Mollet and the mediasphere

The “Mariage Cordial” news reminds us of one of the most interesting periods in the history of the relationship between Britain and France. But it also brilliantly illustrates a few general aspects of modern media, neither new nor pleasant:

On BBC Radio 4’s programme “Document”, Mike Thompson uncovers the document in question, carries out a full investigation between Paris and London, and gives us a full half-hour report that seems to cover pretty much all there is to say. The French Third Republic, with Guy Mollet at its head, is in trouble on many fronts the worst being Algeria and Egypt. As an anglophile and friend of Eden, Mollet unearths De Gaulle’s idea of a FR-UK union from 1940, and submits it to the UK government. Probably finding a bit over the top, the UK refuses. Days later, Britain removes its troops from Egypt and this is the end of the arguably longest period of true friendship between both countries, as France then turns towards Germany to kick off the EEC a year later.

A few hours before the broadcast, Thompson publishes on the BBC News site a 700-word summary which necessarily removes a lot of the context, and adds a few quotes from flabbergasted academics and politicians. Reuters summarises further, to 400 words.

The world press and bloggers take the story on. Apparently, no one bothers going back to the source and listen to the BBC programme, although some articles do reestablish the subtle details which make the story interesting. However, when it comes to reactions to the news, one can detect familiar patterns:

  • Typical reaction from the British media: ironical. British trains would run faster, but we’d all be unemployed (Guardian). A Day in the life of a Frenglander: [...] 1pmCycle home. Find wife in bed with Claude from next door. Offer him an aperitif while I prepare langoustines. (Daily Mirror).
  • Typical reaction from the French media: not amused. La BBC exagère (l’Express). Les Anglais font tout un fromage d’un scoop d’il y a plus de 20 ans. (le Monde)
  • Typical French blogger reaction: mild and fair. Le microcosme médiatique,
    BBC en tête, excusez du peu, suivi de nombreux journaux et blogs
    parisiens, découvre [l'affaire]. Le gout du sensationel se double
    d’une stupéfiante ignorance de l’histoire récente.     (lo nhac lemosin), Il fallait que cet homme ait bien peu de respect pour l’histoire de France [...] La France n’a jamais été à vendre et ne le sera jamais. (désirs de réaction).
  • Typical UK blogger reaction: honestly, I couldn’t find any opinionated reaction (in the 15 minutes I allocated to search for each item in this list) further than History is often stranger than fiction. (stuffem), NO WAY! That must be an April Fools Joke but its not April 1st! (thequacksoflife).
  • Typical reaction from the rest of the world: “awww, they hate each other but really, they love each other”, or any variation on the same theme using any old stereotype involving food, quoted from some eminent academic.

I’m surprised no producer has yet come up with a reality TV show where a bunch of Brits and a bunch of Frenchies are locked up together in a house, with Big Brother trying to get them to argue over a cooking competition, a football game or literary criticism.

[tags]mollet, france, britain, entente cordiale, union[/tags]