A parade of contradictions with a real soundtrack
Ah, diplomacy. That art of smiling while you step on eggs with stiletto heels. Emmanuel Macron, the man who a few years ago threatened to drown the British in their own post-Brexit fish soup, arrived in the United Kingdom as if he were the king of reconciliation. The reason? A state visit that mixes monarchical glamor with political pragmatism, as if someone had put a migration treaty inside a box of chocolates.
Among red carpets (because nothing says “let’s forget the past” like a piece of crimson fabric) and horse-drawn carriages (didn’t the 21st century invent cars?), the French president was greeted by the cream of Britain: Prince William and his wife Catherine, who, in a comic nod to fashion, chose a Dior dress. Because, of course, when you talk about migrants drowning in the English Channel, the first thing you need is a good French outfit.
From pomp to real problems
As the national anthems played and the flags waved (did anyone count how many were British and how many were French?), the real spectacle was in the pending conversations. Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer intend to discuss how to stop migrants crossing the Channel in inflatable boats, a problem that ironically worsened after Britain decided Europe was too European for them. Who would have thought?
But not everything is migration. There is also the small matter of Ukraine, where both countries want to promote a post-ceasefire security force. An idea as ambitious as it is uncertain, especially when the United States looks the other way and Russia continues to play “who can bomb more cities today?” But hey, at least King Charles took advantage of the state banquet to remember that “complex threats know no borders.” Thank you, Your Majesty, for that revelation.
The funniest thing of all is Macron’s discursive turn, which went from calling Brexit a “historical mistake” to tweeting that the United Kingdom is a “strategic ally“. Change of mind or simple diplomatic amnesia? Maybe it’s just that, after years of fighting, someone realized that sharing an island with Spain is not the same as having France on the other side of the channel.
Meanwhile, the British Parliament is preparing to hear Macron in its Royal Gallery, a place so ornate that even the most boring speeches sound epic. Will they be able to advance in migration, defense and investment? Or, as often happens at these summits, will it all end in smiling photos and vague commitments? Only time will tell.
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