THE DEMISE OF THE UK: IT'S PRECIPITOUS FALL FROM THE WORLD STAGE.

THE UK'S RELEVANCE AND REPUTATION IS IN A FREEFALL.
By HeavyHanded

Why do I say this?

Let's start with the fact that WWII put Britain's naval presence "in as much, if not more, peril than in the first (WWI). Her naval commanders rightly identified submarine warfare as being the biggest threat the island nation. The Royal and Merchant Navies took horrendous losses as these commanders developed ways of dealing with this silent menace. Convoys and ASDIC did most to redress this balance. But it was a long, hard fight and one that left Britain militarily and economically exhausted by the end of the war.

Britain would never reclaim its former maritime glory. The United States and Soviet Navies would eclipse the Royal Navy in size, technology and power. Aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and the rise of Air Power in general would mean that the strategic balance had been tipped forever. Withdrawal from Empire speeded up this process even more, bases in the Far East, South East Asia, the Middle East and even the Mediterranean seemed like expensive anachronisms that no longer served any purpose. At a commercial level, the rise of air transport killed off much of the passenger business of the shipping lines. Also, new trade patterns were established as Imperial trade was replaced by much shorter European destinations.

The fall from grace of the British naval heritage is only so precipitate when you realise how long and how deep that tradition has been the lifeblood of the nation. Generations of citizens grew up with the unquestioning belief that Britannia Ruled the Waves. Now that she is a middle ranking European nation, it is not hard to see why so many people lament the passing of an era and why it inspires so many more to be fascinated and interested in this area of British history."

And it is only going to get worse as they continue to mimmick their fellow European counterparts with their decisions to further cutbacks. So, with Great Bitain's willingness to follow in the footsteps of the other countries of "Old Europe," they will be spending less on arms and national defense - specifically their navy. The future for the once heralded British Navy, does not look too rosey.

Secondly, it appears the Brits have have lost their desire to defend themselves. The 15 British sailors were captured/abducted and now remain hostages of Iran ... with nary a shot fired. And just as telling of their passivity, a recent poll of 762 British voters "found that 48 percent rejected force as a solution to the crisis even as a last resort. Forty-four percent of respondents approved of force if diplomacy failed.

In a separate question, 26 percent of the respondents thought that Britain should apologize to Iran."

Third, in another indication of their unwillingness to be "confrontational" or so as not to "offend anyone," we cannot overlook their decision to drop any mention of the Holocaust from their history lessons in their school curricula ... lest they violate the sensitivities of their Muslim population ... a disgusting display of political correctness gone wrong.