Should GB be a world power

x post.

I agree that vq has somewhat changed questions, but she can.

I personally have a problem with those who do a lot of fence-sitting in life. Fair enough though, if people do not know which way they think is best.

There would be no point in spending on anything at all vq if we allow ISIL to run amok.
I don't believe that we should turn our backs on our neighbours whoever they are and hide our heads in the sand.

We could do with a bit more sunshine soon.

I am talking about GB.

That's a different question to your OP. I often wish we had always been like the Swiss - kept out of the lot of it. At least since the end of the second WW. Too late now though. We're in it.

Do you think that this country is a nice place to live in?

Why do we have to be a military world power? There are so many better things we could spend the money on.

As a British person I would be ashamed to know that this terrorist group had taken over first the Middle East then God knows where and my country sat back and did nothing.

According to this
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures

we are 5th in the world. So yes, that makes us a world power, military wise in my opinion.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29074514

We could, of course, just hunker down, shut our ears and eyes to what is going on in the world - and what is going on in our own country.
We're like the little kid in the playground who latches onto the bigger boys (in our case America), swaggers along with them and takes their side on everything.

No we are not. That is a ridiculous thing to say. I am not necessarily saying that we should join in with bombing in Syria, but if we did we would be joining in with all the other countries listed in the link above who feel it is right that ISIL should be stopped. If we do not then we should be prepared to help in any other way we can. We cannot shut ourselves away from the world.

*Did you come up with this list, soontobe? How was it decided upon?

What about the French, Chinese or Russian leaders? Are you really saying that Cameron is more important that Putin?*

I needed to have been clearer. I came up with it.
I will give you Putin. Not the French or Chinese.

So that makes Cameron 4th.

'm sorry I should have been clearer in my OP. I meant a military power not an economic or cultural power.

Ah. That is a bit different. But I think, and could be wrong, that they are all linked really.

Why would getting rid of our nuclear and first strike weapons make us more vulnerable to terrorists?

Not going to answer that easy question.

Did you come up with this list, soontobe? How was it decided upon?

What about the French, Chinese or Russian leaders? Are you really saying that Cameron is more important that Putin?

Other countries belong to NATO and the UN but don't feel the need to join in with bombing and ground wars like we do. We're like the little kid in the playground who latches onto the bigger boys (in our case America), swaggers along with them and takes their side on everything.

Why would getting rid of our nuclear and first strike weapons make us more vulnerable to terrorists? We're hardly going to nuke them, are we? We're in this mess because we interfered in Iraq. ISIS wouldn't have existed if we'd have stayed out. Saddam Hussein was a bad man but America put him there in the first place and kept him there until it suited them to get rid of him.

I'm sorry I should have been clearer in my OP. I meant a military power not an economic or cultural power.

Think of what the saved money could be spent on. We could have schools that actually have the resources to teach children and in smaller classes, CAMHS could be properly funded and children with mental health issues could be treated near to where they live so they could have regular visits from their families, free school meals and free milk would help to ensure that all children eat a more balanced diet, social services could be properly funded so that children who are at risk don't fall through the net...I'm sure you all have your own ideas of what our children need.

The same improvements could be made to the lives of pensioners, the sick and disabled. Money could be spent on infrastructure and industry which in turn would create more jobs. Unemployment would be reduced. More people earning means more tax payers and less claiming benefits. More tax collected leads to even more money to spend for the benefit of the people.

Leaving out the arguments about immigrants (more of whom actually prefer German and Sweden to the UK) wouldn't you prefer a country that spends it's money on it's people rather than on weapons of mass destruction.

I'm not saying we get rid of our armed forced all together. We still need a defensive force but do we really need an offensive force?

Most important/influential world leader
1.Obama
2. Merkel
3. Cameron

If not Cameron, who?

3rd out of 212 countries or however many, makes GB a world power in my opinion.

It wasn't just the British who had servants either; I have two friends, one Indian brought up there with servants (a shock when she came over here to get married and had to do her own housework and cooking!) and the other a Ugandan Asian who lived in a large house with servants until they were thrown out by that Idi Amin.

My DH just remembers colonial life in India. My late FIL was posted to India in 1945 as a colonial governor in what is now Pakistan (Karachi) DH was 5, his brother 2, and his sister 6 months. They were there for two years, so DH can remember quite well the big colonial house they had together with all the accompanying servants, including a Sikh bearer for each child who stood behind their chairs for every meal!! For DH it was a very happy period of his life, with picnics on the beach, expeditions on camels, elephants, and only a smattering of school work. The one thing he really remembers is the beautiful flowers in their garden, and coming back to England on a Sunderland flying boat!!

Jingle , 5ft 7 inches, seven and half stone

I know maggiemaybe , I was speaking of a minority of English people

I don't like the idea of us being involved with bombings, however we are part of NATO. Also along with France, Belgium, USA we are in th firing line for terrorism.

If we tried to give up all our arms and loose the military we would be sitting ducks. We may not have an empire but we still have world standing.
Thank goodness the British Empire is a thing the past but it did give us a place in the World......( helped by what we stole of course. )

JBF is correct.

I thought it was already, Tiny Two

That's more like it TinyTwo

Well, when I read the heading of this thread I thought it said 'Should GN be a world power?' In which case, yes, I absolutely think Gransnet should!

The 'old colonials' should read George Orwell's autobiogrphy or Jeremy Paxman's 'Empire'

But "those who patronise people of other countries because they feel they can and do not accept they are insulting people" are not necessarily English, Anniebach.

^ I was not speaking of the entire English race^
Thank goodness for that. I was just going off to leap over Offa's Dyke (into England!)

To return to the OP......do we really want to be a major player on the world stage when it comes to war and sabre rattling? There are other ways to be a 'world power' some of which have already been mentioned.