US & UK - goodbye, special relationship!

10. Calling France America’s strongest ally
In January 2011, President Obama held a joint press conference at the White House with his French counterpart, gushing with praise for Washington’s new-found Gallic friends, declaring: “We don’t have a stronger friend and stronger ally than Nicolas Sarkozy, and the French people.”


If I say, "I don't have a better friend than Simon", it doesn't mean that Simon is my best friend - it means he is one of my best friends.

IOW, the characterization of the Obama quote is wrong. Add to that that people are always saying flattering things at these kinds of events, it all adds up to a lot of silly manufactured drama.

Where's the uproar about the U.S. being insufficiently grateful to France? Remember who helped whom fight a revolution against whom.
 
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I think it's meant to be a bit tounge in cheek, because the UK has an ongoing rivalry (for lack of a better word) with France. All countries have their own countries that they culturally make digs at, France is (one of!) ours, and we are one of Frances. So I think number 10 wasn't meant to be a serious political statement. The idea of the US palling up with France is going to be more "insulting" than the idea of the US palling up with pretty much any other country, where it probably wouldn't have got mentioned on the list.

Or maybe I'm wrong, that's how I read it?
 
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well it is the Telegraph. I thought they were usually a bit right wing......

Reading the list last night, I thought maybe the US wasn't being that unreasonable....forgot what it said, but things like Churchill's bust being sent away; what's wrong with that? Probably one of Tonby Blair's ideas to send it to them in the first place.:rolleyes:
 
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sequoia said:
but in all seriousness, i don't know why anyone gives a **** why two imperialistic ****-tastic countries aren't buddy-buddy anymore.
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I love both countries and have family in both, but I don't care if the governments get along. Imperialistic and ****-tastic are pretty good descriptors when it comes to the US and UK's (and France's) foreign policies.
 
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cornsail said:
I love both countries and have family in both, but I don't care if the governments get along. Imperialistic and ****-tastic are pretty good descriptors when it comes to the US and UK's (and France's) foreign policies.
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Yes. This. Politicians tend on the whole to be ****-tastic no matter where they are from. There are some pretty ****-tastic people in the government that runs NZ right now.
 
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