@CalamityJane,
"As the Guardian said, "even after 70 years, it doesn't take much to get the British to refight the second world war."
Another little pat on the head, maybe?
It's not just the British, you can include Americans, the people from the Commonwealth, the Poles, the French Resistance and their offspring....basically anybody that actually had either themselves or their parents (even Grandparents) on the side that actually did the dirty work of clearing Germans and Japs out and sending them back from whence they came.
Try telling an oldtimer that what they did all those years ago should now be forgotten and discounted as irrelevant in the modern world.
What they did was truly spectacular, and until they have all gone, and their offspring have all gone, it's quite right that a big thing should be made about what they achieved.
Two of my Dad's brothers were involved in the D-Day landings, one pushed right through to Germany and came home unharmed, the other landed on Gold Beach and woke up a week later in a Brighton hospital minus a leg. He died pretty soon after the war finished.
My Dad wept on several occasions when talking about him. I still have his medals.
There are thousands of people around the world who have a similar first or second hand story to tell. Hollywood still churns out film after film about WW2.
TV series abound "Band of Brothers" "Pacific" etc, all made recently.
To single Brits out for this "fault" seems a bit unfair. I take great pride in knowing that my fellow countrymen and women did their bit, but can't help feeling a little peeved when Europeans don't want to recognize how their green and pleasant land would have been so very different if it wasn't for this countries efforts, and the efforts of other free countries who put their young men at risk so that Europe remained as free as possible.
Too right I bang on about it, given the attitude that we now get from mainland Europeans who take their freedom/democracy for granted.
If t'wernt for Tommy and Yankee doodle, you and Walter would probably be standing in a bread queue right now, before asking Ivan for his recipe of borscht, as you'd managed to grow a few spare beetroot in the people's garden.
Despite harsh criticism from opposition leader Miliband and VP Clegg who accuse Cameron of isolating the UK and future EU decisions will have to be read through the "Financial Times" only,"
Let's see now....have you actually heard Miliband in action? A cross between Kermit the Frog and a gangly fifteen year old schoolboy who's just been robbed of his lunch money. A national joke in years to come, that lad.
And Clegg? Oh my Gawd. Think of the wettest politician in the USA and double it!
If he'd had to stand in for Moses, he'd have come down from that mountain with the Ten Suggestions!
"the majority of Brits are behind Cameron which leads me to the conclusion that the UK should pursue other options outside the EU. "
You should never have let yourself be led to a such a sweeping conclusion on the one single fact that we support him on this occasion. See above.
He was very cleverly hijacked and had two choices:
1.Take down his trousers and let Sarkozy go doggy style on him before returning to our parliament with a sore bottom, after handing over swathes of sovereign power with no safeguards.
2.Having been given no alternative, stand up for our national interest, veto and wait for the inevitable propaganda style mud slinging.
I think every rightminded Brit wants to be part of Europe. It's just the grand design and being run by unelected Merkozy puppets in Brussels that we seem to have a slight problem with.
If you and Walter are quite happy to see your people treated like sheep, then so be it.
"Historical resentments towards Germany are very well alive - as you have proven here too "
You can chuck that at me if you like, but as far as modern day Germans are concerned, I think they're really Englishmen in disguise. We had a German lad over for school exchange many moons ago. He fitted in perfectly....loved Monty Python, had an excellent sense of humour and, when offered all of the sights of London, opted to go to Carnaby Street where he bought a TShirt with "ADOLF HITLER- Grand European tour" written across the front.
On the back it had all the "gig" venues listed. Poland, Czechoslovakia, France etc etc.....and right at the bottom was England with a big red line through it, and written next to that was "gig cancelled".
I was horrified at the thought of him taking this home to show his dad, but he assured me that Dad would find it hilarious also.
The only thing I get angry (more frustrated really) is how VERY easily all you mainland Europeans are willing to go along with seeing ever increasing chunks of your freedoms and democratic power being whittled away, and you don't seem to mind one little bit!
What is wrong with all of you? Why aren't you getting up there and moaning like the Brits, every time these bureaucrats get their little chisels out?
Not only that, you then adopt the party line without question.
Like I said, the EU I signed up to was primarily one of free trade, with a few small bells and whistles. What IS it within the European psyche to want to build a massive and costly bureaucratic structure over all that, and then actually plan the handing over of your democracy to these unelected and unnaccountable grey men in Brussels?
Are there any Yanks reading this? Can YOU understand this desire?
Beats me.......
We want to sell you beef , you want to sell us Sauerkraut. We agree not to tax anything that the other person sells, and never impose import taxes on anything a member wants to sell in the future. State subsidisng is not allowed, so as to keep a level playing field.
Your people can live here and find work if they want, we can live in your country and find work if we want. THAT is what I signed up to.
If everyone just kept to that......what's the problem? No overheads, negligable bureaucracy. Sorted!
Why do you Euros always want to keep adding complications?
