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Friday, December 09, 2011

Battle of Britain 2.0

With the Germans prepared to use their financial resources to bail out the tottering European states that borrowed too much, it's a new Battle of Britain as the British attempt to defend London from the continental threat:

Britain's dramatic use of its European Union veto after years of threats fuelled calls at home Friday for a complete withdrawal from the bloc, with London left more isolated than ever.

Prime Minister David Cameron went further than even "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher ever did, leaving Britain alone in blocking a treaty across the 27-member EU to resolve the euro's debt crisis. ...

"It was very disappointing that the rest of the EU leaders rejected the PM's generous offer," he said, referring to Cameron's calls for an opt-out for Britain that would protect the City of London financial services hub.

Conveniently enough, the British can recycle some of the old tried-and-true lines from that struggle: "Never before have so many owed so much to so few."

UPDATE: Despite British protests, the EU may go ahead and change the rules anyway (tip to Instapundit), demonstrating that the British would have more rights as detainees in our perfectly legal and humane Guantanamo Bay detention center.

At least when Britain stood alone in 1940, the Nazis couldn't manipulate the laws of physics to cross the channel.

UPDATE: Yes indeed, Britain stands alone against Germany and France (tip to Instapundit):

Did France and Germany really have to cause this rift by throwing in an assault on the City that has precious little do with the EMU crisis? Yes, I suppose they did.

Given that Merkozy cannot bring themselves to accept that Europe's debacle stems from the euro itself, from a 30pc currency misalignment between from North and South, and from an over-leveraged €23 trillion banking bubble that German, French, Dutch, Belgian regulators allowed to happen… given that, yes, I suppose they have to find a scapegoat.

They have to whip up a witchhunt against somebody, so why not Anglo-Saxon bankers? Nasty reflexes are at work. German and French politicians in particular should be very careful about inciting populist hatred against a group that makes such easy prey. We have been there before.

Well, it makes sense to have a Battle of Britain 2.0 right now. After all, the Libya War was the Battle for France 2.0. I guess Britain lost this one, too.

How's that French-British military integration looking now from London's perspective? When revanchism is taking hold in Argentinia?