I’d love to stop Britain’s neighbour from repeating our mistakes, but advice from overseas counts for nothing – and can sometimes backfire

As France trudges towards a runoff election between a technocrat and a populist, it’s natural to want to help. “Don’t do it!”, say Americans on the socials, “Please, France, this is a really bad idea.” “It might seem fun now,” we, their neighbours, chime in, “but once you’re fielding a moral vacuum on the world stage, you’ll see that it isn’t fun at all.”

It reminds me of the period just before the referendum, when Europeans begged us not to leave, with heart emojis and witty videos, and it changed my mind only insofar as it made the whole situation sadder, while not changing the minds of the leavers in any way. Or maybe that’s wrong: maybe it made them more determined.

Continue reading…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Confronting hate against east Asians – a photo essay

Anti-Asian racism and crimes against the Asian community have amplified with Covid.…

The Pursuit of Love review – absolutely glorious

Emily Mortimer’s immaculate adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s bestseller about the madcap Radlett…

Down, down, deeper and Dowden: how can Rishi’s stand-in be so useless?

The two deputies had another chance to trade blows but it was…

A selfie set in stone: hidden portrait by cheeky mason found in Spain 900 years on

A British art historian’s painstaking study of the cathedral in Santiago de…