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shanghaiceltic
Board Royalty
Joined: Sep 20, 2005
Posts: 7618
Location: Perth WA
Status: Offline
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Jan 16, 2007 - 11:19 AM |
 
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| Post subject: Elizabeth II Queen of France...... |
Bloody good idea, should have happened. We would have been able to get back Aquitaine and all the Cique Ports would have become united. Plus we could have exported more of our cooking...France would have had some halfway decent curry houses.....
Queen Elizabeth II of France? Mais non
By Caroline Davies
Last Updated: 2:05am GMT 16/01/2007
Mon Dieu! the Queen as La Reine de la France? C'est impossible, n'est ce pas? Not entirely, according to documents housed at the National Archives in Kew.
They show that in 1956 Britain and France considered a "union" and the possibility of our Queen as the first regal head of this avowedly republican country since previous occupants of the post literally lost theirs.
Yesterday the prospect rendered one eminent French historian almost speechless. "Really, I am stuttering because this idea is so preposterous," stammered Prof Henri Soutou, from the Sorbonne.
But a British cabinet note shows that the French prime minister, Guy Mollet, first broached the subject during a meeting in London with his British counterpart, Anthony Eden.
The note of Sept 10, 1956, states: "When the French prime minister, Monsieur Mollet, was recently in London he raised with the Prime Minister the possibility of a union between the United Kingdom and France."
When that idea was rejected, an undaunted Mr Mollet had another shot when Eden visited Paris a fortnight later. What about the French joining the Commonwealth, he suggested?
advertisementHe even ventured that there would be "no difficulty over France accepting the headship of Her Majesty", according to a note on Sept 28 of a conversation between Eden and his cabinet secretary, Sir Norman Brook. Tempting though it was, that idea, although greeted with more enthusiasm, was eventually rejected too.
Eden was persuaded by his cabinet that Belgium, Holland, West Germany and Italy might all want to follow suit, which was complicated. As history shows, a year later France signed the Treaty of Rome with Germany and Elizabeth II paid a state visit to France.
As flag-waving Parisians turned out to give her a warm welcome, none was aware they were looking at the woman who could have been the first French Queen since "Madame Guillotine" dispatched the last.
Yet, such a move was not perhaps as outrageous as it first seems. France was facing severe economic difficulties, and also an escalating Suez crisis.
It wanted the British on side to help retake the canal from Egypt, which was funding separatists in rebellious French Algeria.
There was also tension on the Israel-Jordan border. France was an ally of Israel and Britain of Jordan. If that erupted, French and British soldiers could end up fighting each other.
"The idea of joining the Commonwealth and accepting the headship of Her Majesty would not have gone down well," Prof Soutou told BBC Radio 4's Document programme, which last night broadcast A Marriage Cordial on the subject. "If this had been suggested more recently, Mollet might have found himself in court."
Denis MacShane, the Francophile former Europe minister, said it was a fine example of the "tortured romance" between the nations that had existed "since William the Conqueror colonised Britain 1,000 years ago".
"Churchill offered to the French to merge completely with Britain in 1940, which the French turned down. Guy Mollet was a teacher of English from Calais. I suspect he was seeking to copycat that as France was under terrible pressure."
The documents have lain in the National Archives almost unnoticed since they were declassified two decades ago.
Sir John Holmes, Britain's Ambassador to Paris, believes that deep in the French psyche there is a little knot of regret that it never came to pass.
"Stories about the British Royal Family are avidly read in France," he said. "The film The Queen is incredibly popular.
"So there's a sort of hankering after the stability and continuity which the monarch represents for us and the French don't have." |
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I have parrallel bars at home, one for gin and one for whiskey |
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frenchlover1999
Shanghai Royalty
Joined: Sep 18, 2004
Posts: 8730
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Jan 16, 2007 - 11:41 AM |
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Socialist Guy Mollet's government has done worse than this. Chirac's is much worse... Last year France did not celebrate Austerlitz victory - in the name of political correctness... but we joined the UK in celebrating Trafalgar! Go figure. |
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That was no shark. That was my personal submarine. But enough of this polite conversation. What is the purpose of your visit? |
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shanghaiceltic
Board Royalty
Joined: Sep 20, 2005
Posts: 7618
Location: Perth WA
Status: Offline
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Jan 16, 2007 - 12:17 PM |
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Yes but the Trafalgar celbrations when they re-enacted the battle were not allowed to be called English Fleet v French and Spanish, they were politically correctly called red and blue forces so as not to upset anyone...expcept those with a sense of history. |
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I have parrallel bars at home, one for gin and one for whiskey |
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Borodino
Reacher
Joined: Jan 03, 2007
Posts: 316
Status: Offline
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Jan 16, 2007 - 12:44 PM |
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I just think it's funny that when French tourists arrive on the Eurostar, the first thing they see is a big sign saying 'Welcome to Waterloo.' |
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Reg_Reagan
StreetBeater
Joined: July 18, 2006
Posts: 2401
Location: Friggin' Cessnock...
Status: Offline
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Jan 17, 2007 - 01:08 PM |
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Sir John Holmes, Britain's Ambassador to Paris
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Strewth. So Big Johnny was a bloody ambassodor person before he got into the Blue movies. Respect!
Reg |
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Go and get stuffed the lot of youse... now get me a KB woman... |
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shanghaiceltic
Board Royalty
Joined: Sep 20, 2005
Posts: 7618
Location: Perth WA
Status: Offline
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Jan 18, 2007 - 08:11 AM |
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All that blue blood in the viens must have helped... |
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I have parrallel bars at home, one for gin and one for whiskey |
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wolfy
Fire-eater
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2510
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Jan 21, 2007 - 05:00 PM |
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France probably has the strongest sense of state of any European country, it's been there for millennia. What other country could have five revolutions and still be in one piece? |
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Good old English spirit! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MG27BKwjaI |
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theAutumn45
Rocker
Joined: Oct 28, 2005
Posts: 796
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Jan 21, 2007 - 05:31 PM |
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China, of course, it's not in Europe  |
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bougie
Board Buddha
Joined: Nov 20, 2004
Posts: 13323
Location: Wuhan Hubei China
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Jan 21, 2007 - 05:32 PM |
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The HO, she's still on the Canadian money . Friggin commenwealth ..
[But all the respect cause she looks like me auntie] |
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wolfy
Fire-eater
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2510
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Jan 21, 2007 - 05:38 PM |
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theAutumn45
Rocker
Joined: Oct 28, 2005
Posts: 796
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Jan 21, 2007 - 08:15 PM |
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Kiwi
Post Boaster
Joined: May 07, 2003
Posts: 4763
Status: Offline
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Jan 21, 2007 - 09:57 PM |
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| wolfy wrote: |
| theAutumn45 wrote: |
| China, of course, it's not in Europe |
It's not in Europe? It's not in one piece either. |
Plus China was throughout history more an empire than a country, and despite plenty of propagandizing to the contrary arguably this same situation persists today. |
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[offensive signature removed by ADMIN] |
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wolfy
Fire-eater
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2510
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Jan 21, 2007 - 10:07 PM |
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Right. China has never been a strictly defined territory. If you look at a map of China in the Ming dynasty it's a lot smaller than it is now. |
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Good old English spirit! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MG27BKwjaI |
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wolfy
Fire-eater
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2510
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Jan 21, 2007 - 10:12 PM |
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theAutumn45
Rocker
Joined: Oct 28, 2005
Posts: 796
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Jan 21, 2007 - 11:47 PM |
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At time of Ming, but can't locate a map of Europe at that time 
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wolfy
Fire-eater
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2510
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Jan 21, 2007 - 11:54 PM |
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wolfy
Fire-eater
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2510
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Jan 21, 2007 - 11:57 PM |
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theAutumn45
Rocker
Joined: Oct 28, 2005
Posts: 796
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Jan 22, 2007 - 12:09 AM |
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I guess the world does change from time to time, so are the boundaries. |
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Loved the beauty of Autumn and the peace of 1945, all are quiet in that Autumn day, only cheer of the living, and soul searching for better communication, cooperation and understanding. And may the peace remain, and may the world be one 
Last edited by theAutumn45 on Jan 22, 2007 - 01:23 AM; edited 1 time in total |
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wolfy
Fire-eater
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2510
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Jan 22, 2007 - 12:25 AM |
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Kiwi
Post Boaster
Joined: May 07, 2003
Posts: 4763
Status: Offline
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Jan 22, 2007 - 12:36 AM |
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Jesus Christ. . . You can rely on Amega/Autumn45 to post something utterly irrelevant and stupid in response to a perceived slight against China. |
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[offensive signature removed by ADMIN] |
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theAutumn45
Rocker
Joined: Oct 28, 2005
Posts: 796
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Jan 22, 2007 - 01:34 AM |
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Stupid? If you can't comprehend the humor within, then it may apply to you! |
_________________
Loved the beauty of Autumn and the peace of 1945, all are quiet in that Autumn day, only cheer of the living, and soul searching for better communication, cooperation and understanding. And may the peace remain, and may the world be one |
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Kiwi
Post Boaster
Joined: May 07, 2003
Posts: 4763
Status: Offline
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Jan 22, 2007 - 02:09 AM |
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I can't say I do see the humor, but so long as you are enjoying it. . .
Don't laugh too much or nurse may have to come round and sedate you again. |
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