Frangleterre?

From the BBC today:
Formerly secret documents unearthed from the National Archives have showed Britain and France considered a "union" in the 1950s.

To quote the story:

"When the French Prime Minister, Monsieur Mollet was recently in London he raised with the prime minister the possibility of a union between the United Kingdom and France." ..When Eden turned down his request for a union between France and Britain the French prime minister came up with another proposal. This time, while Eden was on a visit to Paris, he requested that France be allowed to join the British Commonwealth.

A secret document from 28 September 1956 records the surprisingly enthusiastic way the British premier responded to the proposal when he discussed it with his Cabinet Secretary, Sir Norman Brook.

It says: "Sir Norman Brook asked to see me this morning and told me he had come up from the country consequent on a telephone conversation from the prime minister who is in Wiltshire. The PM told him on the telephone that he thought in the light of his talks with the French:

* That we should give immediate consideration to France joining the Commonwealth

* That Monsieur Mollet had not thought there need be difficulty over France accepting the headship of her Majesty

* That the French would welcome a common citizenship arrangement on the Irish basis"

As later events showed, there was no need for a formal act of union as the British upper middle classes independently decided to colonise the French countryside by buying up all the agreeable old farmhouses they could find.