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I agree with most of your post, although there are only two operational American airbases in the UK. The Americans recently withdrew all US personnel from Fairford, leaving only Lakenheath and Mildenhall. The rest of the American bases are mainly intelligence, communication, and early warning installations such as Menwith Hill, Croughton, Molesworth and Fylingdales.
Britain hasn't always followed American postwar policy, we didn't for instance become actively involved in the Vietnam War. This refusal by Britain meant that Lyndon Johnson was barely on speaking terms with Harold Wilson. Then again I suspect Wilson's Labour Party may have been enjoying some well earned revenge in relation to the way their man John Maynard Keynes was treated in Washington following WW2, when Britain needed to secure money to stave off bankruptcy.
In terms of Vietnam, Wilson couldn't publicly denounce the war due to the fact that America was our main creditor, and that following the expense of fighting WW2 we were now a nation left on the verge of economic bankrutcy and at the mercy of our creditors. Actually it's interesting to note that China is quickly developing the same kind of economic supremacy over America.
Good post - but I was hoping to here from Anti EU types who casually ignore the US influence, but will fight tooth and nail over any influence from Europe, I just don't get it - Do these people not realise they don't have an empire and there not the most powerful country in the world - I think there still stuck in a mindset of thinking the equal partners with the US.
I guess the UK has probably gained a lot from being close to the US, since there were Bankrupt after WW2.
Personally I'd go for a Joint European Military, joint development of a full space programme, more development of things like the Eurofighter, concorde, the big bang project - Keeping Jobs in Europe, and keep the technology in Europe, and perhaps Licence it to the US and China.
Plus tax breaks, incentivisation to make large European companies to take on the likes of google, microsoft.
Really Europe could be an Economic Superpower if they stopped fighting with each other.
Good post - but I was hoping to here from Anti EU types who casually ignore the US influence, but will fight tooth and nail over any influence from Europe, I just don't get it - Do these people not realise they don't have an empire and there not the most powerful country in the world - I think there still stuck in a mindset of thinking the equal partners with the US.
I guess the UK has probably gained a lot from being close to the US, since there were Bankrupt after WW2.
Personally I'd go for a Joint European Military, joint development of a full space programme, more development of things like the Eurofighter, concorde, the big bang project - Keeping Jobs in Europe, and keep the technology in Europe, and perhaps Licence it to the US and China.
Plus tax breaks, incentivisation to make large European companies to take on the likes of google, microsoft.
Really Europe could be an Economic Superpower if they stopped fighting with each other.
Actually the election of Francois Hollande in France may signal a move away from Sarkozy's Pro-Nato and US stance to a more traditional Gaullist inspired foreign policy based around developing the EU's own defence policy and European Defence Collaboration with the possibility of France backing the development of a single "European Operational Headquarters" to rival the NATO HQ in Brussels.
Why are the UK Press against EU Control, but ignore US influence/control?
The fact that you had to conflate "influence" and "control" in the second part of your question to make "influence" appear equivalent to "control" in the first part should answer your question for you.
Just reading the UK press - and because the likes of Greece, Ireland, Spain are up to their eyeballs in Debt - There talking about the death of Euro, death of the entire Euro Project etc - because some countries which are up to their eyeballs in Debt - that means its suddenly a Euro problem?
its a Debt problem, not a Euro problem, those countries have got themselves into too much debt, and had they have followed all the EU entry requirement they probably had to reduce their debt to even join the Euro - but used scammy accounting tricks by US based Goldman Sachs to disguise their Debt levels to get entry.
The argument from the Anti EU press - that these countries can devalue their currency, and set interest rates if outside the Euro - but there still in debt?? with a currency that is worth less?? Hardly a solution - Sounds like more accounting tricks.
I almost get the feeling there is some concerted campaign to see the Euro fail by people - what are there motives?
Just reading the UK press - and because the likes of Greece, Ireland, Spain are up to their eyeballs in Debt - There talking about the death of Euro, death of the entire Euro Project etc - because some countries which are up to their eyeballs in Debt - that means its suddenly a Euro problem?
its a Debt problem, not a Euro problem, those countries have got themselves into too much debt, and had they have followed all the EU entry requirement they probably had to reduce their debt to even join the Euro - but used scammy accounting tricks by US based Goldman Sachs to disguise their Debt levels to get entry.
The argument from the Anti EU press - that these countries can devalue their currency, and set interest rates if outside the Euro - but there still in debt?? with a currency that is worth less?? Hardly a solution - Sounds like more accounting tricks.
I almost get the feeling there is some concerted campaign to see the Euro fail by people - what are there motives?
It's not about running up debt. Spain ran a surplus prior to the GLOBAL recession - how do you explain that?
Its ecomony is almost the size of the rest of the world's combined.
America resembles 22% of global GDP. That's not even a quarter of Global GDP. BTW it's share is declining for years. So, how exactly is this countries economy almost the size of the rest of the World?
That would be an accurate statement if you would combine U.S. GDP and EU GDP. But America alone. Nope.
America resembles 22% of global GDP. That's not even a quarter of Global GDP. BTW it's share is declining for years. So, how exactly is this countries economy almost the size of the rest of the World?
That would be an accurate statement if you would combine U.S. GDP and EU GDP. But America alone. Nope.
Sorry, I think I meant to say military given that this was my point about Australia and the positioning of US troops. Actually, the likes of China and emerging world economies are growing and becoming more competitive more than US decline.
Sorry, I think I meant to say military given that this was my point about Australia and the positioning of US troops. Actually, the likes of China and emerging world economies are growing and becoming more competitive more than US decline.
I agree that they become more competitive. But they take a share of global gdp from America. One could interpret that as an decline.
Apples and Oranges. Our relationship with the US is no different to any other countries relationship with the US. The simple point is that the US is the worlds leading economy and the most politically influencial. Someone above mentioned our relationship with Australia being closer - well Australia's no.1 ally is and will be for the foreseable future, the United States. Its ecomony is almost the size of the rest of the world's combined. In fact, Obama only a few weeks ago returned from a meeting with Julia Hayward in which she agreed to base US troops in the Northen Territory.
The UK is heavily reliant on the US for intelligence, security, exports etc etc etc It is in the UK's interests not to risk a strong relationship - just look at what happened to BP when American's started to boycott BP service stations in the US.
The OP does touch on something though - the White House is consistently frustrated when trying to deal with Europe as it is so fragmented. IMO as France and/or Germany start exert a greater influence on European policy so they will be more influencial on American policy, and therin lies the danger for the UK.
Thankfully though the US base is out of sight and out of mind in the NT I don't like the idea of running into an american soldier in my own country that would p*ss the sh*t out of me!
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