Gerard Errera: Britain and France have a good deal in common
From a speech by the French Ambassador at the London School of Economics
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.There is a prevailing perception that our two countries [France and Britain] live on different planets, both in domestic terms as well as in their foreign policy. Well, this is not the case. The state is no longer the dominant actor in the economic or industrial field. This is true in the UK as well as France. Central government has given power back to local and regional assemblies. What we call decentralisation began in the early 1980s and is continuing. Your country started a similar process with devolution.
Modernising our public services is at the top of the agendas of both our governments whether in education, health, pensions. We must address the same problems. We have to reconcile conflicting needs to ensure universal provision of services with an increasingly diverse public demand. We must provide higher standards of quality while controlling the costs. Another imperative is to put knowledge and innovation at the heart of our economies so they can prosper and compete in a globalised world.
We both need to ensure the cohesion of the social fabric of our societies. Our societies are more and more complex and diverse. Our task is to balance the need for openness with a strong sense of identity. Equally, we are constantly striving to reconcile the principle of solidarity between citizens, which is at the heart of the European social philosophy, with the need to allow the market economy to work.
France and Britain are not a world apart. They face the same domestic challenges and have an interest in comparing their experiences.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments