Sunday, November 13, 2005

There's "a Witch Hunt" Against the French

In France 2's 8 pm news today, the French population was informed that there is "a witch hunt" against the French in Brussels (or as an UDF politician put it, against the French idea of the EU as a strong entity, united against America).

After Borroso's shake-up, apparently there is only one commissioner from France at the European Commission (agriculture, what else?), with other French top honchos (the spokeswoman, for example) evicted. (Worse is the fact that they have been replaced by proponents of Anglo-Saxon type free markets!)

(Noting that during Jacques Delors' helmsmanship of the EU, the French had said that they were content they had a Frenchman in the control, a foreigner then living in France said that French enthusiasm for Europe was entirely subservient to the EU's being France's instrument, and in no way was there any interest for Paris working as a partner in unison with the other members.)

The expression "chasse aux sorcières" was used at least three or four times in the (short) report, once (at first) as a rhetorical question, once as a quote (the above-mentioned politician), and once as a matter-of-fact factual statement given as such by the France 2 commentator!

Update: Ouch. You learn the hard way that a Google search is always better than trying to type in the source code directly. Thus, let it be known that www.france2.com is not — repeat, not — the weblog of France's second television channel. (Warning: do not open at the office.) Then again, perhaps this is not irrelevant; perhaps this is the way to punish witches in the 21st century. (Sure beats burning at the stake.)

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