France a Partner?

A neat illustration of why so few take the Pro Europeans in the UK seriously was on display in the letters page of the Guardian.

To succeed in Europe - and to advance other agendas dear to his heart, such as Africa - Mr Blair should see France as a natural ally with whom we should cooperate, rather than as an ideological sparring partner. David Stephen European Movement

France and Britain have virtually nothing in common. We may well be allies in many things and we may need to back each other up when our interests coincide, but Natural Allies? Politically speaking there is virtually nothing that we agree on. Blair (British Centre Left) would be rejected by French Voters as too right wing whilst Chirac (French Centre Right) is far too left wing ever to be considered as a leadership candidate in Britain. What is natural about us being allies?