Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe, originally uploaded by lusobrandane.

Still caught in the 'pro-French' vibe - which probably isn't a good thing for a Brit in this day and age, given that our government has (if the ever-so-jingoistic English press is to believed) been browbeaten into surrendering part of our EU rebate in order to pay French farmers to remain inefficient and for repairing the damage caused during the recent riots in several French cities.

I don't know, but I always thought that it was a bit incongruous that, with our EU rebate of several billion euros each year, Britain - which is the fifth richest country in the world, and the second or third richest in the EU - makes the second lowest net contribution to EU funds. Moreover, it hardly needs said that Britain is not the most popular member of the EU club - in fact, if the truth be known, we come across as the petulant little insecure boy in the corner who is always trying to think up new ways of being the centre of attention without actually doing very much constructive, and whose popularity with the new members is based less on our intrinsic worth and more on our friendship with the local bully.

Anyway, matters of geopolitics aside, as a committed pro-European (which is a bit of an endangered species here in Blighty), and fierce lover of France and (almost) all things French (and Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Irish....), all I can say is roll on the day when we are able to buy camembert and brie sandwiches in the local Carrefour supermarket without feeling any pangs of guilt at abandoning cheddar and Tesco.

Do you think the French might reconsider their decision to withdraw dual citizenship from the Scots?