observer Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 Seems as the dark clouds of austerity approach, cuts in Defence spending are on the cards; prompting the idea of joint co-operation with the French - but I guess our service personel will be forbidden to mention Agincourt or Waterloo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 Politics DOES make strange bedfellows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted February 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 Certainly does Mary, and as we are (in all but name) the 51st State of your Union - perhaps we might as well outsource all our defence responsibities to Uncle Sam?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wireless Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 Makes sense for us to make strategic defence alliances with Europe rather than the US- Geographically and economically we have a lot more in common.And we are less likely to join the US in any military flights of fantasy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 What do we have in common with Europe apart from being the European dustbin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 How about we are in Europe Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LymmParent Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 He said "geographically". Speaking geographically what we have in common with Europe is that we are IN it. In that sense, all we share with the US is a planet..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 How about we are in Europe Peter We can call the search party back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 I was answering Peter, not wireless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LymmParent Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 So was I, LK.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 How about we are in Europe Peter Matter of opinion. Just because some delusioned people think so, doesn't mean the majority believe it. Isn't Europe a continent and the England an island? And according to the history books we didn't get invaded until the last decade or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LymmParent Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 Matter of geography. The islands of the UK are part of Europe in precisely the same way the other islands like Malta are part of Europe, and indeed much as the Isle of Wight is English, Peter. To date, Britain is not a continent. When you were young, we had an Empire and ruled most of the known world. Are you reminiscing again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 The Isle of Wight is English!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted February 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 Are we still allowed to call it the Isle of White?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wireless Posted February 5, 2010 Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 What do we have in common with Europe apart from being the European dustbin? Geography and a more mature worldview , look who got dragged into Iraq? You think the US is a more natural military partner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted February 5, 2010 Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 What do we have in common with Europe apart from being the European dustbin? Geography and a more mature worldview , look who got dragged into Iraq? You think the US is a more natural military partner? The "only" military partner. The French don't fight as they have too many deals going with the "enemy" and the Germans aren't allowed to. (are they?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LymmParent Posted February 5, 2010 Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 The Isle of Wight is English!!!!!!! And again, we see why you are not of the Admiralty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wireless Posted February 5, 2010 Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 What do we have in common with Europe apart from being the European dustbin? Geography and a more mature worldview , look who got dragged into Iraq? You think the US is a more natural military partner? The "only" military partner. The French don't fight as they have too many deals going with the "enemy" and the Germans aren't allowed to. (are they?) Yes, France look to their own national self interest before getting involved in a war. Like virtually every other country except the US snd the UK- and a fat lot of good it does us. If I had a best mate who insisted on getting into needless fights every time we went out he wouldn't be my best mate for very long.We need to ditch our dependence on the US and make strategic alliances with countries more in tune with the real world, and not some sort of neo con fantasy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted February 5, 2010 Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 what a good idea.... lets make an alliance with Sweeden, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Spain and Ireland and become neutral..... and be a bunch of world reknowned wusses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wireless Posted February 5, 2010 Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 what a good idea.... lets make an alliance with Sweeden, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Spain and Ireland and become neutral..... and be a bunch of world reknowned wusses Why not? Seriously ,what has the UK's military intevention got us as a nation in the past 40 years? While we've been flexing our tiny muscles Germany and Japan have put all their effort into their economies and their citizens have a better standard of living than ours.The UN or Nato is there to sort out big stuff, we shouldn't be doing anything alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted February 5, 2010 Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 Germany and Japan had no option as they were barred from having any tangeble armies after WW2. Germany only recently ended its ban on having its troops serve abroad and during all that time we and the Americans provided their security. Maybe we should have given up to Adolf eh wireless, we may have been a real world power by now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted February 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 Your correct Wireless: we're a global joke with pretensions to being a world power. We've only just finished paying the Yanks back for Lend Lease in WW2; we're now paying for the "special relationship" with the blood of our soldiers and in a futile war against the wrong enemy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted February 6, 2010 Report Share Posted February 6, 2010 The "only" military partner. The French don't fight as they have too many deals going with the "enemy" and the Germans aren't allowed to. (are they?) The French have deals going on Is this not a good time to mention BAE Systems then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Durnim Posted February 12, 2010 Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 Joint Defence? In this case wouldn't it be better if we partnered the Dutch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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