Suddenly We Are Useful To The Eu

[retrocop]

Looks like Germany in particular and the EU are in a cold funk. Once again,for the third time we are expected to protect certain EU nations who were only too ready to apply spiteful sanctions for the UK's  temerity to go our own way.

If they need our nuclear umbrella then they must pay for it.

 

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/uk-could-contribute-nuclear-shield-050008457.html

[jno]

this is about Nato, not the EU, and Britain isn't "expected" to do anything. Britain can stay out of it and cross its fingers that when Paris is nuked the wind will be blowing in the other direction.

[ToraToraTora]

Paris won't be nuked history has shown the France will surrender long before that.

[retrocop]

Really jno. Try reading it again.

The French wanted to leave Nato so DeGaulle insisted that all American troops leave France. It was reported that Dean Rusk asked of DeGaulle if that included all their thousands of dead in French Cemetries.

Germany had the British Occupation army, later to become, the BAOR. Their brief was to secure Germany and other EU countries from the USSR invading via Norway. The BAOR was regarded surplus to requirments in Germany andour last British base was given to the Germans. Now the Russians and Putin are rattling their Sabres we have suddenly become useful to them. 

 

//The central issue in the nuclear debate is less whether Britain or France would put their nuclear weapons at the disposal of the EU, but whether the two countries could agree to put them at the service of a deterrence strategy for Nato’s European alliance area.///

[jno]

retro, your last par says what I said: it's about Nato, not the EU.

What would you personally recommend Britain do if Trump took Nato off the US direct debit list?

[youngmafbog]

Trump wont take the US off NATO so long as everyone pays their correct dues. I dont have a problem with that, it means more money for defence.

Personally I think NATO and the UN are past their sell by date.  Needs something new to replace them and dump the dead wood that infests both organisations, particularly the latter.

Retro, I'm not so sure it was EU countries trying to be spiteful (apart from mad Merkle maybe), more the EU(which is not a country).

[Old_Geezer]

If the strongest nation opts to forsake NATO members then the remaining members have the right to say that all bets are off, and make their own decisions. Of course they can agree to stay as a group if they so wish.

 

Such is the foolishness of Trump's clumsy attempt to get all members to contribute financially to a level he considered right it coukd weaken the west no end. Something I'd have hoped the US would want to avoid when they considered the position it would leave them in. I think most members already realise the folly of having assumed so large a peace bonus and anticipating continued peace while not remaining prepared for war.

However, meanwhile we are in NATO not some EU federal block. I believe our initial default position would be to have our nukes ready for use when we decide to use them. They are not to be under control of some European power group. If we decide to make a deal to protect non-NATO European nations then that should come with a price tag. Probably an annual cover bill amounting to the amount the EU pretended we owed them to get out. Their alternative would be to cross their fingers and trust that we'd find it in our interest to protect them anyway (as the good guy nations help Ukraine now).

 

In any event, Trump has yet to admit to bluffing, and he has to outdo his rival Biden (or whoever takes over his party when he steps down) yet.

[ichkeria]

Nothing to do with the EU

[Old_Geezer]

It'll be quite a few EU nations wanting cover, and if the US is out of it so NATO is no longer the force it was, who do you think will want to control a joint European military defence ? It's pointless claiming that the EU won't be involved.

[tomus42]

Perhaps it would be good if brexiteers would stop banging on about the EU (you won, get over it) and think about the actual threat from Russia and how we deal with it. Potentially without any help from America a year from now.

[Old_Geezer]

We may have achieved Brexit but the post Brexit relationship agreement situation is still unacceptable. Plus it is certain Remainers who continually bring up Brexit.

[tomus42]

//Plus it is certain Remainers who continually bring up Brexit.//

Not in this case though. This is about the defence of Europe and whether we should be part of it. However, people seem obsessed by the EU still. The EU is not going to mass tanks on our borders.

 

[Old_Geezer]

Hardly the point though. They'd want control of our tanks and the rest too.