A muse for Saturday

[Fagin2021]

My heart sinks when a British Prime Minister gets up and says “Britain is still a world power” or “on the international stage, we punch above our weight”.

In the latest manifestation of ‘Rule Britannia’ and national chest-thumping we’ve sent an ‘obsolete-before-it-was-launched’ brand new aircraft carrier into the South China Sea to teach Johnny Foreigner a lesson.

Whatever the right and wrongs of claims over these waters, what on earth are we doing? Has any politician thought of the consequences if China actually sank the Queen Elizabeth 11 (which they could do easily) ?

I'm off to the pub.

 

[japancool]

What happened to the other 10 Queen Elizabeths?

 

[bodgitt&scarperLTD]

It's not just British ships involved- it's a strike group involving both the Americans and the Dutch. It could just as easily be an American carrier and a couple of smaller British destroyers.

Rather than the tinpot Rule Britannia you seek to portray, I see it as a neccesary freedom of navigation exercise being conducted by multiple world powers.

 

[Fagin2021]

What happened to the other 10 Queen Elizabeths?

My mistake. I just 'automatically' added the 11.

 

[Nico Albrecht]

and the Dutch

I already feel saver knowing the Dutch are involved with their canoe fleet.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Naturally we could do nothing but a token protest, just like the Crimea invaded by so called civilian's and then miracles of miracles now belongs to Russia

 

[japancool]

The ship is not obsolete, but the planes might well be. In any case, of the 18 F-35s on board, 10 are American.

The purpose of the transit is to reassure friendly nations that Britain will stand up to China (as long as the US stands in front of us). Given that the UK is looking to join the TPP, that's not a bad thing.

An aircraft carrier works better as a visible deterrent than a nuclear submarine, since the whole point of the latter is that no one knows where they are!

 

[Ian J]

An aircraft carrier works better as a visible deterrent than a nuclear submarine, since the whole point of the latter is that no one knows where they are!

The sub could always surface in the middle of the South China Seas, send out a morse signal saying "peepo" before disappearing again

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

I already feel saver knowing the Dutch are involved with their canoe fleet.

Were they the ones than ran away in Bosnia ?

 

[Nico Albrecht]

Were they the ones than ran away in Bosnia

Yes. Standard Dutch war strategy run away until the enemy gets tired of chasing you. Claim Dutch victory afterwards.

 

[Deleted member 59730]

Has any politician thought of the consequences if China actually sank the Queen Elizabeth 11 (which they could do easily) ?

Might shut up the flag waving jingoists. Might be worth it just for that.

 

[WaveJumper]

I might have been more productive if they had taken some empty containers back on the flight deck

 

[Financial-Modeller]

I might have been more productive if they had taken some empty containers back on the flight deck

Brilliant!