Salut!

France: its eternal beauty and intermittent beastliness

It is fair to say both countries of my dual nationality are important to me. They have exceptional if different qualities and glaring flaws.

Often, what I write about France is affectionate and admiring. Sometimes it is defensive, as when oafish attacks are aimed in its direction by the usual Little Engerlish suspects.

That’s how I introduced this article at Facebook. I went on to say it would be absurd to overlook the flip side, a country thoroughly uneasy with itself, large numbers of its people prepared to engage in or support casual disruption and even violence.

The spiteful sabotage by the anti-government CGT union of gas supplies to 100 restaurants is a case in point. Wholly blameless in the battle with the government and President Macron over limited pension reform, they should have been serving visitors to the Cannes film festival. The misguided, badly targeted action shows the far right is not alone in deserving reproach, as I seek to explain in this piece for The National …

 

Mayotte: immigration, misery and the legacy of French colonialism

I suggested to The National that current chaos in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte - which in 2011 became France's 101st département - 1could be a good subject for my latest Comment piece. This is the result, reproduced with the editor"s consent ...   

 

 

Mayotte: residents of Kawéni, the biggest shanty town in France, lead miserable lives. Photo: Emily Cooper 

 

 

Sunderland's FA Cup glory vs (then) mighty Leeds, 50 years on

 

Forget coronations. This weekend is special because it marks the golden anniversary of arguably the greatest FA Cup final of all time.

As a lifelong Sunderland supporter, I desperately wanted a ticket. Phil, the sports editor of the Harrow newspaper where I was then working, promised faithfully he could and would get me one. He had 'great contacts' at Wembley. It would be a doddle.

Phil was also our neighbour in a company flat. His promise had been repeated as late as the eve of the final. On Saturday morning, May 5 1973, his flat was deserted. He was nowhere to be seen and nor was any ticket.

These are my recollections, helped along by those of Sunderland's goalkeeping hero, Jimmy Montgomery. and my great friend, Pete Sixsmith, who did get a ticket and also saw pretty much the whole of the cup run. I am grateful to the editor of The National (UAE) who consents to reproduction of my work here and to Jim Harker, who readily permitted the use of his magnificent drawing of the winning goal ...

 

 

 

 

Fifty years this weekend from the famous FA Cup final where unfancied, second-tier Sunderland defeated Leeds United, then a mighty force in English and European football, Jimmy Montgomery remembers his moment of goalkeeping glory as if it happened yesterday.