Recent relations

When de Gaulle resigned in 1969, a new French government under Georges Pompidou were prepared to open a more friendly dialogue with Britain and, although they did not reverse much of De Gaulle's foreign policy, they removed their objections to British membership of the EEC opening the way for the United Kingdom to join the common market in 1973.

These differing points of view came to a head in the lead-up to the 2003 War in Iraq. Britain, and their American allies, strongly advocated the use of force to remove Saddam Hussein while France (with Germany, Russia, and other nations) strongly opposed such action, with French President [Jacques Chirac] threatening to veto any resolution proposed to the UN Security Council. However, despite such differences Chirac and then British Prime Minister Tony Blair maintained a fairly close relationship during their years in office even after the Iraq War started Both states asserted the importance of the Entente cordiale alliance, and the role it had played during the twentieth century.

Sarkozy era

President Nicolas Sarkozy has tried to establish a closer relationship with Britain, than existed under his predecessors Jacques Chirac and François Mitterrand.

Following his election in 2007 President Nicolas Sarkozy has attempted to forge closer relations and urged both countries to "overcome our long-standing rivalries and build together a future that will be stronger because we will be together" in an official trip to the UK. He also said "If we want to change Europe my dear British friends - and we Frenchmen do wish to change Europe - we need you inside Europe to help us do so, not standing on the outside."

However relations took a turn for the worse when the French President said that D-Day Landing Memorials in 2009 were an American French affair and therefore did not invite the Queen, and did not consider Britain's majority involvement in the famous landings, This matter was quickly resolved however with the Prince of Wales alongside Gordon Brown attending the event as the representatives for Great Britain.". United International Press. 26 March 2008. Retrieved on 27 March 2008. "French President Nicolas Sarkozy told the British Parliament he wanted to forge a new "brotherhood" between countries."

In March 2008, President Sarkozy made a state visit to Britain. He had a state dinner with Queen Elizabeth II and addressed a joint session of the British parliament where he promised closer cooperation between the two countries' governments in the future.

The sciences

There have been some major patriotic issues between the French and British scientific communities, despite overall cooperation. As a first example, Newtonian mechanics was not generally accepted in France for about half a century because of what was seen as a competing formulation by Descartes.

As a second example of stiff competition, the scandal about which of the two countries deserves credit for the discovery the planet Neptune has still not died down, though the consensus weighs in France's favour.

Arts and culture

In general, France is regarded with favour by Britain in regard to its high culture and is seen as an ideal holiday destination, whilst France sees Britain as its vital trading partner and a major help in military support. Both countries are contemptuous of each other's cooking, the French claiming all British food is bland and boring whilst the British claim the French food is inedible (snails, frog legs). Much of the apparent disdain for French food and culture in Britain takes the form of self-effacing humour, and British comedy often uses French culture as a butt of jokes. Whether this is representative of true opinion is open to debate.

French classical music has always been popular in Britain. British popular music is in turn popular in France. English literature, in particular the works of Shakespeare, have been immensely popular in France. Delacroix based many of his paintings on scenes from his plays, and it has been said that during the eighteenth century that 'France appreciated Shakespeare when England would not.'] In turn, French writers such as Molière and Voltaire have been translated numerous times into English. In general, most of the more popular books in either language are translated into the other.

Language

The most common second language taught in schools in Britain is French, and the most commonly taught second language in France is English. A marginally higher proportion of the French population is proficient in English than vice versa.

Sports

In the sport of rugby there is a rivalry between England and France. France has become one of the top countries in the world at rugby, and sends a team to every world cup. Though rugby is originally an British sport, French rugby has developed to such an extent that the English and French teams are now stiff competitors, with neither side greatly superior to the other. Nowadays meanwhile Wales are more competitive to the France Team than England are but the rivalry between Wales and France is just a sporting one.

During the 2008 Summer Olympics there was some rivalry towards the beginning but as Great Britain began to dominate the medals table. The two countries became mutually supportive of each other

The influence of French players and coaches on British football has been increasing in recent years and is often cited as an example of Anglo-French co-operation. In particular the Premier League club Arsenal FC has become known for its Anglo-French connection due to French players and a French manager Arsène Wenger. In March 2008 their Emirates stadium was chosen as the venue for a meeting during a state visit by the French President precisely for this reason. Curiously, despite rivalry in rugby, there is no significant rivalry between the international football teams.