Germans Believe Britain Is Europe's Leading State

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 12-3-2003 | Kate Connolly

[blam]

Germans believe Britain is Europe's leading state

By Kate Connolly in Berlin
(Filed: 03/12/2003)

Britain has come top of a poll among Germans who were asked to name Europe's most powerful nation.

Results of the opinion poll - in which 1,500 Germans were asked: "Which country is the leading power in Europe?" - showed that 27 per cent thought Britain was "indisputably" number one.

France was regarded as the most powerful by 26 per cent, and Germany by 21 per cent.

In a similar survey a decade ago, 57 per cent considered Germany the top power, with Britain seen as such by only eight per cent. The new study showed that 42 per cent of those surveyed felt that Germany's influence in Europe had decreased.

Christian Jung, of the Berlin-based Federal Association of German Banks which commissioned the poll, said the results showed a growing discontent with Germany's economic problems and a perception of increasing self-confidence in Britain.

"They reflect the loss of self-confidence caused by the economic stagnation of the past few years," he said. "Due to the Iraq conflict, Britain has been perceived increasingly as an international player."

[Timocrat]

But France warheads are also much more technologically advanced such warheads, as are delivery system.

Both France and Britain have most of their nuclear capability on their SSBN fleets. The four Brit Vanguard class SSBNs have US Polaris missiles on them which are interchangeable with US subs. Are you saying that France has more advanced systems than the USA?

Incidentally I think Russia still has the most powerful military force in Europe on paper. But because of Morale and supply problems its difficult to know how effective they would be in a non nuclear encounter.

Chechnya has made them look pretty bad.

The one "war" the Brits have lost since WWII was the time they teamed up with France and Israel to take back the Suez Canal, which the US opposed. They did a rather fine job of putting down a communist uprising in Malaysia.

[mark_interrupted]

Actually the Vanguard's are armed with the Trident D-5 missile, which is better than anything the French have.

[Timocrat]

You are correct. Trident D-5 is the missile. Also I believe Lockheed and a couple of other companies run the Brit nuclear weapons design program. Difficult to believe they are not up to date with their designs. Also its rumoured that you can do a lot of weapons simulation on super-computers and you don't actually need testing if your programs are good enough. So it is not necessarily obvious who has the most up to date weapons.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Britain has come top of a poll among Germans who were asked to name Europe's most powerful nation.

Ok maybe militarily, but Ireland is right up there when it comes to beer and pretty women. And that's all that really matters...

[blam]

Welcome to Free Republic.

[dennisw]

Be friends with the USA and your standing will go up.

So don't throw in with Muslim moon godders or you will not have a pretty ending.

[dennisw]

Don't go with Islam Jihad. This is a very bad bet and against God.

[Timocrat]

Its my understanding that a number of French authors have come out recently with books complaining about the loss of French power and prestige. As for being a poodle of the USA what are all those German troops doing in Afghanistan? Welcome to Free Republic.

[Major_Risktaker]

Germans believe Britain is Europe's leading state.

Is Britain a state of mind or a Country?

[alnitak]

Politically powerful, I suspect they mean. France & Germany basically run the EU (well, up to now, things are beginning to unravel for them). But that has basically been predicated upon German guilt for WW2, which the French have exploited to manipulate Germany into toeing the French line.

[Winniesboy]

The one "war" the Brits have lost since WWII was the time they teamed up with France and Israel to take back the Suez Canal, which the US opposed.

Probably rather a pedantic comment, but I think it's a bit misleading to say that Britain 'lost' the Suez campaign. It was lost only in the political sense, since international diplomatic pressure led by the US forced a withdrawal. Militarily, however, it was a walkover.

[MARETHLINE]

MMmmm. I think France's nuclear weapons are a joke, in fact they are only designed to blow up over Paris in a spectacular show for occupying forces and have enough left over for many occupations to come.
Also the British had no help from the US in the Falklands war at all, all money and equipment were British. In fact it was the other way round Argentina had so much from the US eg The Belgrano was a US ship that was at Pearl Harbour and WWII. Skyhawk aircrarft was cannon fodder for the Harriers and anti-aircraft weapons on the GB ships. US equipment was found mostly on the Argentine infantry too

[Alter Kaker]

France's nuclear weapons not joke. France created Israel nuclear weapons program (if I am allowed to say this ! ) and that is certainly not joke.

[Alter Kaker]

Brits had hard time with Falklands, lost many men, and benefited from Providence which prevented Argentine bombs from exploding when have hit deck of British warships. America did provide aid to UK, mostly clandestine, but also by denying promised technical support to Argentine military - which was actually crucial deal in such war.

[MARETHLINE]

The other crucial fatcor was British inteligence stopping French aid going to the Argentine's too. In particular the Execoet mssile was still going to be delivered despite Mitterand's stand on the British side. The intelligence stopped this and other missiles from being delivered to the Argentine's. It's because of this that we lost only six ships it could have been more. Also French Mirages were totally outclassed by the Harrier so much so that Dassault the compny who makes them had to rethink their designs. The French soon after still gave the Argentines Exoceat missile after the war ended. Don't trust the French!