Tuesday, April 06, 2004
THE QUEEN IN FRANCE
CNN reports that Queen Elizabeth, now on a state visit to France, told an audience last night:
. . ."We cannot let immediate political pressures, however strongly felt on both sides, stand between us in the longer term,". . .
. . . Delivering her speech in fluent French, Elizabeth said: "Neither of our two great nations, nor Europe, nor the wider Western alliance, can afford the luxury of short-term division or discord, in the face of the threats to our security and prosperity that now challenge us all."
If she did deliver the entire speech in French, the royal web site (did I actually write that?) has only the English version, and it makes no obvious reference to a French original. Be that as it may, why is it even news that she can speak French? Is that really significant?
And if she had made a similar speech in the Netherlands, no one would have expected her to speak Dutch.
. . ."The United Kingdom and France share the same taste for broad horizons and the sense of duty that leads to exercising responsibilities at a world level," he said. . .
As for the vital issue of content, switch "U.K." to "U.S" and one could reasonably believe that speechwriters for President Bush had been seconded to the Queen's staff. ¶ by Robert, Tuesday, April 06, 2004
CNN reports that Queen Elizabeth, now on a state visit to France, told an audience last night:
. . ."We cannot let immediate political pressures, however strongly felt on both sides, stand between us in the longer term,". . .
. . . Delivering her speech in fluent French, Elizabeth said: "Neither of our two great nations, nor Europe, nor the wider Western alliance, can afford the luxury of short-term division or discord, in the face of the threats to our security and prosperity that now challenge us all."
If she did deliver the entire speech in French, the royal web site (did I actually write that?) has only the English version, and it makes no obvious reference to a French original. Be that as it may, why is it even news that she can speak French? Is that really significant?
And if she had made a similar speech in the Netherlands, no one would have expected her to speak Dutch.
. . ."The United Kingdom and France share the same taste for broad horizons and the sense of duty that leads to exercising responsibilities at a world level," he said. . .
As for the vital issue of content, switch "U.K." to "U.S" and one could reasonably believe that speechwriters for President Bush had been seconded to the Queen's staff. ¶ by Robert, Tuesday, April 06, 2004
