I like croissants. I like to say "oui" every now and again to show my continental sensibilities. I enjoy baguettes and cheese. I even doff my beret at french champagne. But these aside, I shall never be a francophile.
My gripes are threefold. 1) Muruaroa Atoll is not close enough to Paris for my liking. 2) A grape grown in a particular valley in france is no more 'champagne' than an identical grape grown in the Barossa. 3) French culture is nice, but no nicer than anyone elses.
The final of these, cultural-political hubris, particularly grates. We've been fortunate to be insulated by our heathen non french speaking ways. But no more - President Chirac is launching a 24 cable channel in English called France 24. It promises to give a French perspective on the world. Whether this extends to France's status as the last remaining colonial power, France's corporate meddling in Iraq, or France's protectionist inclinations remains to be seen. But this quote by one of the presenters was gold - no comment required.
"Take the conflict in Lebanon this summer. If Jacques Chirac's call for a ceasefire - which didn't even make BBC or CNN - had been reported earlier, it could have brought about an earlier resolution of the conflict. If Chirac's call had been reported more widely it maybe could have saved thousands of lives. That was a story calling out for a French angle, given the historic links to Lebanon."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,,1965061,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=1
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