"Daniel Titley" wrote in message
news:67f0b875-7287-4260-8909-6ed659aeda7b@u9g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
France isn't Argentina and New Zealand isn't British territory. By
1985 France was much more important to Britain than New Zealand, and
war with France was so totally against British national interests that
they would sacrifice the NZ navy to avoid it.
Yes the tabloid newspapers would scream for French blood. Yes, British
politicians (maybe including Thatcher) would make grand speeches
condemning the French. Yes, huge numbers of British people would
boycott French products. Yes the British government would support New
Zealand diplomatically; maybe going so far as to openly ignore any
anti-New Zealand rules France manages to push through the EEC.
But there's no way they'd even risk direct military action against
France unless the French did something properly crazy like carpet bomb
Auckland or sink British merchant ships
----------------------------------
Mr Speaker: The Prime Minister
Mrs Thatcher (For it is she): Honorable members, the recent tragic events
in the pacific have made it clear that two old and valued allies of this
country are at the edge of war. The peace of the world demands that this
cannot be allowed to take place.
Only two years ago we ourselves lost many brave man to the depredations of
aggression and we cannot now stand by and watch another conflict take place.
It has therefore been decided that any conflict should be made impossible.
I have today informed their lordships that they will at once transfer
operational command of the following submarines ships and aircraft carriers
to the Royal New Zealand Navy...
--
William Black
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.
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