Twenty five years ago to the day (as I write) the EU was problematic for many of its members. Denmark had voted no to the Maastricht Treaty. France had voted yes by a whisker. The pound had bundled out of the exchange rate mechanism the week before and the French Franc looked vulnerable.
More importantly (from my point of view), I wrote this little “pseudo-reminiscence piece” for NewsRevue,which ran for a good few weeks:
WE’RE A MEMBER AS WELL
(A Duet to the Tune of “I Remember it Well”)
(HIM:I can remember 1992 as if it were yesterday;
Le Maastricht treaty, les trucker strikes, la political infighting, le virtual collapse of the French Franc……..)
VERSE 1
HIM:I voted oui,HER:You voted non,
HER:To set us free,From Mitterand;
HIM:Ah yes, I remember it well.
HIM:You voted non,HER:I voted oui,
HER:To harmonise,The EEC;
HIM:Ah yes, we’re a member as well.
HIM:French truckers blocked the rails,
HER:And they blocked the road,
HIM:Francois Mitterand had to dump his load;
HER:I am so glad that he said “non” to that old bag Edith Cresson,
HIM:Ah yes, I remember her well.
MIDDLE BIT
HIM:How often I’ve thought of that Sunday night,
When France agreed to put up with Maastricht;
But several days later we caught a fright,
When we learned that the Franc is now worth…..
HER:…..nicht.
VERSE 2
HIM:The Franc went up,HER:The Franc went down,
HER:You bought the Mark,And sold the pound;
HIM:Ah yes, I remember it well.
HIM:We had to plead,HER:With begging bowl,
HER:The Bundesbank,And Helmut Kohl;
HIM:Francois tasted his member as well.
HIM:It’s a partnership,HER:One man’s in control,
HIM:Francois Mitterand?HER:Uh, uh, Helmut Kohl.
HER:You’re back in bed with Germany,
Just like Petain in 43,
HIM:Ah yes, this surrender is hell.
Here is a vid of Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold singing “I Remember IT Well” from the film Gigi: