Posted on 02/04/2008 5:02:14 PM PST by Aristotelian
LONDON: While Prince Andrew declares himself a fan of the United States - and his cellphone ring tone comes from the American TV drama "24" - the man who is fourth in line to the British throne has some critical words for America's Iraq policy and thinks that Washington should have listened to advice from London.
In a rare Buckingham Palace interview ahead of his departure Tuesday for a 10-day U.S. trip to support British business, the prince described the United States as Britain's No. 1 ally but conceded that relations were in a trough. There are, he added, "occasions when people in the U.K. would wish that those in responsible positions in the U.S. might listen and learn from our experiences."
The prince has a full-time role as a trade envoy for Britain but for 22 years he was in the Royal Navy, serving as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands conflict, and Iraq is a preoccupation.
Because of its imperial history, Britain has experienced much of what the United States is going through, Prince Andrew said.
"If you are looking at colonialism, if you are looking at operations on an international scale, if you are looking at understanding each other's culture, understanding how to operate in a military insurgency campaign - we have been through them all," he said. "We've won some, lost some, drawn some. The fact is there is quite a lot of experience over here which is valid and should be listened to."
Prince Andrew's view that post-invasion chaos in Iraq could have been avoided if President George W. Bush's administration had listened more is widely shared in Britain.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
“Conquest? Did we take Canada?”
Nope, you certainly did not, thanks to the success of British arms and the people of the future Canada at battles such as Queenston Heights and Bladensburg...
“Everything you wrote I already knew, of course. If you knew your history, you’d know that the reason the U.S. pushed ahead for war after impressment ended was the same reason that 2,300 British troops died after the Treaty of Ghent was signed- it took three weeks for news to cross the pond.”
Even when news of the repeal of the Orders in Council reached the US, the Americans pressed ahead with their planned invasion of Canada anyway, and had to be repelled bloodily....
WRT to the lend-lease of logisitical supplies such as the studebaker, I’m of the opinion that in hindsight, allowing the Soviet Union to make such rapid advances into eastern Europe was counterproductive considering how they enslaved practically every country they ‘liberated’.
As I said before, Stalingrad occured before Lend-Lease arrived in quanitities large enough to make a difference. Once Hitler had lost Paulus’ Sixth Army, the Germany invasion of the USSR was doomed (if it hadn’t been from the start anyway, considering the impossible goal of invading and occupying the Soviet Union)...
“Um...gee. That was over 100 years ago...we GAVE the Philippines back with no strings, and Puerto Rico can come and go as they see fit.
A little different “brand” of imperialism than that practiced by the oh so benevolent British Monarchy.”
First of all, the ‘monarchy’ had little to do with the Empire, Britain has been ruled by Parliamentry politicians since the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and the Monarch has been for all intents and purposes a figurehead since 1760 when George III signed away his financial independence by giving over the Income of the Crown Estates over to Parliament in return for a civil list payment...
Secondly, I have already described the differences between British and American Imperialism, (attempted incorporation vs self-government), plus the westwards expansion, which was also imperialism and was no more benevolent than the British variety, if not worse...
“Its our war? I seems to recall that people from a bunch of countries were in the towers. There have also been bombings in London haven’t there?”
As I recall, the July Bombings happened after we had gone into Iraq and Afghanistan. You don’t think that had something to do with it?
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He's the best of the bunch, I'll give him that.
So you’re saying this is all the fault of Americans? You’re one of those “American policy makes people hate them” people aren’t you. You ignore the actions of these people against their own. Radical muslims kill more muslims than they kill non-muslims. They destroy 2000 year old statues because they represent a different religion. They stone women for being raped. They are barbarians seeking to return the world to the 7th century.
How did appeasement work in the late 1930s? It appears to be working just as well for you folks now as it did back then.
Listen, you arrogant, spoiled, pony-riding, inbred little ponce:
There is a report in this weeks' Times that one in four of your countrymen think Winston Churchill, the fellow who saved your royal bum from the NaziFacists back in WWII (and who wouldn't have, without our help, thank you very much) was a mythical figure. In a Muzzy-loving, all tolerant school system that seems to view braying like Chamberlain as more important than teaching about real history, don't go opening your Shepard's pie hole in our direction over how "experienced" you are.
Howzabout that Lend-Lease thing, eh? Call it even?
“So you’re saying this is all the fault of Americans? You’re one of those “American policy makes people hate them” people aren’t you. You ignore the actions of these people against their own. Radical muslims kill more muslims than they kill non-muslims. They destroy 2000 year old statues because they represent a different religion. They stone women for being raped. They are barbarians seeking to return the world to the 7th century.
How did appeasement work in the late 1930s? It appears to be working just as well for you folks now as it did back then.”
No, but considering we were yesterday’s bad guys in the muslim world until we deployed alongside American soldiers fighting THEIR war, you would expect a little more gratitude and respect for Britain than some people are demonstrating here....
Sure. Except the Native Americans did not have a concept of land ownership, unlike many of the places that lived under the English Imperial system against their will.
War had already been declared.
Fighting OUR war? What kind of dummy are you? Oh, wait...you guys aren’t going to fight back, you are going to be assimilated.
The question should have been what kind of “dhimmi” are you?
Oh, I also posted that Stalingrad occurred before Lend-Lease arrived too.
“Howzabout that Lend-Lease thing, eh? Call it even?”
Britain paid for that lend-lease in full. Both economically and politically. The Americans used their economic clout over Britain to undermine the British Empire and reduce us to a state of semi-vassalage. In the 1950s, she threatened to destroy the British economy unless we pulled out of Suez, and used Britain as an ancillery power for her own ends by forcing us to build up our armed forces at the expense of our economy, whilst the Germans and Japanese were using their lend-lease aid to build themselves into back into economic superpowers.
Britain owes nothing to the US, and is certainly not beholden to the extent that we should be obliged to help America fight her wars....
“Howzabout that Lend-Lease thing, eh? Call it even?”
Britain paid for that lend-lease in full. Both economically and politically. The Americans used their economic clout over Britain to undermine the British Empire and reduce us to a state of semi-vassalage. In the 1950s, she threatened to destroy the British economy unless we pulled out of Suez, and used Britain as an ancillery power for her own ends by forcing us to build up our armed forces at the expense of our economy, whilst the Germans and Japanese were using their lend-lease aid to build themselves into back into economic superpowers.
Britain owes nothing to the US, and is certainly not beholden to the extent that we should be obliged to help America fight her wars....
“Fighting OUR war? What kind of dummy are you? Oh, wait...you guys aren’t going to fight back, you are going to be assimilated.
The question should have been what kind of “dhimmi” are you?”
9-11 happened to America, not Britain. If Britain decided to help the US militarily and politically in it’s struggle against Al Queda, I think some respect and gratitude is the very least you owe us, for spending taxpayer’s money and sending troops to aid your fight against your enemies in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as making ourselves targets for the retribution of Islamic terrorists at home.
Because frankly, with the attitude displayed towards my country, our Royal Family and our society, by a lot of people in the US, maybe next time the US is attacked, we should tell you septics ‘F- you, not our problem mate’...
Bugger off. We'll take care of any problems.
“Andrew is out of line period, Do you hear GWB criticizing Brown?”
Disbanding the Iraqi army was a bad idea.
Exactly what Prince Andrew is saying.
I have found that at least 3 of mine did. :)
I often wonder what their opinion of todays politics would be and I believe they are probably spinning like windmills.
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