Is it war?

I have always been a fan of Mrs Thatcher, but I must say that Tony Blair is good, very good.

As expected, Chirac is trying to blame the UK for his EU referendum debacle and demanding that UK renounces its rebate; Blair reply has been that agricultural subsidies (of which France is the major beneficiary and that account for 42,6% of the EU budget) should be discussed first.

Tony Blair finally comes round to the idea that agricultural subsidies should be the responsibility of national governments rather than European taxpayers. It's the only sensible solution, but airing his views so soon after his meeting with Jacques Chirac indicates just how fraught their relationship has become: "I totally understand why countries may want to give their money to support farmers. What I have an objection to is the European Union deciding collectively it is going to give 40% of its budget into an area that has got 4% of its people. It makes no sense.

The UK presidency of the EU for the next 6 months should offer a great opportunity to put the EU on the right track and reject, once and for all, the "french social model" that is dragging Europe towards the "dustbin of history". France , once again, seems to have stuck its finger in the fan; it's looking more and more like Waterloo rather than Fontenoy.