Originally Posted by
StanAtStanFan
I don't consider England to be a pissant country, not as long as it has a Navy and nuclear weapons, and remains a friend of the U.S.
One has to respect Elizabeth II, on the throne of England since 1951, that is an amazing feat of political accomplishment. Hell - Charles may pass away before she does. One should also note that the British Commonwealth of Nations, of which she is the titular leader of, has gained many more members since World War II, then it had prior to 1939.
What I dislike about England is her past military rule as the British Empire. Particularly her treatment of tiny Ireland, a nation whose culture they actually tried to lobotomize and South Africa, where they engineered a pure money grab for the Transvaal where the Kimberly Diamond mines are located. Cecil Rhodes (the ultimate British imperialist), of Rhodes Scholar fame, Rhodesia was named after him, the Brits went after the tough Dutch Boer farmers in 1899-1901, a population that had been established and farming in South Africa and Natal for over 300-years. Another tiny country the Brits went after for monetary purposes, King, Queen and Country. That war saw the British institute summary executions of POW's without trial; a scorched-earth policy of their lands, farms and buildings, and concentration camps for her women and children. The Boer War found the British Army up against the first white, heavily armed military in her march to Empire, and it took a massive infusion of British troops to quell the Dutch Boers.
Australia and New Zealand are sort of strange ducks of nations. The British Fleet protected them throughout most of their history, until the start of World War II, when America took on that role. My father, a World War II Marine, always spoke highly of the New Zealand Kiwi's, and his R&R station during the island hopping battles of the Third Marines, in Auckland. The Pacific theater was an American Naval and combat Army-Marine war.
The Aussies are amusing and sort of odd-duck people when it comes to their relationship with England. They are more like America than English. The fact that they happen to have fought with America in every modern war we got ourselves into endears them to us, they are a solid ally in the Orient, with China and North Korean influence and danger always poised. Add that into the fact they happen to be the world's greatest alcohol drinkers, champions of the world at that, ya gotta like em, right Mate?
Canada has some oddities that America doesn't have. Universal health insurance for one, but essentially, it is hard to tell the difference between the two nations. The majority of their population lives within 100-miles of the U.S. border. Regarding guns, and gun violence, England and Canada do not have a reputation for that type of violence. You automatically become about 95% safer from criminal activity once you cross the Peace Bridge to Canada in Buffalo, or the tunnel to Windsor in Detroit. Generally they are considered politically our poor cousins, but they have been a staunch ally throughout most of America's modern history. Their troops fought in all our modern wars on our side. Their troops made the first test assault on Normandy to test the Nazi defenses and got slaughtered.
We share the world's longest, peaceful border with them, and even participate in sports (Canada and America have hosted the Olympic Games several times), plus the National Hockey League operates in America and Canada easily. I personally like Toronto (was brought up south of Buffalo, N.Y., 90-miles from Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City. Never been there but hear Vancouver is a beautiful city also. Canada is a friend, they do have a strange French-type habit of going their own way occasionally on foreign affairs, but it was Canada who recused a bunch of our hostages held in the Iranian Embassy during that crisis during the Carter Administration. I remember newspaper headlines at the time blazoned with "Thank You Canada" and they were well deserved. They might bitch and moan like the middle child, but will always follow America in most things and the number of entertainment and sports personalities that come to us from Canada? A general credit, if one excludes Justin Beiber.
As I wrote, don't like the British Empire's history. Although we fought and won two wars with them, it was the British Naval fleet that screened America for about 100-years of its political and military power that protected America and allowed us to conquer and control an entire virgin continent and develop into the great nation we are today. For that, America is thankful, although we don't say it often, and of course, their laws are the basis for many of America's Bill of Rights and Constitution. America likes England - the Queen and the Royal Family? Wally World Europe, but that doesn't stop our citizens from making London a preferred tourist stop, and a place to spend our dollars. We are treated very well in England, France? A different story.
Stan
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