I'm sure that this latest display by the French
will pass and they will get over it. Just as
Australia did with the French nuclear testing
in the Pacific.

Hi Issy,

Seen that grave at Lapa many times. Got an invite from the French Consulate General Sydney one year, July 14th, out to Lapa representing a Greens MP. A service at the French memorial, then into the big marquee for a real French nosh-up. Everything French champagne, wines, beers etc, and all kinds of yum yum.

Paul,
Been to one myself, with Alliance Francaise de Sydney, as you say, a real nosh up to finish off; you can’t beat French cuisine (another French word in the local language).

What strikes me about this deal is the time frame, most are saying about 20 years for the delivery of the first sub. So I'm sitting here wondering that given the current staggering rate of improvements in robotics and AI autonomous machines whether or not in 20 years having a diving tube of metal full of humans is going to be much use in future defense scenarios.

It seems to me that Biden is trying to get the old "Coalition of the Willing" band back together as a gesture of political strength as their empire continues to weaken.

That worked so well for us last time. Time to break out the old "Freedom Fries" mentality too?

As well as annoying the Chinese, chances are we've damaged our European Free Trade agreement as well.
Remember that we earlier shafted the Japanese to get the deal with the French too.

With the abandoning of the Kurds in Syria and now the Afghans being handed back to the Taliban, America is proving to be an unreliable ally and likewise we're now not so good at living up to international commercial (or climate) agreements.

Hopefully the subs will work OK, unlike the Sea Sprite helicopters we bought that couldn't fly at night or in bad weather or the trouble-plagued F111s and F35s, or our tanks that were too heavy for the bridges in Iraq.

As a parting gift to the Afghan people the American war criminals murdered ten civilians, including seven children. These guys are on our side?