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I was in London for nine months back in the 90s and about the only comment I ever got once someone found out I was from California was "Why the hell would you come here?" That happened more often in the winter.
I got that too and I'm from Pennsylvania. I usually responded with "That's how much I love my husband" lol.
Re: "the UK following the US foreign policy is what has got us into the mess we are in. I prefer the direction a certain nationalist party takes "if it dosent involve British citizens or British territory, we should mind our own business" but of course that will never happen"
Britain, minding your own business? Today? Now? With the state of the Middle East, ISIS etc etc. i'd be surprised at that kind of thinking. I doubt if Downing St and Whitehall subscribe to that notion. I'd think in any case regardless of rhetoric Britain would reprise its role as it did in the 30's and 40's making sure the lights are shut off in international political bullies' homes. She's contributed too much to give up what she fought courageously for. Freedom isn't cheap.
I am consistently amazed that people seriously live out these fantasies about UK/USA 'FIGHTING 4 FREEDUMZ'. The UK, in particular, has long been a very cunning international actor, benefiting greatly from playing off multiple sides against each other and exploiting what we now call the 'Third World'. In France (and the country of my parents, Italy), the UK is known as 'perfidious Albion' for good reason.
We are talking about the country which sided with the Turks against the Christian Russians in the Crimean War, despite the fact that Christendom could have taken back Constantinople.
We are talking about the country which is content to bomb Iraq, Libya, Serbia/Yugoslavia, Syria, Afghanistan but talks only of 'human rights'.
The country which treated its own working class so poorly that in the 1970's, English working class wages were lower than those in East Germany. Interestingly enough, this same working class has now been completely sold out to global interests, cheap immigrant labour and feeding the black hole of London's financial industry at the expense of the manufacturing base.
All throughout history, the Anglo empire has been quite a devious and dangerous agent of chaos. Of course, there have been many great Englishmen who individually exhibit positive traits and empathy, as well as some indirectly positive legacies resulting from the British Empire (rail systems in Africa, for instance) but the system is rotten.
My views on the world, the West, the system within which we live have been shaped by deep friendships and discussion with people from all conceivable 'sides'; Russians, Latin Euros, Chinese, Arab, Brits etc.
I am consistently amazed that people seriously live out these fantasies about UK/USA 'FIGHTING 4 FREEDUMZ'. The UK, in particular, has long been a very cunning international actor, benefiting greatly from playing off multiple sides against each other and exploiting what we now call the 'Third World'. In France (and the country of my parents, Italy), the UK is known as 'perfidious Albion' for good reason.
We are talking about the country which sided with the Turks against the Christian Russians in the Crimean War, despite the fact that Christendom could have taken back Constantinople.
We are talking about the country which is content to bomb Iraq, Libya, Serbia/Yugoslavia, Syria, Afghanistan but talks only of 'human rights'.
The country which treated its own working class so poorly that in the 1970's, English working class wages were lower than those in East Germany. Interestingly enough, this same working class has now been completely sold out to global interests, cheap immigrant labour and feeding the black hole of London's financial industry at the expense of the manufacturing base.
All throughout history, the Anglo empire has been quite a devious and dangerous agent of chaos. Of course, there have been many great Englishmen who individually exhibit positive traits and empathy, as well as some indirectly positive legacies resulting from the British Empire (rail systems in Africa, for instance) but the system is rotten.
My views on the world, the West, the system within which we live have been shaped by deep friendships and discussion with people from all conceivable 'sides'; Russians, Latin Euros, Chinese, Arab, Brits etc.
Why don't you just blame the British for all of the world problems!?
I am consistently amazed that people seriously live out these fantasies about UK/USA 'FIGHTING 4 FREEDUMZ'. The UK, in particular, has long been a very cunning international actor, benefiting greatly from playing off multiple sides against each other and exploiting what we now call the 'Third World'. In France (and the country of my parents, Italy), the UK is known as 'perfidious Albion' for good reason.
We are talking about the country which sided with the Turks against the Christian Russians in the Crimean War, despite the fact that Christendom could have taken back Constantinople.
We are talking about the country which is content to bomb Iraq, Libya, Serbia/Yugoslavia, Syria, Afghanistan but talks only of 'human rights'.
The country which treated its own working class so poorly that in the 1970's, English working class wages were lower than those in East Germany. Interestingly enough, this same working class has now been completely sold out to global interests, cheap immigrant labour and feeding the black hole of London's financial industry at the expense of the manufacturing base.
All throughout history, the Anglo empire has been quite a devious and dangerous agent of chaos. Of course, there have been many great Englishmen who individually exhibit positive traits and empathy, as well as some indirectly positive legacies resulting from the British Empire (rail systems in Africa, for instance) but the system is rotten.
My views on the world, the West, the system within which we live have been shaped by deep friendships and discussion with people from all conceivable 'sides'; Russians, Latin Euros, Chinese, Arab, Brits etc.
By 1979 about 19 million Brits were taking Continental holidays, had Colour TVs, new cars, etc. Compare us to East Germany then. Also Britain led the world in pop culture, and still does.
Be nice to us and we will be nice to you. Come in with the garbage that the US won the war and Britain sitting their quivering waiting for the Yanks to to come over the hill, and you will get a sharp word.
I find Americans can generally laugh at themselves.
Be nice to us and we will be nice to you. Come in with the garbage that the US won the war and Britain sitting their quivering waiting for the Yanks to to come over the hill, and you will get a sharp word.
I find Americans can generally laugh at themselves.
Quote:
Originally Posted by John-UK
They do. The fact is the British made the modern world.
Be nice to us and we will be nice to you. Come in with the garbage that the US won the war and Britain sitting their quivering waiting for the Yanks to to come over the hill, and you will get a sharp word.
I find Americans can generally laugh at themselves.
I wouldn't say that Britain had everything "under control" when the US showed up in 1942. By the contrary, Britain was in bad shape militarily and financially and Churchill knew he had to get the US on his side or there was zero chance of winning the war.
"No American will think it wrong of me if I proclaim that to have the United States at our side was to me the greatest joy. I could not fortell the course of events. I do not pretend to have measured accurately the martial might of Japan, but now at this very moment I knew the United States was in the war, up to the neck and in to the death. So we had won after all! ... Hitler's fate was sealed. Mussolini's fate was sealed. As for the Japanese, they would be ground to powder."
Winston Churchill The Second World War, Vol. III: The Grand Alliance
This is not to mention the vast amount of supplies that the US provided Britain with throughout the war. Which in total at the time accounted for about $31.4 billion or about $400 billion dollars today. So had the US not sided with Britain you would have eventually lost.
I wouldn't say that Britain had everything "under control" when the US showed up in 1942. By the contrary, Britain was in bad shape militarily and financially and Churchill knew he had to get the US on his side or there was zero chance of winning the war.
"No American will think it wrong of me if I proclaim that to have the United States at our side was to me the greatest joy. I could not fortell the course of events. I do not pretend to have measured accurately the martial might of Japan, but now at this very moment I knew the United States was in the war, up to the neck and in to the death. So we had won after all! ... Hitler's fate was sealed. Mussolini's fate was sealed. As for the Japanese, they would be ground to powder."
Winston Churchill The Second World War, Vol. III: The Grand Alliance
This is not to mention the vast amount of supplies that the US provided Britain with throughout the war. Which in total at the time accounted for about $31.4 billion or about $400 billion dollars today. So had the US not sided with Britain you would have eventually lost.
Britain would not have 'eventually lost!!' The reality is Dday wouldnt have happened without ALL the allies BRITAIN INCLUDED and the Russians would have overrun Germany. You are just the sort of person John was referring too! Do yourself a favour and don't come to Britain.
Britain would not have 'eventually lost!!' The reality is Dday wouldnt have happened without ALL the allies BRITAIN INCLUDED and the Russians would have overrun Germany. You are just the sort of person John was referring too! Do yourself a favour and don't come to Britain.
The Russians were nearly beaten to a pulp and barely survived. They needed mass industrial support from the US to keep their war machine moving. This included:
427,284 trucks
13,303 combat vehicles
35,170 motorcycles
2,328 ordnance service vehicles
7,000 tanks
11,400 aircraft
1,900 locomotives
and
1.75 million tons of food
Had the Soviets had the situation under control they wouldn't have needed the US to send 300 billion dollars worth of aid (in today's dollars). Had the US not supported the Soviets to this scale they would have lost to the Nazis without a shadow of a doubt. You couldn't win wars in the 20st century without tanks, planes and guns. This doesn't even include the fact that American engineers were sent to the USSR to help them properly tool their factories so that they could meet war time demands. I know it pains some of your to admit this but the American industrial machine was the real driving force behind the Allied victory in WW2. This is a fact.
I've been to Britain many times, lovely place. There are a few too many fools there but that could be said of any place on earth.
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