DAVID CAMERON, Britain’s prime minister, annoyed the French last year when he declared that Britain would “roll out the red carpet” for businessmen fleeing France’s 75% tax on the wealthiest. So it was with some glee that Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, used the same metaphor to illustrate how France would welcome business fleeing Britain if it ever left the European Union.Such scorn for Mr Cameron’s speech this week, calling for a renegotiation and referendum on Britain’s EU membership, was predictable. But beyond expressions of bafflement and anger round Europe, the response was more nuanced. EU leaders seem ready to consider how to accommodate the British, even if there is a gap between the maximum they can offer and the minimum Mr Cameron can accept.France seems in two minds. Some, such as Michel Rocard, a former Socialist prime minister, have said France should take advantage of a possible “Brixit”. Yet the government values Britain’s presence in the EU, particularly when it comes to defence and foreign policy. Even Mr Fabius speaks warmly of British logistical support for the French operation in Mali.The French president, François Hollande, told his cabinet that he wished “the UK to remain at the heart of the European Union.” His finance minister, Pierre Moscovici, said that “the European spirit is also to respect diversity.” The French are grudgingly…
The Economist: Europe
