Britain and France have a long and intertwined history, encompassing great friendship and solidarity as well as war and rivalry. The French government and public opinion alike are irritated by what seems like Johnson’s determination to have his cake and eat it. Paris is finding that it is impossible to work seriously with Johnson’s government. In other times they might have got along, and the very serious and very European French president might even have been amused by a man who once said he would not sacrifice a good joke to the truth. The British government seems obsessed by its largest and closest neighbour: France is an easy scapegoat in a difficult period.

Source: The Guardian December 05, 2021 06:04 UTC