Should we join forces with the French

[youngmafbog]

There are reports Brown wants to surrender sorry, join our forces with the French to save money.
With the history of the French turning in their own and the Americans not trusting them with secrest because they blab is this really a good idea?

[another-view]

Can't see this working. What happens if we want to go to war with France? Or they decide not to fight in a particular war?

[Gromit]

No, instead we should divert £billions from the Education and Health budgets and maintain a huge Military to guard an Empire we no longer have.

All our recent battles have been in coalition with other forces. We last went on our own over a quarter of a century ago. Since then we fought battles at the behest of NATO or the Americans.

A European Army paid for by the 27 nations of the EU would help us to downsize our own forces. It could do work like Kosovo, and leave our own Army to guard our own interests.

[R1Geezer]

some wartime yank general said "I'd rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me", nuff said!

[Gromit]

R1Geezer

I would sooner have a French Army running away from behind me, than an American one behind raining down 'Friendly Fire' on me.

[bazwillrun]

this is another step towards the european superstate, eventually there will be no british or french army anyway, the eu will see to it, jsut a european army this is just brown trying doing their backdoor bidding

[jake-the-peg]

Geezer

That wouldn't be the same US Generl who said the Chinese would never come to the aid of the North Koreans would it?

'nuff said?


Oh No that was McArthur

You're talking about the famous misattribution to Pattern

I'd rather have a German division in front of me, than a French one behind.

* Misattributed by former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger on Fox News. Patton commanded French troops, the 2nd Armored Division commanded by Philippe Leclerc, integrated in the Third Army, and had rocky but friendly relations with the French general. For instance, on August, 15 1944 Patton wrote in his diary: "Leclerc came in very much excited. He said, among other things, that if he were not allowed to advance on Paris, he would resign. I told him in my best French that he was a baby and said I had left him in the most dangerous place on the front. We parted friends"

White-conical cap for repeating an Urban myth

[123everton]

It does smack of federalism to me, I don't know how I feel about the idea, I imagine if it goes through we would reduce the army and boost the navy, just like the old days ;-))

[modeller]

The French capitulated within six weeks against the German assault. More US and British troops were killed by the French in their colonies than they had killed Germans.
In France one million people were denounced by their fellow Frenchmen to the Germans. In 1941 we asked the French fleet in Algiers to join us but only one ship did so the rest opened their guns on us. We had to retalitate to prevent their fleet falling into German hands. Were they on our side in WWII ? Well some were some of the time.
Since WWII we have had NATO to defend Europe but for most of the time France refused to join . Should we join our forces with the French ? No I'd rather join the Germans you know where you stand.

[AlBags]

When it comes to Military action or wars .. the French are not a side to be on.
They are good at flogging weapons tho (remember?)

[123everton]

Modeller I was with you all the way up to Mers El Kebir, we opened fire on the French (justifiably) not the other way around.
we'd given them an ultimatum and they hadn't responded so we attacked their ships in foreign ports and boarded the ones that were in outr home ports, if memory serves on Royal Naval officer was killed in Britain as part of a boarding party.
We're all pretty good at selling arms, it's only a problem worthy of note when those weapons are being sold to people we don't like.

[modeller]

I note what you say everton but would point out we wanted to block exit from the port but were intercepted by French planes who shot down one of our Skua escort planes the pilot being killed . In addition one of our negotiators witnessed the call to battle stations on board the French battleship . Both of which shows the hostility by the French before we had fired a single shot.