Keir Starmer

Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Benny Bunter said:
Surely it's time for the UK to take a backseat in international affairs. We're just not that important, influential or exemplary.
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It's funny that the notion that the UK continues to be a military Great Power is common both to Tories and the hard left (who of course disagree over whether this is a good thing or a bad thing), but you're dead right.

That said, I still think military aid to Ukraine is the right thing to do.
 
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Well-known member
Benny Bunter said:
Surely it's time for the UK to take a backseat in international affairs. We're just not that important, influential or exemplary.
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How would that work? You can't really tell all the other countries to fuck off when they expect you to be involved. "Sorry, I won't be discussing international trade or the state of Europe with anyone because my country is not important anymore." You'd look like an absolute weirdo.
 
Benny Bunter

Benny Bunter

Well-known member
I never said we should tell tell them to fuck off. Just we should get real and stop telling ourselves we're so important and influential when we're blatantly not anymore.

Yeah, it would look weird, which is part of the problem cos we've puffed ourselves up so much over the years and we're in deep, but let's get real.
 
pattycakes_

pattycakes_

Can turn naughty
It's weird acting like you're still important too, though. Going through empty motions. Denial. Somehow 'yeah but we've still got a monarchy' keeps it going? Been like that for decades by now
 
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I think the world decides that sort of thing for you. You still have to show up to the meetings, make public statements, negotiate and whatnot when you're expected to. I don't see Starmer meeting Trump as some glaring act of arrogance as though he thinks we still have the Empire or something. It's just what politicians have to do. What else is he gonna do? Turn down the meeting?
 
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I agree if we're talking about the way some of the public view Britain, all the right wing lot obsessed with WW2, but I think the leaders still have to behave like politicians because that's the job. There are much smaller countries than us who still have ambassadors and attend international conferences.
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
vershy versh said:
There are much smaller countries than us who still have ambassadors and attend international conferences.
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There's usually decent free grub, probably a piss-up if you're not in the Middle East, pretty receptionists to chat up, high-end hotel toiletries to nick...
 
Benny Bunter

Benny Bunter

Well-known member
vershy versh said:
I agree if we're talking about the way some of the public view Britain, all the right wing lot obsessed with WW2, but I think the leaders still have to behave like politicians because that's the job. There are much smaller countries than us who still have ambassadors and attend international conferences.
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I know, they should just start toning it down gradually, but there's no sign they're gonna do that, on the contrary they keep ramping it up. All the main UK political parties are the same.
 
Benny Bunter

Benny Bunter

Well-known member
You'd think the tories would learn something from the Reform threat but they're just too dumb, they're still indistinguishable from labour.
 
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I don't think it's possible to tone it down. It'd be political suicide. Who's going to vote for a party saying their country's irrelevant and they intend to withdraw from the world stage?
 
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