I've heard the French are only taking Germans, seems they won't take Brits, something to do with us sinking their ships at Mers el Kébir in Algeria.

Dont worry the Brits have a cunning plan, they are going to stick on a toothbrush moustache and do a severe side parting combover............that will fool the froggies....

They WILL be on those boat by hook or by crook.....

Well I was referring to the present weird situation whereby we're expected to share the use of French carriers for quite a few years to come.

The mind boggles at the various possible scenarios should any bother be brewing.

For instance I can imagine our lads taking off in their fighters from the decks all gung-ho and into battle, only to return an hour or two later to find they have nowhere to land as the French carrier has long disappeared out of sight over the horizon white flags flying.

On the other hand they could decide on a long series of conferences to consider what action if any to take while the Europe is rapidly being obliterated.

I think sharing carriers with the French may be even worse than having no access to carriers at all and just remember HBG that they built the new Queen Mary so it could well be fitted with one forward and three reverse just in case of emergency.

To be a little more serious, I wonder if the French carry a huge chip on their shoulders from reading up on their military history over the past few hundred years ?

From first hand experience I can say yes they do .

That should be funny, sharing with the French after Cameron used his veto! I don't think they'll be too keen to let us have our go when our turn comes around, do you? How's it supposed to work anyway, is it like access rights for children after a divorce, they get them during the week and we get them at weekends and during school holidays?

I think the general idea is that once the carriers are out at sea our lads will chuck the froggies overboard and make off with their ships, just like we used to do a couple of hundred years ago.

A very cunning stunt, though I can't see Chirac and Merkal seeing the funny side of it.

Can one of the mods please move this thread to the Toytown forum.

Happy Christmas jdr.

I hope you get lots of nice toys to cheer you up.

I just drove along the beaches from Torrevieja to Orihuela Costa, about ten miles of them, and noticed a long line of large ships parked off-shore. They were too far away to see their flags, or whether there were any aircraft carriers among them, but it was an impressive sight.

The cash points are still working.

I don't think the French read their history, otherwise after 2 world wars being fought on French Soil they wouldn't be in bed with the Germans - or is it just a case of a whore not noticing who the client is, only the colour of his money...

Once Germany invaded France the French settled in nicely with the Nazis. They helped them govern and ordinary citizens assisted in rounding up Jews. Although history has been re-written and now it seems they were all in the resistance movement

No they didn't, if you know your history you will know that there was a definite North South divide... although I do agree slightly with you regarding the resistance, the main body of which was made up of Eastern European immigrant Jews, in fact many of their most famous attacks on Nazi leaders and French collaborators were done by Hungarian Jews. All that said the work of the Maquis was essential during the occupation.

If there was. they weren't ours, and the Argentinians know it too well and are acting up again and taking advantage whilst they see the opportunity.

probably the American 6th Fleet if it was a large number if "biggies", although there is a great difference to not being able to see a flag against the silhouette of a flat top weighing over 60,000 tons

In 2004 the Yanks were considering moving the 6th Fleet from its Italian base to Spain..........
now that would be good for the local economy

the argies probably know before us what we have and where it is, although there is no reason why an SSBN couldnt be patrolling in the area right now, just the wrong weapons fit to react

I've always been surprised at our insistence to hang on to the Falklands, and Gibraltar, I suppose. Cameron was quite adamant yesterday in saying that we will never give them up (the Falklands).

Geographically, we don't have a right to be in either place, and we gave up Hong Kong without a whimper, and Rhodesia, while I'm at it. And almost the whole of North America. And the Indian sub-continent.

Why are we hanging on to those cold islands that have more sheep than people?