Convenience and pragmatism were the guiding principles of the Entente Cordiale between France and Britain, the 100th anniversary of which was marked this week by Queen Elizabeth's state visit to France. They remain the predominant inspiration for the Franco-British relationship in an era of European integration rather than imperial rivalry.
The 1904 agreement ushered in a century of peace between the two large states, after many centuries in which they were more usually at war. It originated in a mutual suspicion of Germany and a joint agreement that their imperial interests should not become grounds for war between them. As a result, Britain's domination of Egypt and the Suez Canal was recognised, as was France's control of Morocco. When war came in 1914, France and Britain were allies against Germany, as they were again in 1939. Thus the Entente Cordiale marked a decisive shift in great power relations within Europe, as well as a commitment to defend their imperial interests.
Convenience and pragmatism continue to drive Franco-British relations 100 years on. The two states are fated to co-operate in the European Union, even if neither their leaders nor their peoples express a great passion for one another. The phrase "loving France but hating the French" was resurrected this week to describe the sense of odi et amo which underlies their relationship. Opinion polls show only 9 per cent of Britons feel any affinity with France compared to 24 per cent who admire the United States - and 25 per cent Ireland. Mutual trust is also very low.
Choice examples of this frostiness short of war have included Charles de Gaulle's rugged relationship with Winston Churchill, Harold MacMillan and Harold Wilson, when it was more frequently referred to as the "Mésentente Cordiale" (cordial misunderstanding). Similar sulphurous attitudes surfaced before and during the Iraq war; "You have been very badly brought up," Jacques Chirac retorted after Tony Blair told him that "failing to reform the CAP means being responsible for the starvation of the world's poor".
Nonetheless the two men continue to work together despite the fall-out over Iraq, when Britain sided with the US not France. The two states need each other in a more integrated Europe - not least to balance Germany. Ireland has always had to steer a careful path between France, which has been a political friend and ally over the centuries and continues to be within the EU, and the close and now amicable relationship with Britain. Fortunately, we enjoy cordial relations with both of them.