Un des bavards Sir: As someone who lisped in European
numbers ere the numbers came before droning on to become what Jacques Chirac would call 'un des bavards d'Europe', I was naturally very interested in the article (10 July) by your brilliant political commentator John Grigg, 'Blast-off or bust in Europe', in Which he argued for the single transferable vote as a means of electing 'an outstanding team and not just a job lot' of British members to send to the European Parliament in two years' time. 'The French have a saying,' wrote Mr Grigg in support of his case, `Ce n'est que le premier pas qui coute.' What, in 1763, Horace Walpole's friend Madame du Deffand actually said to d'Alembert, a propos the two long leagues the decapitated St Denis ivas supposed to have walked, with his head tucked under his arm, was `La distance n'y fait rien: il n'y a que le premier pas qui coute.' But, as Voltaire, a few years later, reminded her, Saint Denis porta sa tete, comme vous savez, mais il ne mangea pas.' If current Paris and Brussels rumours prove wellfounded, the French, or some of them bien-places, are planning to give Roy Jenkins the old Saint-Denis treatment. And, Charlemagne Prize or no Charlemagne Prize, with a Commission not of his own Choosing and too few true friends on the Council of Ministers, he would be hard put to it to go even St Denis's distance. There is going to have to be some very skilful Politicking if that golden tax-free handshake IS not to prove as fatal to Roy Jenkins's Career as the Commendatore's to Don Giovanni's.
Alastair Forbes 4 Inverness Gardens, London W8
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