I USUALLY pass over the very frequent correspondence of Bob Readman but I was very sad to notice his recent diatribe directed against France (Letters, Tuesday, Dec 8).
It is true that our relationship with France was for centuries marked by mutual distrust and enmity – largely to be explained by our competing imperial ambitions. One continuing consequence of this is the current conflict in the Middle East: following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the First World War, France and Britain’s rival machinations largely gave rise to the current, unsustainable conflict between the state of Israel and the Palestinian people.
Consequently, the recent decades of cooperation and concord, within the European Union, are a remarkable achievement that have been to our, and the world’s, mutual benefit.
Read today's other letters
- Letter to the Editor: Conservatives will lose the next General Election
- Letter to the Editor: Brussels has dictated rather than negotiated
If the Brexit project is now reduced to the level of insults in which Mr Readman indulges, then we all should be concerned, not just about the economic damage being done but also about the future harmony of our European alliance. We mess with that at our peril.
Finally, may I assure local French residents in this community that they – and their country – remain our friends. Mr Readman speaks for himself and not for the rest of us.
FR PIP MARTIN
Revd Philip Martin
The Vicarage, St Aldhelm’s Road, Poole
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