Emmanuel Macron considers himself a huge man. ‘BoJo talks to me at full speed, everything is going fine, we have discussions like big people,’ he said in comments reported by the French satirical magazine Le Canard Enchaîné.
“And then he gives it a hard time, either before or after. It’s inelegant.” It’s the same circus.
Macron commented on the implacable nature of the Prime Minister’s diplomacy. He added, “It’s sad to see such a large country with whom we could do many things being lead by a clown.”
It could have been dismissed as an Anglo-Saxon attempt to win popularity amid France’s growing toxic election campaign.
Macron commented on the lack of elegance in the Prime Minister’s diplomatic style and said: “It is very sad to watch a country that could accomplish a lot of things with being led by clowns.”
However, Macron’s pathetic display of presidential indignation is having real-world effects. The meeting between the French and UK ministers on the migration crisis was cancelled last week.
Officials in the UK claim that French obstinacy will likely prevent any meaningful action for at least the near term.
One stated: “When we closed the Brexit negotiations, EU told us that it was OK to secure bilaterals for migration. France now says, “Oh, no! We can’t make bilateral agreements.” This must be addressed at the commission level.
“There are still opportunities for a deal. But, there is not much hope of any happening until France becomes the EU president at the end of the month.
At that point, hundreds of migrants more will be risking their lives on the Channel’s icy waters. EU panjandrums reply, “It’s no fault of ours.”
“We could have solved all this if it weren’t for Brexit.” These people then refer to Britain’s exit from the Dublin Regulation which, theoretically, allows EU states to control the internal distribution of refugees.
This is fiction. The British government received 2,236 requests in 2019 from EU member countries to allow individuals to be transferred into the UK. Of these, 714 transfers actually took place – 32 per cent of cases.
In comparison, just 263 people were removed by the UK after it requested to send 3,259 persons to the EU. That is only 8% of cases. Around 1,900 migrants arrived by small boat in the UK that year. The Dublin protocol brought back 50 migrants to France.
‘BoJo talks to me at full speed, everything is going fine, we have discussions like big people,’ he said in comments reported by the French satirical magazine Le Canard Enchaîné
To prevent more deaths, the truth is that France and UK could reach an agreement before 5pm tonight. The fact that they will not is unrelated to Brexit. It’s all to do with Emmanuel Macron, the EU’s determination to weaponize Brexit and to teach British citizens a very important lesson.
After a letter leaked by Jean Castex, the French Prime Minister to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “It’s important to emphasize to European public opinion that respecting commitment is not negotiable. That leaving the Union will do more harm than being there.”
Castex’s lawyers claimed Castex mistranslated his words. They were not. For Brexit to fail, the EU has to succeed. At least, it needs to be perceived as such. If that means someone putting a French spanner into the works, then so be it. The Channel migrant crisis has shown us the results. It was more apparent than vaccines.
It was actually twice that we witnessed it over vaccines. First, Ursula von der Leyen attempted to question the safety and efficacy of the UK vaccination rollout. When the EU declared it would trigger Article 16, the EU blocked the distribution of vaccines in Northern Ireland.
It’s about to happen again. A Minister who is involved in the negotiations regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol spoke with me last week. These ministers are cautiously optimistic about progressing with the DUP.
“It’s going be difficult, but we believe there’s room for compromise,” I was informed. However, when I inquired about the EU’s stance on the matter, my optimism faded.
They genuinely don’t get it. It was evident with Article 16 as well as the vaccine. They don’t understand the political nature of Northern Ireland.
Marine Le Pen isn’t giving us lectures about populism. From the man who furiously recalled the ambassador from his most trusted ally, we don’t require any lessons on statecraft. Also, we don’t have to hear any advice on being a mature stateman from the man who preferred women and children dying than he would swallow his Gallic pride.
Perhaps they aren’t interested in understanding. It was revealed that Maros Sefcovic, EU negotiator, had proposed to eliminate 80 percent of food import restrictions from Northern Ireland via the British mainland. It was immediately hailed by the European Union as a positive and gracious move.
But, this response missed a crucial issue. Why were these food inspections necessary? One simple reason. These were deliberately placed by the EU in order to destabilize Brexit’s introduction as much as possible.
It didn’t matter the horrible history of Northern Ireland or its people. EU officials did not care about tensions within the Unionist group. They need to show – as Prime Minister Castex demanded – that leaving the EU would do ‘more harm than good’.
This is the ugly truth about our current relationship to our European partners. Macron is not Boris, but Macron. He’s begging for laughter and cheers from the crowd in his clown costume. Because he felt insulted by the tone of a letter, he cancelled a meeting to stop another Channel tragedy.
Brexit is now a reality. Macron might not be happy about this. Ursula von der Leyen may not like it. Their UK cheerleaders – Remainers, Rejoiners, whatever they call themselves these days – may not like it. Brexit is now a fact. It’s up to everyone to try their hardest to make this work.
But the problem is that the EU doesn’t want Brexit working. It doesn’t matter who is hurt during the process of making sure it fails.
The vaccine was needed to prevent Covid in Northern Ireland and other parts of the UK. Expendable.
They are putting their lives at risk in order to reach the Channel. Expendable. All Northern Ireland’s communities. Expendable.
People say that Macron fights for his life. All leaders in the EU must consider their constituencies. It is the new reality in the post-Brexit political environment.
Fine. However, in such a case would Napoleon of France’s pound shop be able to get down from his high horse? The man who is currently stumbling in the ditch with Marine Le Pen doesn’t have to give us any lessons on populism.
No need for any lecture on statecraft by the man who petulantly summoned the ambassador from his long-standing ally.
It is clear that we don’t require any lessons on being a mature politician from the man who preferred to see his Gallic wounded pride drowning than seeing children and wives drown.
Emmanuel Macron believes he is a large man. He doesn’t. He is a child. It’s high time that he grows up.