Quote Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult View Post
Oh, Berni, have you ever studied the terms of the German 1914 September Programme? This was just after the war had started when they thought they were about to secure a quick victory.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septemberprogramm

Look at this bit:

Germany would create a Mitteleuropa economic association, ostensibly egalitarian but actually dominated by Germany. Members would include the new buffer states.

Don't you think the Greeks et al will see similarities between Kaiser Willy's aims and the current EU under Merkel?

Benelux countries to be vassal states or annexed. Poland under their control. France seriously weakened so never a threat again. Only country not mentioned? GB. Because they obviously intended to have a 2nd war. Once they had all of Europe under their control, they would be able to spend on the navy instead of the army. The Programme states they want Belgian Channel ports.

So 100 years after they settled on this path, it has come to fruition.

Oh, as a Remainer, can I ask you one thing?

GB Foreign Policy has had two major planks for 500 years. To stop Europe being dominated by one power, and making sure that the Channel Ports were not all in hostile hands. In his excellent book on WW1, Forgotten Victory, Gary Sheffield starts by quoting Lord Burghley, Elizabeth's principal minister, telling her we can't let the Dagos take the Low Countries because these are "the counterscarp to your Majesty's kingdom."

Counterscarps are the outermost defensive parts of a fortress.

So, Brexit, imo, has done away with 500 years of GB foreign policy. We now have a united Europe against us, with no continental allies, with the Channel Ports all in the hands of powers who will always support the EU in the event of any form of conflict with GB. I'm obv not talking about war, but it seems to me that all these Brexiteers who bang on about war and history haven't really thought this through.
This is nonsense, I'm afraid, gg. By leaving the EU, we have in fact extricated ourselves from the German hegemony you describe - into which our leaders were happily drawing us further. It is now the case that, in fact, the EU will be surrounded by three military powers - the UK, Russia and Turkey - that are not contained within it and harbour various degrees of hostility towards it. That prospect, i suspect, will keep them in check.

We now need to arm for the coming wars.