British Town Threatens French Counterpart with Divorce
In an effort to promote cultural understanding and
international friendship, Wallingford, England, and Luxeuil-les-Bains, France agreed to
become “twin” cities. That was thirty
years ago. Since then, the relationship
has soured, and now Wallingford wants out.
Wallingford Council officials report that its French
counterpart has ignored requests for student exchanges, friendly soccer games
and an annual Christmas card. The
outgoing mayor, Alec Hayton, was blunter in an interview with Aaron O. Patrick and Max Colchester from the Wall Street Journal.
"I think they are extremely rude," Hayton says. "We send our monthly magazine. We never get a reply."
Wallingford, an Anglo-Saxon hub since 1066, when William the
Conqueror kept a stronghold there, has not been historically comfortable with
all things French. Their perception of Luxeuil has not improved over
time.
Michel Raison, the
recently elected mayor of the French town of 8,000, does not seem eager to
smooth things over.
"Frankly, I had more important things to worry about after
my election."
The mayor contends the Christmas card gesture was reciprocated but that he never received the
town magazine.
The twin-town movement began in 1951, part of an effort to
restore European goodwill after World War II. The organization’s governing body, the Council of European
Municipalities and Regions, says there are now some 17,000 such
relationships among the 100,000 towns and cities of Europe.
Wallingford and Luxeuil first got together in 1979, when a
French scout troop got lost in England, and received friendly assistance in
Wallingford. One of the scouts was the
son of the town mayor, who began the relationship after hearing about the
British hospitality.
The partnership has had its bright spots. The Wallingford brass band visited Luxeuil in
1990. There were some student
exchanges. But by 2005, things had hit a
rough patch. That year, the Wallingford
Town Council invited their French counterparts to the 850th
anniversary celebration commemorating the town’s charter, even offering free
accommodations. Wallingford says Luxeuil
did not RSVP one way or another.
After a brief effort at reconciliation over the past several
years, the relationship has become deeply damaged. Invitations have been reportedly sent from both
sides, but have been ignored or gone missing, depending on whose story you
hear.
Mayor Hayton was the first to broach the subject of
separation, announcing his intent at a city council meeting. The two cities began sniping at one another
through their respective newspapers, and at one point, Hayton began inquiring
about a separation with the European Union.
"If they wanted a divorce, they should have just called me,"
says Mayor Raison.
It may be just that simple.
According to Patrizio Fiorilli, a spokesperson for the Council of
European Municipalities and Regions, "All they have to do is say, 'Shall we
call it a day?'"
The two sides are
currently in a holding pattern. Raison
says most of Luxeuil’s residents wouldn’t care if the towns split,
while Hayton says Wallingford has received multiple offers from other French
communities. Still, Wallingford recently made another attempt at
reconciliation, with Hayton writing Raison to apologize for all the publicity
and request a fresh start. As a result,
he received an invitation to a town event later this year.
No word on whether or not the Wallingford contingent has
promised to attend. They may simply be
keeping their options open.
Source: The Wall Street
Journal
