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Between you and I, the UK is slowly heading down the toilet. Very soon, London will lose its status as the "place to do business" to cities such as Paris, Berlin and Madrid, where the economies are more dynamic and progressive. Britain would make a huge mistake if it chose to harm relations with the United States. Let's face it, Britain is alone in Europe and Britain needs the United States FAR more than the United States needs Britain.
I was no fan of Tony Blair, but Gordon Brown has the charisma and the ambition of a garden slug. France's president Sarkozy is a far more dynamic leader for the 21st century, and I feel that he will take France forward, leaving Britain far behind.
Oh, I say this as a Brit myself, now living on the safer side of the pond!
Between you and I, the UK is slowly heading down the toilet. Very soon, London will lose its status as the "place to do business" to cities such as Paris, Berlin and Madrid, where the economies are more dynamic and progressive. Britain would make a huge mistake if it chose to harm relations with the United States. Let's face it, Britain is alone in Europe and Britain needs the United States FAR more than the United States needs Britain.
I was no fan of Tony Blair, but Gordon Brown has the charisma and the ambition of a garden slug. France's president Sarkozy is a far more dynamic leader for the 21st century, and I feel that he will take France forward, leaving Britain far behind.
Oh, I say this as a Brit myself, now living on the safer side of the pond!
I find this interesting, because just a week ago I was reading an article about how young entrepeneurial French people were all headed to London
because they had much better opportunities to make a better salary and get paid what they could make, France dealing with their no fire labor laws and high unemployment rates. (Not attacking your point, just interesting how you read different viewpoints on situations.)
Last edited by bily4; 10-06-2007 at 07:33 PM..
Reason: typo
I find this interesting, because just a week ago I was reading an article about how young entrepeneurial French people were all headed to London
because they had much better opportunities to make a better salary and get paid what they could make, France dealing with their no fire labor laws and high unemployment rates. (Not attacking your point, just interesting how you read different viewpoints on situations.)
That may be true for now, but not for long - Sarkozy will help change that, mark my words. London will lose its crown as the financial capital of Europe, sooner or later. The only thing that has kept London top for so long is the lure of the English language, but that can't go on forever. What many Brits also fail to realize is that the "special relationship" between Britain and the United States benefits Britain far more than it does the United States. While I was not at all in favor of the Iraq war/invasion, I can see why Tony Blair decided to back Bush in the first place. It wasn't because Blair necessarily agreed with Bush, but I feel that it was because he wanted to preserve good relations with Britain's most powerful (and at times ONLY) ally, because Britain is often the lonely man of Europe.
Very interesting POV, Livinginabox. I have always felt (have lived in both GB and Europe) that Britain was isolated from the Continent in many ways. Hearing this sure puts the icing on the cake, so to speak, by your observation(s) and summation. And a keen insight for Blair's decision and/or his government.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Livinginabox
That may be true for now, but not for long - Sarkozy will help change that, mark my words. London will lose its crown as the financial capital of Europe, sooner or later. The only thing that has kept London top for so long is the lure of the English language, but that can't go on forever. What many Brits also fail to realize is that the "special relationship" between Britain and the United States benefits Britain far more than it does the United States. While I was not at all in favor of the Iraq war/invasion, I can see why Tony Blair decided to back Bush in the first place. It wasn't because Blair necessarily agreed with Bush, but I feel that it was because he wanted to preserve good relations to Britain's most powerful (and at times ONLY) ally.
Very interesting POV, Livinginabox. I have always felt (have lived in both GB and Europe) that Britain was isolated from the Continent in many ways. Hearing this sure puts the icing on the cake, so to speak, by your observation(s) and summation. And a keen insight for Blair's decision and/or his government.
Many British people are actually very anti-European, in many respects. They don't like to be told what to do by Brussels....the French, the GERMANS, oh my god!!!! Britain will never join the Euro, will never drive on the RIGHT (correct) side of the road, nor will they ever full ditch the imperial system for the metric one (despite the fact that they use BOTH).
I am no fan of Tony Blair, but it doesn't take a genius to work out why he chose to side with America over the Iraq issue, despite the fact that the French, Germans, etc were opposed to it (in many respects, Britain had already burned bridges with those countries a long time ago). America is Britain's best ally....the most important one (history proves that).
I'm not going to say that Britain is f**ked without America, but with few friends in the EU, Britain / London would find it tough to cling on to its status as a financial center of the world, especially if America leads the way in exploring other avenues, such as France and Germany.
To keep it light, I do know that many British people are anti-European. Back when I was taking the ferry over, I overheard the Cloak Monitor make some rather anti-Belgium remarks (coming on that ferry, of course) and I quickly changed into my adopted British accent.
We all have so much to learn, but unfortunately, history does not seem to inform us. Britain has often stood alone, and won, but with so many shifting winds, as you say, they may not be able to hold onto their financial base/power.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Livinginabox
Many British people are actually very anti-European, in many respects. They don't like to be told what to do by Brussels....the French, the GERMANS, oh my god!!!! Britain will never join the Euro, will never drive on the RIGHT (correct) side of the road, nor will they ever full ditch the imperial system for the metric one (despite the fact that they use BOTH).
I am no fan of Tony Blair, but it doesn't take a genius to work out why he chose to side with America over the Iraq issue, despite the fact that the French, Germans, etc were opposed to it (in many respects, Britain had already burned bridges with those countries a long time ago). America is Britain's best ally....the most important one (history proves that).
I'm not going to say that Britain is f**ked without America, but with few friends in the EU, Britain / London would find it tough to cling on to its status as a financial center of the world, especially if America leads the way in exploring other avenues, such as France and Germany.
To keep it light, I do know that many British people are anti-European. Back when I was taking the ferry over, I overheard the Cloak Monitor make some rather anti-Belgium remarks (coming on that ferry, of course) and I quickly changed into my adopted British accent.
We all have so much to learn, but unfortunately, history does not seem to inform us. Britain has often stood alone, and won, but with so many shifting winds, as you say, they may not be able to hold onto their financial base/power.
In terms of the global market, "standing alone" would be a very bad option for Britain, pride n' all. There's no British Empire anymore.....the reality is that Britain is just a small island, located off the coast of mainland Europe. Britain is no superpower and it doesn't even deserve a seat on the UN Security Council, IMO.
That being said, the sooner people over there realize that they NEED allies (both EU allies and the United States), the better. London's status as a world-class financial center is largely dependant on the fact that many see Britain as a bridge between the US and Europe (and the English language helps). London is an expensive place to do business and if the UK decides to burn its bridges, London's status as a world financial center is going to vanish, while cities such as Paris, Frankfurt and Madrid will be there to pick up the pieces.
I feel that it's vital that Britain does everything in its power (short of complete a**-kissing) to preserve the good relationship with the United States.
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