Baccata last week welcomed invited guests, clients and partners to its autumn lecture, titled ‘Charles de Gaulle and Brexit’.
The speaker Professor Julian Jackson (pictured) from Queen Mary University of London gave a 20th century perspective of France, England and Europe, relevant to us all today as we head into a post-Covid Brexit and beyond.
The lecture witnessed the attendance of more than 120 participants which was held at Royal Yacht Hotel in St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands.
The topic also touched upon President Charles de Gaulle famously vetoed Britain’s first application to join the Common Market in 1963. From his wartime military experience running the “Free French” to the Cold War days as President of the recently founded Fifth Republic, did he know something of the psyche of the British which always suggested they should stay outside of Europe? He also went on record that France should “get back the Channel Islands.
“Postponed from early last year, we were delighted to have welcomed Professor Julian Jackson to speak at our annual lecture titled ‘Brexit and Charles De Gaulle’. A foremost expert on 20th Century France, he is also a Fellow of the British Academy and Commandeur de l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques. His updated biography of Charles de Gaulle (‘A certain idea of France’) was published in 2018. I was keen to share his insight as we all look back on the uncertainty over the past two years and adapt to today’s “new normal” of doing business and working”, Nicholas Falla, Managing Director at Baccata Group, commented.
The lecture also allowed for a networking opportunity for participants, as Covid restrictions relax, as it was attended by a mixture of local and international firms; working professionals within the finance and legal industries; as well as some local sixth form students.