Nationwide opinion polls about the Channel tunnel show convincingly that : the English do not want a fixed link ; they like ferries and their island story ; they are afraid of long , dark tunnels underwater , and of rabies , rats and terrorists crawling through ; not to mention European undesirables . However , the tunnel will be a symbol of European unity . Moreover , it will reinforce historically dominant rail links ( London - Frankfurt - Milan ) , bolstering Northern Europe as an economic hub challenged by a growing global " empire " . For the rest of us , it means that you can climb aboard and whiz from London to London in three hours .
Nationwide opinion polls about the Channel tunnel show convincingly that: the English do not want a fixed link; they like ferries and their island story; they are afraid of long, dark tunnels underwater, and of rabies, rats and terrorists crawling through; not to mention European undesirables. However, the tunnel will be a symbol of European unity. Moreover, it will reinforce historically dominant trading links (London - Frankfurt - Milan), bolstering Northern Europe as an economic entity challenged by a strengthened Mediterranean "sunbelt". For the rest of us, it means that you can climb aboard and whiz from London to Paris in three hours.