A remarkable performance
Matthew d'Ancona 7:54pm
Nicolas Sarkozy's address to both Houses of Parliament was a remarkable political performance, bristling with confident charm, and a reminder that, for all his travails, the French President is a politician of the first order. Flanked by his new wife, Carla Bruni, Sarkozy gave a speech that Jacques Chirac or, for that matter, Ségolène Royal would never have countenanced. Most of the content was predictable and unremarkable: homage to Britain's role in the Second World War, encouragement to this country to be an active participant in the EU, the promise of more French troops for Afghanistan, conciliatory words on CAP reform, calls for cooperation on immigration. Yet the tone was all: here was a French President praising the achievements of Britain, and hailing the Anglo-Saxon model as an inspiration. None of Sarkozy's predecessors would have come anything like as close to declaring the Franco-German axis a diplomatic fossil, a once dominant alliance that is no longer fit for purpose (it doesn't help that he and Angela Merkel get on so badly).
There was memorable moment at the end when David Miliband, George Osborne and Nick Clegg stood chatting energetically, young political opponents united in their admiration for this diminutive French powerhouse. A playboy President, perhaps, but quite something all the same.
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Comments
Purple Scorpion
March 26th, 2008 8:10pmThere stood Sarkozy praising reforms introduced by ... Mrs Thatcher. How Labour lapped it up.
Cynic
March 26th, 2008 8:19pmNever trust the French
TrevorH
March 26th, 2008 8:39pmA French President, on the verge of a juicy order from us for nuclear power stations, gives us a load of soft soap.
How good we are how important we are and how nice if you would only just vote our way in the EU.
Oh, come on ... he will be on the phone to Merkle in the taxi on his way back to the airport.
Sally C
March 26th, 2008 8:40pmSo true Purple Scorpion.
In the spirit of the friendship, can we have a French exchange?
We will have him and they can have Brown.
dexey
March 26th, 2008 9:34pmIf France falls out with Germany do we get to go to war again?
Praguetory
March 26th, 2008 9:55pmThe man's a legend. Good speech on Radio 4 this morning, too. Unlike most politicos he has the ability to cut through the crap.
Ted Tedford
March 27th, 2008 12:36pmIf we're as great as M Sarkozy says, why doesn't France just apply to join the Commonwealth? I'm sure we could offer France beneficial terms.
kinglear
March 27th, 2008 4:15pmThere's a wonderful bit in " The Charge of the Light Brigade" when John Gielguid, playing the elderly General, wakes up in the night and sees a whole lot of French troops in the courtyard. He has to be restrained from shooting them and it is carefully explained to him that they are our allies now.
Even then he is not too sure - as we should still be.Lovely country, lovely food, BUT the French have an utter disdain for everyone and everything not French.