The Winding Down Of The Not So Great Britain.

[gulliver1]

The UK probably is the laughing stock of the world and has lost any military clout it thought it had.The state of it's Navy aircraft carriers is a joke. HMS Queen Elizabeth had to be pulled from a NATO Exercise because of a broken propeller shaft .HMS Prince of Wales broke down for the same fault in 2022 one day out from setting sail to show the flag to the US, The same vessel flooded twice in it's first year of service.

[theshedman]

LIK, I don't just jump in to batter him as you put it.  I put down some truths which he doesn't.  All he does is put something on to make the UK sound bad non stop, never puts stuff on that makes us look good.  He seems to get great pleasure from trying to make us look bad.  He claims to live in such a fantastic place yet spends most days on here slagging the UK off.  Seems strange to me.

[Lie-in King]

I said I wouldn't, but I will.  The OP is about the navy, not overall military strength.  We could have the biggest, baddest army & air force on the planet & still have a navy that's often not fit for purpose.  Which is what the OP was addressing.

As usual, your jingoistic drivel has proven once more that you're incapable of dragging your head from your fundament.

This really is the last post from me on this thread.

[david small]

We had our moments in the sun. We now seem to be sliding into third world territory. Inept and self serving politicians and public apathy have done this.

[Lie-in King]

Oh, in the names of all the Gods & little fishes, ok - one more reply (to shedman, apologies for crossing, I took a phone call halfway through typing).

"All he does is put something on to make the UK sound bad non stop..." - but the UK is not doing that well at so many things right now.  I'm a firm believer in shouting our country's praises, but it's quite hard to do so when so much is going wrong - everywhere, not just at the navy yards.

It doesn't matter to me that the OP seems to take delight in running the UK down - I've actually got real-world stuff to deal with & can ignore him (& all the other muppets) with ease.

I only got involved today because it was something to do while waiting for that phone call.  I sort of wish I hadn't bothered now.

[ichkeria]

"The OP is about the navy"

I beg to differ: Look at the title of the thread. Then the first sentence. The stuff about the carrier is nonsense: aircraft carriers in this day and age in any case are not the be all and end all they once were, but in fact the Navy is actually the thing which drags the UK up to 5th in the world ranings of armed forces.

There is a serious issue to be addressed of underfunding of defence, which always gets canned when the begging bowls from other departments appear. That has to change.

It's not addressed here, however, far from it.

 

[Old_Geezer]

The UK spend is nothing to boast about, but it looks to be better than the EU average.

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?most_recent_value_desc=true

 

 

[Untitled]

it isn't just about spending. the uk is dependent on either other countries or on global conglomerates for key parts of its defence infrastructure... our steel industry is negligible, we rely on france for nuclear energy, we rely on china for 5G... doesn't matter how much money we throw at it we aren't a serious defence power and that isn't going to change any time soon...

i am ok with that... i don't require the uk to be a dominant military power in order to love it. i love other things about britain. but it does mean we should not try and act like something we are not because the results will be

[Untitled]

*results will be destructive and embarrassing

[Old_Geezer]

We still need to play our part though. Both to fight our own battles and play our part as a NATO member. History tells us trying to just get by on military might messes you up when things start up.

[gulliver1]

Seems like the only weapon Great Britain have these days to defend themselves Is to make sanctions against the Aggressor.  This could be a problem since Brexit.. for example if Great Britain wanted to make a sanction against a threatening Country  They Aggressor would laugh because GB stands alone, but it would think twice about the other Twenty seven Countries in the EU,,United you stand divided you fall,,,,OK.

 

[gulliver1]

Meanwhile The Royal Navy's four smallest ships join the Nato exercise.  Because theBritish flagships have broken down .Is this Govt heading for a Titanic experience or is it the Navy.

[gulliver1]

..........Britannia rule the waves.....  ????

[Khandro]

Further to the link in the OP, i.e. the so-called " Winding Down of Britain.."

Queen Elizabeth had to be pulled from a NATO Exercise because of a broken propeller shaft .HMS Prince of Wales broke down for the same fault in 2022...

 Prop shafts break(often), car tyres puncture, it rains on the day you have a picnic, -s..h **thappens. Nothing to do with the " Winding Down of Britain.." Grow up!

It is correct to point out that even if this doesn't demonstrate 'abusiveness', it is certainly demonstrates idiocy. 

 

[Canary42]

An earlier remark of mine bears repetition I think,

Answerbank Definitions:-

PATRIOT: A right wing person who tries to correct errors in the government of the country

TRAITOR: A left wing person who tries to correct errors in the government of the country

[Old_Geezer]

Some seem to think just because a nation is independent that prevents them acting in tandem with others, either by agreement, or by setting a good example by taking the lead.  That simply isn't the case.

[gulliver1]

Shedman 14.03 ....."We have the largest navy in the Europe"........

Britain can not  rule the waves with the largest navy in Europe when it is stuck in dry dock . It's like having a Jag or Bentley  with no wheels and all you can do stand it in the drive for the neighbours  to see.

[theshedman]

Gulliver the RN nearly always has a few ships in dry dock at any time the same as most countries that have a large Navy.  Yes we do have a smaller Navy now than we did but many of the ships are more potent than they were say in the sixties or seventies.  Still good enough to fend off most foes.

[Peter Pedant]

We could have the biggest, baddest army & air force on the planet (& still have a navy that's crap.)

but we dont blanche, we dont

jesuitical distinction - - ( jesuitical used in the correct sense suprisingly ( unbeleivable for AB))

actually we dont have either (any)

[actually I agreed with / believed in the peace dividient - swords into plough shares etc. I am depressed about re-armament - and using it]

 

[gulliver1]

The  other thing that Britain should be aware of is that these parts that made both flag ships return to dry dock were designed by Rolls Royce who themselves were looked upon as the best in the world. But alas it seems no longer .

[theshedman]

As Khandro said parts do sometimes break so not really anything to go on about.  That is why companies sell spare parts which by definition is what they are for ie, when a part goes faulty or breaks it gets changed for new one.  Also if as it may have been still under warranty it wouldn't have even cost the Navy anything to get it repaired.