French block airlift of British troops to Basra

Stephen Harding wrote in message ...
Peter McLelland wrote:

Stephen Harding wrote in message ...
Brian Sharrock wrote:

From your side of the Atlantic, I suppose everybody over the
horizon seems to be 'Euro', but to me, a Briton, the idea that
there'' some kind of "Euro spin" over the rebellion of some British
colonists funded by the French Kingdom in the furtherance of a
republic is laughable. I know it's probalby hard to examine the

I understand there are "Europeans" and there are "Britons". I've
become quite anti-European as I age and carelessly lumped the UK with
Europe. I think most Americans consider the Brits "different" from
the "Continentals" even though technically (I think), you're all Euros.

That perhaps is the source of the American problem with Europe. Europe

No. The American problem with Europe is largely one of divergent interests.
Europeans don't understand, or simply don't care to consider American
interests, assuming the US is basically another European country across
a very wide channel.

At one time, that characterization was pretty much true. That is no longer
the case, and becomes less so each year.

I think this comment actually emp[hasised my point, I and many others
in the UK do not always agree or support hte views of others in
Europe, and often the reverse is true also, but in general we do try
to understand why these differences of opion exist and live with them
in a practical way. The world is not ablack and white place, but
exists in many colours and shades and there is aneed to interpret
these if one is to understand it.

is complex, it is dynamic, and it is often just as perverse as the
USA. We cannot all be lumped together in one pot, but our difference

Yes, the normal "perverse" USA. I think you'll find the USA just, if
not more dynamic and complex than Europe. Perhaps you have your own
characterizations and stereotypes to re-examine?

I was not suggesting that the USA was in any way uniquely perverse,
rather bthat all countries have a perverse side to their nature and
culture, in the eyes of others. This is just a fact of life.

are different to US internal differences, so you tend to ignore them,
a mistake I fear. Just as an example, I am British, but I am a Scot
also, I also hold and am proud to do so the Queens commision. My
allegances are complex, but we can cope with this, and it helps
sometimes when we are faced with situations like the Balkans, because
we understand that there are layers of what matters. Life is complex.

Yet you seem to believe there is one "American" character. That is not
the situation. Any cultural, ethnic or religious division or "layer"
you want to point to in Europe will more than likely be easily matched
with one comparable in the US.

As some one who spends much of my working time on a UK/US project with
several UK and US companies and a number of different government
bodies on both sides I am reasonably aware of the diversity in both
countries. To this I can add the experience of workin g with most EU
countries and many oithers around the world, so I would suggest thta I
have reasonable experience of cultural differences in much of the
world.

Peter