The Modern France group this year are going to look at doing a course on Anglo-French relations across the centuries, which has meant going all the way back to the Hundred Years’ War, when in French eyes England was the natural hereditary enemy (devastation of the French landscape,  burning of Joan of Arc, the  humiliation of the French monarchy as Henry V accompanied by his young French bride and the defeated French king walked hand in hand to Henry’s majestic coronation as the official King of France! )

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Our Modern France group which meets twice per month has had some vigorous debates on the current French elections.   Members were remarkably well informed and enjoyed identifying how different the French electoral system is from our own.   The story is not yet over, since they have to go through another two-stage process next month in order to elect the National Assembly.   So anyone with any degree of interest in comparative politics in this year of elections would be welcome to come to our June sessions at Lydiate Village Centre, June 13 and 27 from 2.30 onwards.