 27, 2020 - 11:23am
The Europhile Auberon Waugh used to argue that in an ideal world Britain would be “governed by a junta of Belgian ticket inspectors”, his point being that they would rule us in a more disinterested, and wiser, manner than elected British politicians.
Controversial though the subject is, there’s a long history of people longing for foreigners to rule them, because sometimes outsiders will look after your interests better. In the run up to the 2016 referendum I attended a farmer’s debate, during which more than one man expressed a fear of being ruled by his own countrymen; farmers were better protected in the EU because France, being such a rural country, would look after them, while their overwhelmingly urban compatriots wouldn’t.
So one of the many things that troubled me about Britain leaving the EU was that our independent foreign policy would once again be in the hands of the Foreign Office, just about the last organisation I’d trust on anything. And they seem to be fulfilling that promise.
Right now a global row is brewing, threatening a repeat of the 2005 Danish cartoons controversy in which some of the world’s worst tyrants, bigots and hypocrites attempted to bully a small social democracy — one which treated Muslims far better than any of them did — because a newspaper had dared to print some cartoons.
This time the likes of Pakistan and Turkey — two countries with dreadful human rights records, in particular their treatment of religious minorities — have their sights set on France because the president rather objected to a French schoolteacher being beheaded in the street.
Millions of Muslims placed in Chinese concentration camps = tumbleweed.
French president makes some restrained criticism of Islam = “Muslims are being treated like Jews in the 1930s”; “You are in a real sense fascists”; mass boycott of French goods.
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SubscribeAfter the murder in France, there were, “This is awful” from some “commentators”. And then it was only a matter of time before those same commentators would start sending “Islamophobia in France” articles around and leaning on the “we are the actual victims here” stance – yet again.
It’s almost as if Charlie Hebdo, Paris restaurants, Bataclan, the murdered priest, Nice and many many others, had never happened, even the murder just a few days before.
It’s a bit predictable, isn’t it. These murders happen, everyone knows who’s behind them and what the motivation is, yet the left cannot bring itself to hold the perpetrators to the same standard demanded of anyone else.
On another site I expressed my view on this but the comment was removed. So here is my comment- Occam’s razor: fear
This is a government which has nothing to say when a public enquiry into child abuse fails to investigate largely Muslim grooming gangs and does it’s very best to ignore terrorist atrocities carried out by Islamists. If Yellowstreak Johnson won’t even stand up for the British, the French have no hope of support
I thought the research (Local government) was published.
We should support France’s democracy and free speech, as we would our own. And condemn all murderous activism from anyone. People with strong religious convictions at odds with their host country should leave and seek somewhere sympathetic to live. Why should a host country rip its culture and laws apart to accomadate agressive misfits.
Yes, I’m quite sure that throughout history the French have always looked out for others without any concern for their own interests.
It’s not a matter of “looking out for” the French, or for the EU. It’s a matter of looking out for Democracy and our civilised Western way of life.
Self-interest and altruism are sometimes naturally aligned; think of French support for Lebanese Christians or Russian support for Orthodox Christians (vs. Ottoman Empire).
You ignored the point of the article, UK has failed to support France against Muslims.
Even when our leaders were spilling British and Commonwealth blood to protect the French from Hitler they proved to be false friends (DeGaulle). At least the Vichy regime were open about their emnity. Though I have met many honest and decent French (and Germans, Russians, Americans) i think we need to remember Sir Humphrey Applebey’s justification of our independent nuclear deterrent
“it’s to protect us against the French!”
The same reason why the rapes of thousands of young British girls were ignored: a fear that a large number of British Muslims would riot and our police force would be incapable of responding.
Johnson is a turkophile.
We shouldn’t be negotiating anything with Turkey and the seemingly endless number of turkish barbers mushrooming across the land should be closed and the turks expelled.
At least Germany (and France to a lesser extent) are already saddled with millions of them and are repenting at leisure. We have no excuse for repeating their folly.
Please distinguish between Turskish govt and Turkish people. All the Turks I have met are great people. Sorry, it’s a bit of a sore point but it gets me riled when people think that because I’m South African I support SA govt policy (past or present!).
Or between Rumelian turks and Anatolian turks?
Scratch the surface and a Rumelian turns into an Anatolian.
They are all on stolen land.
That’s funny. During the brexit campaign he and his mates scared the nation’s collective pants off, as I recall, with dire predictions of their, er, once great nation being overrun by….Turks.
The “Turkish” barbers are in fact Albanian money laundering fronts. Try paying with your card for your hair cut.
I read this article in a hurry and thought “I’m missing something”. I just read it again.
So, this France is that same France that is trying to hold the whole Brexit agreement up for some highly dubious rights to fish in UK waters? That has, throughout history, looked after number one first last and always and never cared a rotten fig for her neighbours?
Not that I think that is a bad policy for a state to adopt; look after your own citizens and pursue their best interests at all times. France is a wonderful country, with a splendid attitude to life in so many ways. But they can’t really expect their neighbours to do something they would never dream of doing.
No connection at all between Brexit negotiations and supporting a Western nation against Muslim global insanity.
France supported Denmark during the Danish cartoons campaign, guess who did not? Yes! UK!
“The British Government may or may not stand with France, but the British people certainly do”.
Speak for yourself – I have no love for the French, an arrogant self-interested bunch who always put themselves first.
When was the last time France came to the aid of a Great Britain in need?
I can’t stand it.we should support France!
Stand with France! Stand for liberal democracy against the thuggish totalitarian theocrats that wish to extinguish human freedom!
I don’t think Perfidious Albion went anywhere. It was always there.