Disentangling Britain from America

[Samdelila]

I know we are reliant on the USA for security and they are a major trading partner, but I would like to know what, if anything, could be done to disentangle us from the USA in the future. Does anybody have any ideas?

You think he’ll stay backed down?

The USA have always been a very spiteful friend

I realise a lot of this unrealistic but it’s the best list I can come up with:
Increase military spending by
-Focusing on growing the economy
-Finding ways to reduce spending
Move closer to the EU/rejoin the EU
Form a plan with other allies to reduce American military reach if necessary
Strengthen intelligence agreements with other countries
Reduce reliance on American tech
Buy non American products/services where possible
Set up trade agreements with other countries

I must admit I can’t get all indignant about Trump and Greenland. Of course the Greenlanders should self-determine and Trump is an oddball, to say the least. But the Greenlanders are not keen on the Danes running the place and if an arrangement for US control could be found that satisfies Greenlanders, so what?

If

Not spiteful, just never really friends. It has never wanted to get involved in European wars - it only joined WW1 and 2 when it had to.

And the Cold War was the US capitalist system versus communism, not the US protecting Europe from the USSR.

True. But thank god it did. And Europe hasn’t exactly been the most thankful, generous and tolerant towards the US. Petulant and selfish, many might say.

Both, really.

Europe has got involved in all sorts of unsavoury activity to keep the US happy.

No doubt, though some examples of selfless European meddling for the US would be welcome.

🤣Funny. I thought we’d gone out of our way to show how pathetically grateful we were with our “special relationship.”

🤣Funny. I thought we’d gone out of our way to show how pathetically grateful we were with our “special relationship.”

Since there is absolutely no way Trump would ever not exploit what is under Greenland’s ice for the benefit of the US and detriment of the indigenous population, there is absolutely no circumstance whatsoever in which Greenlanders would be satisfied with any arrangement brokered by Trump.

I think it’s the French that best typify the European view of the US. Especially Parisian ‘intellectuals’, and latterly EU fonctionnaires. Which is odd and rather pathetic when you think about it.

Not selfless, just blatantly corrupt, because we had to. I’m not the one arguing we have ever been “friends” with the US, after all - just pathetically grateful, to the extent of inventing weapons of mass destruction that were never there.

As PPs have said we spend more on the NHS and welfare than defence.
We are no where near to growing the economy - investment, housing, infrastructure, productivity.
Moving closer/rejoining the EU would make us
more dependent on NATO
Whats wrong with 5 Eyes - I was actually talking to DH about this over supper.
Trade agreements with other countries/rejoin the EU, one or the other.

Oh sure, Blair has much to answer for. But I’m having trouble with French, German, Italian, Spanish, Belgian etc commitment to and dirty deeds for the US.

I can’t talk for the French, etc, not being French. They no doubt feel they’ve been dragged along by the bloody Brits.

It’s not as if other EU countries didn’t want an EU army.

I very much doubt that.

We need to rejoin EU pronto. The massive arrogance of Brexit is looking very dangerous now everyone is else is lining up behind a superpower.

There’s nothing stopping each individual EU country building their defence. It’s more money than anything and how people vote to prioritise.

I very much don’t. It’s no secret the UK had a very different view of the best direction for the EU, one that was very much more US facing and focused solely on trade.

Each individual country is small - they require trustworthy allies and alliances, or united states to compete… but we never wanted a United States of Europe, we wanted to be able to pretend we could be the big I am without everyone else (largely because we thought the big I am was us and the US).