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Britain An Irrlevance

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/g20-summit-isolated-david-cameron-is-forced-to-shrug-off-vladimir-putin-small-island-snub-over-syria-8800966.html

Vladimir Putin’s spokesman was forced to deny on Thursday that he had dismissed the UK as “a small island no one pays any attention to” as the G20 summit in St Petersburg opened in acrimony.

Is this what the rest of the world really thinks of Britain?

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I hope so because it's what we are. We need to stop punching above our weight and submit.
I would say the rise of China in the last 10-15 years puts it into perspective. Britains not making stuff any more for the world, were only good for shopping and banking and that hasnt been going so well since 2008. Britain backed the wrong horse. Globally we are still a force but not what we think we are.
Reply 3
Original post by Bill_Gates
I would say the rise of China in the last 10-15 years puts it into perspective. Britains not making stuff any more for the world, were only good for shopping and banking and that hasnt been going so well since 2008. Britain backed the wrong horse. Globally we are still a force but not what we think we are.


Yeah if you look at the predicted economic growth trends, in the next 30 years we will have 3 super powers in the US, China and India, with the rest of the world miles behind.

The only way we can stay relevant and have influence would be as part of the EU, but this is quite unpopular with a large proportion of MP's and the general public.
Reply 4
I found it really funny. Absolutely no point in getting stroppy about the fact that we aren't that great any more. "Though we are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are." At least we aren't corrupt and racist like the Russians.
Reply 5
It's a comment that will be played up by any media source which wants us to go charging into Syria but ignored by most others. We are limited by our geographic size, there's no question about that, but there are still a number of things we're quite good at-for example, we have some of the world's biggest petrochemical companies based here along with one of the world's biggest pharma companies.
Reply 6
Do we want to be a major power? Really?

Look at the current major powers & how messed up they are.

I'd rather be like one of the quiet Scandinavian countries - just peacefully plodding along - healthy and happy.
Reply 7
Original post by Steezy
Do we want to be a major power? Really?

Look at the current major powers & how messed up they are.

I'd rather be like one of the quiet Scandinavian countries - just peacefully plodding along - healthy and happy.


Yeah man, lets be bystanders. :ahee:

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Britain obviously isn't as powerful as it used to be but it still pretty powerful (I'd say top 5) and with greater integration into EU it could be more powerful. It's unfair to compare it to the likes of Russia/China/USA when you compare the size of these countries.
Reply 9
Original post by ElChapo
Yeah man, lets be bystanders. :ahee:

Posted from TSR Mobile


Exactly! Let's just sit back and watch the crazy **** unfold. I'd rather watch a horror movie than be part of it.
Original post by punani
Yeah if you look at the predicted economic growth trends, in the next 30 years we will have 3 super powers in the US, China and India, with the rest of the world miles behind.

The only way we can stay relevant and have influence would be as part of the EU, but this is quite unpopular with a large proportion of MP's and the general public.


I disagree with the EU, i think britain with its close ties with europe anyway and the US can go into some much favoured trade deals and end up better off without the EU. But it will mean adopting a more right wing ideology.
Currently the UK is one of the most powerful countries, but this will become less so, which is why I support great EU integration. A European superstate would be richer than the US is now and would punch at the same level as China and India in the future.
It's true, although the sentiment is also true of Russia and I think that makes Putin very angry.

As for the comments on this thread, everyone is talking nonsense. There isn't a choice between between being a mighty power dominating others or a weak vassal that submits to abuse. Britain's policy since WWII has been to maintain an armed force much too strong to be worth attacking without incurring the expense of being able to attack other people. This has worked extremely well and the main threat to it today are not warmongers or Empire Loyalists, but the disarmament/appeasement lobby.
Reply 13
Original post by Observatory
It's true, although the sentiment is also true of Russia and I think that makes Putin very angry.

As for the comments on this thread, everyone is talking nonsense. There isn't a choice between between being a mighty power dominating others or a weak vassal that submits to abuse. Britain's policy since WWII has been to maintain an armed force much too strong to be worth attacking without incurring the expense of being able to attack other people. This has worked extremely well and the main threat to it today are not warmongers or Empire Loyalists, but the disarmament/appeasement lobby.


You're living in the wrong centuary my friend. The main threats today come from cyber-warfare, cyber-terrorism, and environmental disasters.
Original post by punani
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/g20-summit-isolated-david-cameron-is-forced-to-shrug-off-vladimir-putin-small-island-snub-over-syria-8800966.html

Vladimir Putin’s spokesman was forced to deny on Thursday that he had dismissed the UK as a small island no one pays any attention to as the G20 summit in St Petersburg opened in acrimony.

Is this what the rest of the world really thinks of Britain?


Why is that a surprise? That's essentially what we are. I would gladly give up any semblance of presence on the international stage so we could focus on obtaining the GDP of the likes of Germany/Japan etc.
Original post by Observatory
It's true, although the sentiment is also true of Russia and I think that makes Putin very angry.

As for the comments on this thread, everyone is talking nonsense. There isn't a choice between between being a mighty power dominating others or a weak vassal that submits to abuse. Britain's policy since WWII has been to maintain an armed force much too strong to be worth attacking without incurring the expense of being able to attack other people. This has worked extremely well and the main threat to it today are not warmongers or Empire Loyalists, but the disarmament/appeasement lobby.


Putting as much money into military spending as we do is a clear attempt at trying to maintain some kind of status as a big player on the world stage which was lost through the break-up of the empire and the very weak post war economy. Ever since that war a lot of people here have been so insecure about not being a major power that it drives them to demand that we go intervening in all sorts of conflicts and continue to spend vast sums keeping up with other nations.

It has strong colonial overtones to it and is ludicrous when the money could be going on things which are frankly a lot more important. I note that nothing has been mentioned of Germany's decision not to intervene.
Reply 16
Original post by OedipusTheKing
Why is that a surprise? That's essentially what we are. I would gladly give up any semblance of presence on the international stage so we could focus on obtaining the GDP of the likes of Germany/Japan etc.


Japan's population is double ours Germany about 20 million more than ours. You've set yourself a tough goal there.
Britain has contributed a lot to the world, from the philosophy of Locke,to the physics of Newton, and to the biology of Darwin to name just few influential figures in our history, we may be a small island, we may be less relevant today than in the past, but to be called 'irrelevant' by the Russians of all people is rather amussing. I respect that we're less relevant today than we have been, but our economy and military is still huge.
Reply 18
Original post by punani
You're living in the wrong centuary my friend. The main threats today come from cyber-warfare, cyber-terrorism, and environmental disasters.


Many would disagree, what was the last big cyber attack? It's not a big threat at all :s. Environmental disasters have always been a threat realy, but they're hardly discussed in politics. Also what is with that horrible spelling of century, you're not the first to use it on this thread

Posted from TSR Mobile
Reply 19
Irrelevan' yer say?

Come here fella, come t' Yorkshire. Bring yorsen wi' rest of yer troops t' fight li'e real men. Come ivver t' mi' house and I'll knock yer block off faster than you can put wood in't 'ole. "By 'eck" is wha' you'll be nattering as I teach you the definition of irrelevance.
(edited 10 years ago)

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