Hands Across the Channel
False impressions in this country concerning the plight of France and the nature of current French policies are rapidly melting away. The surprise with which the success of M. Schuman's visit to this country was received was as marked as the success itself, particularly when contrasted with the rather off-hand reception of the news in France. As Le Monde (itself an impressive sign of recovery so far as the French Press is concerned) recently remarked, a great number of mistakes have arisen from the fact that French and British states- men have recently been less willing to cross the Channel than to cross the Atlantic. That should ball over now. M. Schuman is coming back to London next week, with the Foreign Ministers of Belgium, France and Luxembourg, for one of the regular meetings provided for in the Brussels Pact. In the meantime the knowledge that France is seeking a genuine understanding with Germany, based on a recognition of common interests in Western European recovery (and may even be outstripping this country in that direction) has broken on the British public like a great light. An accommoda- tion is being arrived at between the French view that the next step in the organisation of European unity should be the establishment of an assembly chosen by national parliaments, and the British view that there should be a council chosen by Governments. The
Obvious solution—which was in fact suggested in The Spectator some weeks ago—is that there should be both. It appears to have found some favour during the Bevin-Schuman meetings ; it is now being discussed by the five-Power committee in Paris ; and it is likely to be examined more closely when the five Foreign Ministers meet next week. Whether the French people can themselves live up to this revival depends first on economic factors. The recent attempt to peg prices (which expresses a hope rather than a ten- dency to dirigisme) has at least been successful in holding up a new series of wage claims. A new loan is about to be floated, and, if it is taken up with confidence, the necessity for higher taxation will be reduced. The confidence of Europe in France is growing. It is now a matter of the confidence of Frenchmen in themselves.
