December
2009

Dear friends,

The Franco British Council has been busy encouraging debate, knowledge sharing and networking between French and British experts and professionals. The last three months have seen three stimulating events dealing with a diverse range of subjects. In October we held a breakfast debate on the Euro at the Institut Francais, and a breakfast meeting about Defence at the Army and Navy Club.  In November a seminar on The Media Revolution was held in Paris.

But first, it is with real sadness that we announce that Honorary member Richard Mayne died suddenly on Sunday 29 November. He was on the point of moving out of London with his wife Jocelyn and looking forward to a new life in the country. Last week he was singing in his choir at the Albert Hall. His original membership of the FBC lasted until 1998. But he continued to be actively associated with the FBC. He helped organise seminars on France and Britain in the EU and cultural issues and co-edited the FBC book to celebrate the centenary of the Entente Cordiale ‘Cross Channel Currents'(Routledge 2004). In 2006 we published his entertaining pamphlet ‘Nuances' on the linguistic  faux amis of French and English . Richard had seen the beginnings of the EU from its earliest days and from the inside as Personal Assistant to Jean Monnet in the 1960s. A distinguished career followed as writer and broadcaster, as translator, and as film critic of various papers, most recently the Sunday Telegraph in the late 1980s. But his passion for improved understanding between France and Britain remained throughout his life - just a couple of weeks ago he was on the phone asking me about rejoining the Franco-British Council.

As a tribute, we reproduce below a piece he wrote in 2001 for our pamphlet Crossing the Channel; Promoting Academic Mobility  (edited by Anne Corbett and Hilary Footitt).

All those who knew Richard are welcome at his funeral which will take place at St Martins in the Fields at 14:30 on Tuesday 15 December.

‘Jean Monnet and the Enarques'

RICHARD MAYNE is a writer and broadcaster; former Eurocrat (as personal assistant to Jean Monnet and Walter Hallstein) and head of the UK offices of the European Commission.

Having grown up speaking both French and English, visiting France with my parents, and above all fascinated by a glamorous French woman friend of my mother's not unlike Françoise Rosay (and later by a French girlfriend), I was always a Francophile. I was also puzzled by cross-Channel differences.

Take the word intelligent.  French fairy-tales often applied it to the hero or heroine.  In daily life in Britain, one seldom heard it used of human beings, but often of dogs.

Take table manners. I was once astonished, aged eight, when a waiter in St-Malo whisked my plate away before I'd finished, because (following British custom) my knife and fork were both on my plate, open but not closed.  Conversely, I was troubled when British children left their hands invisible on their laps, or - later - when guests let their food grow cold while waiting for everyone to be served.

Take loos and movie-houses. ‘Monsieur!' exclaimed the female occupant of a unisex cubicle in the Sorbonne when I opened a door with a faulty lock.  It was a politer reproof than I got for forgetting to tip one of the now vanished breed of cinema usherettes.  But I prefer eating  Esquimaux ice-cream in the cinema to buckets of noisy ‘Anglo-Saxon' popcorn.

Take handshakes. I still bemuse some British acquaintances by proffering a hand on meeting, and even more on parting.  Pierre Daninos's Major Thompson should have warned me, but old habits die hard.

Take conversation.  In England, no one ever interrupts.  The result is the club bore.  On this side of the Channel, I risk being thought ‘too clever by half' - the ultimate reproach.  And probably too didactic.  The British distrust that useful intellectual grid with which énarques and others clamp down on any problem to seek a logical solution.  Though I have to admit that quite a few Frenchmen are wary of their own intellectuals.  Jean Monnet was.  He said of one bright colleague (not me): ‘If you ask him how many people are at the table, he'll dive under it, count the feet, and divide by two.'

In this instance too, vive la différence.

The Eurozone, Better off in a Crisis? 7th October, London 

 Our Euro debate was a joint FBC/ French Chamber of Commerce event chaired by Stephanie Flanders of the BBC and hosted by the Institut Francais.

It is now ten years since the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) was introduced. The Euro, ranked second currency in the world, is used by 16 member states and 330 million citizens and is considered as a significant aspect of the credibility of the EU. But in the difficult context of the 2009 Financial Crisis, how resilient has it proved to be? Denis MacShane MP, Professor Richard Portes and Herve Goulletquer of Calyon debated this question at the Institut Francais.

Britain, France and Defence  15 October, London

Attended by Quentin Davies, the UK Minister for Defence Procurement (seen left with Baroness Quin and Paul Beaver), our breakfast meeting about Defence a need for Britain and France to better cooperate in the development and manufacture of defence systems. Within Europe, France and Britain together constitute about half of all spending on defence and new equipment and as much as two thirds of research spending - a clear incentive to work together to reduce costs in these straightened times. However although the need for cooperation was self evident, the barriers were considerable. With questions over sovereign independence, the rise of protectionism, export controls and red tape, increased cooperation, though desirable, was not going to come easily. It was agreed that further dialogue was essential and a one day debate is planned for March 2010.

The full report is available here

Media Revolution: Liberation or Bankruptcy?  13 November, Paris

Held in the British Embassy in Paris by kind invitation of the Ambassador Sir Peter Westmacott (seen here with the British chair Quentin Peel of the Financial Times) this seminar brought together key journalists, editors, bloggers and media experts to discuss the hot topic of the future of news.  The seminar envisaged a rocky road ahead but no one was in any doubt that it is going to be fascinating to see how news media evolves in the coming months and years.

Figures such as Robert Shrimsley. Managing Editor of FT.com. and Adam Boulton from Sky News (below right), as well as Pierre Haski and Nicolas Beytout provided a frank and sobering review of the swiftly changing landscape.  Questions arose as to the nature of the news we read and of the "citizen journalists" who write it. One of the conclusions was that, although the traditional press is unlikely to survive in its current form,  journalistic skills and informed opinion will still be valued. A brave new world of high tech media is bound to emerge and the process of getting from here to there is not necessarily going to be pretty. As print and broadcast media suffer from a declining audience and loss of advertising revenue, the possibility of looking for either state subsidies or private philanthropy was examined - although this raised questions as to journalistic independence.

The new media offers exciting opportunities by widening the number of voices, news sources and opening more and more aspects of public life to scrutiny and debate. In the future people, especially younger people, will get their news from the internet. But news gathering - and journalism - could thrive by specialising, and moving into niches and genres. Journalists had to add value, to relegitimise themselves by moving beyond what was trite and free and ‘show proof every day it is worthwhile to be a journalist'. A draft report by David Walker, formerly of the Guardian, can be read here. Please contact us if you would like a copy of the final report.

FUTURE SEMINARS AND PARTNERSHIP EVENTS 

DIVERSITY 2.0

On the 20^th January  we will be holding our event Diversity 2.0 at Somerset House in London. The idea is to look beyond traditional concepts of Diversity and we will look to discuss, among others, the following issues:

• New opportunities for employment among ethnic minority youth
• Better access to higher education and training
• Identifying inspiring role-models in the media and politics.

It will provide an opportunity to understand, compare and test the UK, French and other approaches to promoting social cohesion. Together the two countries can set a much needed positive and forward looking agenda for Europe. The importance of this meeting is reflected in the high level of participant we have attracted. CEHR Chairman Trevor Phillips will join Transport Minister Sadiq Khan MP, writer-broadcaster Bonnie Greer, Oona King, Head of Diversity at Channel 4 and Shami Chakrabarti, as well as just as importantly young ‘future leaders' identified with the help of the Young Foundation and the Princes Trust.

Thanks are due to Somerset House in London for hosting the event which will break the mould of previous seminars by using dynamic breakout sessions involving a mix of experts, high achievers and future leaders. We are keen to encourage the wider public to get involved in the debate and to suggest ideas and issues to be discussed so please log onto the website and give us your views  http://fbcdiversity.ning.com/

There may be the opportunity for people with a professional involvement in this subject to atttend a reception preceding the seminar on the evening of 19 January. Places are limited, please contact the office to express an interest.

FBC/Eurostar/Prospect 2009 Short Story Prize

Our third annual short story prize has been launched and is already attracting a wide interest. This year we are asking young people to write an imaginative short story of less than 1500 words. The only stipulation is that the story should be at least partially inspired by some aspect of France or French culture. It is hoped that by emphasizing the imagination we can open up the competition to more people - even those who have never visited France. As Bonnie Greer put it:

"France is a place - a country - but it is also a mythological place that can be found within the landscape of our minds and our hearts. We want to read about that place in a story that tells us what France or ‘Frenchness' means to you."

In the past there have been stories written about Paris, romantic stories based in France or with French characters, and French celebrities to name just a few.  Last years delightful winning entry by Karis Fiorrucci began: "Gaston was dreaming, as usual, of pastry people and swimming pools filled with cream cheese." Karis's tale went on to describe the antics of a proud pastry chef who is horribly humiliated by a rival. Although in this case the writer chose a comedic tone we welcome stories in all genres. All the details are on the website

PARTNERSHIPS

Higher Education conference with LSE, Universities UK and the French Embassy
Friday 5 February 2010
This conference will map out the challenges and opportunities for bilateral co-operation in Higher Education. The steady increase in joint programmes and qualifications offered by UK and French universities is a cause for celebration.  But language constraints, financial pressures and political uncertainty present real obstacles to continued expansion. How are these to be overcome? And how can higher education institutions on either side of the Channel help each other to realise the enormous potential of Franco-British partnerships?

MEMBERS NEWS

Joyce Quin awarded the Legion D'Honneur
We are delighted to announce that our Chair, Rt Hon Baroness Quin, has been awarded the Officier de la Legion D'Honneur. In 1967 Joyce achieved a 1^st class honours degree in French at the University of Newcastle (the only 1st in her year) and thus began her long and distinguished association with France and the French. She had worked as an assistante in two inner city schools in Paris as part of her degree and subsequently she became a lecturer in French and Politics at Bath and Durham Universities between 1972-1979.

Her first two academic publications were "The French Socialist Party and the EEC:  Attitudes and Policies 1971-1974 in the Journal of European Studies in 1976 and "France in the Communities:  Presidential and Party Attitudes" in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences in 1978.

As a member of  the European Parliament Joyce was a member of Jacques Delors' "Amigo" group  of French-speaking MEPs and in all the departments of British government in which she worked as a minister (Home Office; FCO and Maff) she had responsibility for European issues, including relations with France.  This was also true of her shadow ministerial roles in Trade and Industry, Employment and the Foreign Office. Both in government and in opposition she was often interviewed by the French print and broadcast media.

Hywel Ceri Jones in his role as a director of the Network of European Foundations, has been involved in three publications on the theme of religion and democracy in Europe. They are . Teaching about Religions in European School Systems, Conflicts over mosques in Europe and Religion and Healthcare in the European Union. These publications follow one taking a wider view on Religion and Democracy in contemporary Europe. All are available from the NEF office in Brussels and are published by the Alliance Publishing Trust.        

Members of the Council stay for a maximum term of six years and at the end of this year we say farewell to John Noulton, Nick Butler, Adam Steinhouse, Hywel Jones and Kay Carberry. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for all their support and look forward to keeping in touch with them now they are Honorary Members.

PUBLICATIONS

Belinda Thomson has written an essay and other contributions to the catalogue Paul Gauguin: Paris, 1889, also published by Thames & Hudson as Paul Gauguin: The Breakthrough into Modernity.

Former assistant Henry Paker, with whose work many members are familiar, has just published a new, very entertaining cartoon book with his partner Dave Skinner. Why Steve was late (Atlantic Books)has been given high praise by comedians such as Michael McIntyre and Jo Brand who said 'This book is great. Can't say any more. Late for work'. The book is also available in French published by Chiflet et Cie under the title 90 excuses pour ceux qui sont toujours en retard.

For environmental and budgetary reasons we are not sending out Christmas cards but wish you all a peaceful Christmas and relaxing New Year. 

OFFICE
The office will be closed over the Christmas period from 23rd December to the 5th January. 

We have had some contact with the Cinemoi organisation and we are exploring ways in which they might support our work next year. If you would like more information on the range of French films and French culture available on their channel, then see their website.

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