Tom_NUFC 0 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6261885.stm Formerly secret documents unearthed from the National Archives have showed Britain and France considered a "union" in the 1950s. On 10 September 1956 French Prime Minister Guy Mollet arrived in London for talks with his British counterpart, Anthony Eden. These were troubled times for Mollet's France. Egypt's President Gamel Abdel Nasser had nationalised the Suez Canal and, as if that was not enough, he was also busy funding separatists in French Algeria, fuelling a bloody mutiny that was costing the country's colonial masters dear. Monsieur Mollet was ready to fight back and he was determined to get Britain's help to do it. Formerly secret documents held in Britain's National Archives in London, which have lain virtually unnoticed since being released two decades ago, reveal the extraordinary proposal Mollet was about to make. The following is an extract from a British government cabinet paper of the day. It reads: "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." Mollet was desperate to hit back at Nasser. He was also an Anglophile who admired Britain both for its help in two world wars and its blossoming welfare state. There was another reason, too, that the French prime minister proposed this radical plan. Tension was growing at this time along the border between Israel and Jordan. France was an ally of Israel and Britain of Jordan. If events got out of control there, French and British soldiers could soon be fighting each other. With the Suez issue on the boil Mollet could not let such a disaster happen. Secret document So, when Eden turned down his request for a union between France and Britain the French prime minister came up with another proposal. This time, while Eden was on a visit to Paris, he requested that France be allowed to join the British Commonwealth. A secret document from 28 September 1956 records the surprisingly enthusiastic way the British premier responded to the proposal when he discussed it with his Cabinet Secretary, Sir Norman Brook. It says: "Sir Norman Brook asked to see me this morning and told me he had come up from the country consequent on a telephone conversation from the prime minister who is in Wiltshire. "The PM told him on the telephone that he thought in the light of his talks with the French: "That we should give immediate consideration to France joining the Commonwealth "That Monsieur Mollet had not thought there need be difficulty over France accepting the headship of her Majesty "That the French would welcome a common citizenship arrangement on the Irish basis" Seeing these words for the first time, Henri Soutou, professor of contemporary history at Paris's Sorbonne University almost fell off his chair. Stammering repeatedly he said: "Really I am stuttering because this idea is so preposterous. The idea of joining the Commonwealth and accepting the headship of Her Majesty would not have gone down well. If this had been suggested more recently Mollet might have found himself in court." Textbooks Nationalist MP Jacques Myard was similarly stunned on being shown the papers, saying: "I tell you the truth, when I read that I am quite astonished. I had a good opinion of Mr Mollet before. I think I am going to revise that opinion. "I am just amazed at reading this because since the days I was learning history as a student I have never heard of this. It is not in the textbooks." It seems that the French prime minister decided to quietly forget about his strange proposals. No record of them seems to exist in the French archives and it is clear that he told few other ministers of the day about them. This might well be because after Britain decided to pull out of Suez, the battle against President Nasser was lost and all talk of union died too. Instead, when the EEC was born the following year, France teamed up with Germany while Britain watched on. The rest, it seems, is history. Document's A Marriage Cordial will be broadcast on Radio 4 at 2000 GMT on Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob W 0 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 what a missed opportunity we'd have had decent roads, decent trains, good food...................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 ....B.O., bad breath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob W 0 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 A President instead of the Windsors, wine, loads of Muslims............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invicta_Toon 0 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 the peacefull nigthtime scenes down the estates, the unemployment, gerrard depardeui Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Thierry Henry instead of Peter Crouch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob W 0 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 decent cheese, bread lasses that dress in sommat other than charv-tastic clothes no "special relationship" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 We've already got decent cheese tbh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob W 0 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 We've already got decent cheese tbh. yeak but they have more and we'd have got it sooner...................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 18049 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 We'd have better weather and lasses with hairy armpits............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Do French birds still have hairy armpits? I think British lasses had hairy armpits in the 70's didnt they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 18049 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Do French birds still have hairy armpits? I think British lasses had hairy armpits in the 70's didnt they? Don't really know, alas I have never had the pleasure of a french lady. German girls tend to be very hirsute though. Body hair on a lass (other than pubes) quite literally makes me physically sick. Iirc there was a person from history that went impotent when he found his newly married wife had pubes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob W 0 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Do French birds still have hairy armpits? I think British lasses had hairy armpits in the 70's didnt they? Don't really know, alas I have never had the pleasure of a french lady. German girls tend to be very hirsute though. Body hair on a lass (other than pubes) quite literally makes me physically sick. Iirc there was a person from history that went impotent when he found his newly married wife had pubes. I think you are thinking of Henry VIII with Anne of Cleeves ............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 18049 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Do French birds still have hairy armpits? I think British lasses had hairy armpits in the 70's didnt they? Don't really know, alas I have never had the pleasure of a french lady. German girls tend to be very hirsute though. Body hair on a lass (other than pubes) quite literally makes me physically sick. Iirc there was a person from history that went impotent when he found his newly married wife had pubes. I think you are thinking of Henry VIII with Anne of Cleeves ............. Not him, some writer I think. He assumed lasses looked like they do on classical paintings..... On a similar not, I was mortified when I found out my first g/f shaved her legs................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 A hairy lass simply cannot be justified iywmho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walliver 0 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Landreau Sagnol Gallas Ferdinand Cole Ribery Gerrard Vieira Cole Henry Rooney ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Robert would be left-wing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Body hair on a lass (other than pubes) quite literally makes me physically sick. Have you actually regurgitated on women you were previously prepared to engage in the physical consumation of love? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walliver 0 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Not really related but what a team! Perez Dumas Goma Boumsong Bernard Ginola Le Sib N'Zogbia Robert Saha Guivarc'h Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Yeah, we'd have rampant racism on unimaginable levels, no poor people would be allowed to live in city centres, a backward economic policy with our heads in the sand, endless strikes over fuck all, be even more pompous and arrogant than we already are. A union made in hell tbh. Having lived here for 2 years, people need to understand the myth about french food. Over-priced and over-rated. Unless your a fench twat who thinks that french chicken tastes better, even though 'Bio' or organic food is unheard of over here. Never had good lamb since i've been here either. I'd prefer a visit to The Grainger House than most equivalently priced french restos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieMessiah 0 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Would love to know what the French newspapers are making of all this, tbh. Bet they're up in arms about this treacherous proposal of Mollet's...I'd look at a French news website, but my French is poor. Will do anything to see a froggy bastard get uptight and angry though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom_NUFC 0 Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 Landreau Sagnol Gallas Ferdinand Cole Ribery Gerrard Vieira Cole Henry Rooney ? Why would the English and French teams be merged? France would have still had their own national teams, after all all the British countries do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 0 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Not him, some writer I think. He assumed lasses looked like they do on classical paintings..... On a similar not, I was mortified when I found out my first g/f shaved her legs................ I saw that on the telly a few weeks back and I cannot for the life of me remember who it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wullie 0 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ruskin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ruskin Either that or he was gay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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