Airstrip One

Raimondo but Rong

Justin Raimondo gives a hearty Vive La France for the snail munchers' stand against American action against Iraq.

Now I must defer. This is not because I want to put down Justin Raimondo, Justin got me started in writing on the net - as they say over the pond. I owe him a lot, and criticising him feels like thumping my dad.

However I do think that his optimism overtakes him when talking about our Gallic neighbours. The basic premise is that Chirac is being principled when stressing his reservations on the proposed action on Iraq. To which I say rot. By all means like or admire the French, but never trust the buggers.

Chirac is simply trying to get as high a price as possible out of the Americans and, more to the points the Brits. A UN vote would make life hard for Bush and harder (although not impossible) for Blair. No UN vote would mean that Blair would have a Labour movement in near revolt and the promised European utopia being very surly indeed. All this and a heap of local elections for Blair as well. These guys haven't vetoed a security council resolution since 1956.

Imagine the scene, plucky Tony Blair in a European Council of Ministers and Jacques Chirac - mysteriously balder stroking a white fluffy cat.

"Alors monsieur Blair, you 'ave yourself in a bit of a pickle, non?"

"Well, Jacques, that's what I wanted to talk about."

"Monsieur Blair, we are very disappointed in you on this business regarding the travaillistes temporaire"

"Travaill... Workers. Oh temporary workers, I still speak the lingo. Oh that's because business needs the flexibility to employ workers without giving them unnecesary claims."

"It may be bon for your businessmen, but you are dumping social costs on us"

"Well we all care about the business of building Europe. We'll look at our opposition again. Now about this Security Council vote on Iraq."

"Better, but not yet parfait, Monsieur Blair. This European constitution, your ministers have said some terribly rude things about that..."

And so it goes. Sovereignty that is. Just to show that I will slap all sides, I must say that this shows how wrong the Anglospherists have been on this war. Remember the argument? Being closer to America will drive a wedge with Europe and force Blair to finally abandon his dream of taking Britain into the Euro. It was wrong then, and even more mistaken today.