Apologies for my little absence from posting here. I posted at B-BBC and then collapsed with exhaustion and other commitments.

What could revive me except the fountain of scorn emanating from the EU Referendum blog as it notes another great result for the French from the French-shaped EU?

As Jaques Chirac puts it '"It is a big success for France, for Europe and for all the partners of Iter,"'- with the emphasis firmly on France. The EU Ref. remarks on both the immense blandishments the EU offered to get the the project for France, and the improved conditions France managed to secure for herself in the inducement and subsidy arrangements for a project that will do wonders for France's high-tech industrial base.

Just one more spin-off from Chirac's rebate histrionics- the gallic grandma of Old Europe really knows how to make the rest of the family dance to her tune. Of course as long as our press enjoyed the show, that's what really counts...