Time To Kick The American Military Out Of UK

Wyllow3

*The problem here is that its a provocative and unhelpful O/P*
(in the style of Trump himself)

It asks us how to react to a situation that does not exist.

It would be more helpful to ask how do we think and feel about US bases, given the new regime in Washington, not starting from a situation where there is total breakdown.

What would we like to see, what we might find unacceptable, and so on.

I agree.

Most US bases have been closed, only a few remain, many here in East Anglia. Turning over to public parkland is effective use of land.

Spending a bit of US money here. I'd think that was acceptable.

It appears forces aren't forced to bring family. Also acceptable.

I think we also need to be worried about what China is doing in Africa, Kenya in particular.
We have a military presence over there but for how much longer?
The Chinese are so much cleverer than the Russians and Mr T. They do things quietly.

Ah , but Johnson was a character !
A prime example of what happens when previous work record is ignored.Watch out Farage fanciers.

nanna8

I think Starmer is really ,really bad. Chinese embassy in the middle of London will make it very easy for his Communist mates to spy on you.

Did you not know that there is already an Embassy in Portland Place which has been there since 1877 Nanna8
I am sure that the infrastructure for obtaining information by both countries has already been in place for a very long time.

And Johnson was actually really, really bad.

It was Boris Johnson who sold the site to the Chinese.

I think Starmer is really ,really bad. Chinese embassy in the middle of London will make it very easy for his Communist mates to spy on you.

I agree with having a go at getting rid of Palantir.

Carney made an excellent speech in Davos yesterday, nice to see such an eloquent , polished and well groomed politician. Basically he said “ don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

nanna8

Picking a fight with the Americans is a seriously bad idea. As Allira says, presidents come and go . The rest of us aren’t exactly shining lights with the calibre of our leaders,either.

Of course, you think that Starmer is as bad, don’t you! Trump has got three more years. Look at the damage he’s caused in the short time he’s been in office.

Picking a fight with the Americans is a seriously bad idea. As Allira says, presidents come and go . The rest of us aren’t exactly shining lights with the calibre of our leaders,either.

The UK is not the only European country where there are American military bases.
They are located in at least seven countries.

Oreo

Whitewavemark2

If we get rid of the USA bases and turn our backs on USA military assistance, we just as well send an invitation to Putin.

It is very very unfortunate, but Europe is locked into USA military assistance.

I agree.
It would be sheer idiocy to do what the OP suggests.

Presidents come and go.
The NATO alliance is more important than just one American President.

MayBee70

Whitewavemark2

I do however think that there is merit in working much closer with Europe and Canada and anyone else who is interested in not being dependent on Trump.

Carney is proving to be an excellent politician.

Wouldn’t it be great if we had someone like that in this country. Oh, hang on, we did have him. And people ignored him…

Yes. He has been the one leader that has shown intelligence in standing up to Trump.

Whitewavemark2

I do however think that there is merit in working much closer with Europe and Canada and anyone else who is interested in not being dependent on Trump.

Carney is proving to be an excellent politician.

Wouldn’t it be great if we had someone like that in this country. Oh, hang on, we did have him. And people ignored him…

In my view, there never was a "special relationship" unless it is defined by one country (USA) treating another (UK) as a pet poodle.

The trouble is we have accepted this situation for many, many years and have, to some extent, lost the nerve to draw the line. Only Harold Wilson was brave enough to resist the USA's request that we help them in the Vietnam War - thank goodness for that.

It is all very well for people, admittedly understandably, to demand that Starmer tell Trump, in no uncertain terms, where to get off. The problem is that Trump is powerful and, perhaps more importantly, has many very powerful people and multinationals behind him. They can do enormous damage to any country that displeases them. I hope we can stay united and determined in standing with many of the European countries (though not all of them - I believe Italy and Spain have been fairly muted in their responses to Trump's outrageous threats).

Why is it so many of the leaders of powerful countries are such awful (and dangerous) people?

Whitewavemark2

If we get rid of the USA bases and turn our backs on USA military assistance, we just as well send an invitation to Putin.

It is very very unfortunate, but Europe is locked into USA military assistance.

I agree.
It would be sheer idiocy to do what the OP suggests.

Even if it would be imprudent to kick the US off their UK bases, I think it would be a very good idea to terminate contracts with Palantir, which holds all our NHS data, now has a huge contract with our military.

UK MPs have raised concerns about the government’s contracts with Palantir after an investigation published in Switzerland highlighted allegations about the suitability and security of its products.

The investigation by the Zurich-based research collective WAV and the Swiss online magazine Republik details Palantir’s efforts, over the course of seven years, to sell its products to Swiss federal agencies.

Palantir is a US company that provides software to integrate and analyse data scattered across different systems, such as in the health service. It also provides artificial intelligence-enabled military targeting systems.

The investigation cites an expert report, internal to the Swiss army, that assessed Palantir’s status as a US company meant there was a possibility sensitive data shared with it could be accessed by the US government and intelligence services.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/22/mps-question-uk-palantir-contracts-security-concerns-investigation

Yep Vance is very much out of the frying pan and into a volcanic inferno.

The mid term elections are only 10 months away. There is likely to be an increase in the number of Democrats in both the House of Representatives and Senate. This means Republicans being defeated.

How Trump reacts to this could be interesting. It could be the last straw and he will be come so obviously not in his right mind that he will have to be replaced. However his replacement would be Vance, be careful what you wish for.

The problem here is that its a provocative and unhelpful O/P
(in the style of Trump himself)

It asks us how to react to a situation that does not exist.

It would be more helpful to ask how do we think and feel about US bases, given the new regime in Washington, not starting from a situation where there is total breakdown.

What would we like to see, what we might find unacceptable, and so on.

Crikey that is somewhat premature mael13. Watch and wait to see what happens first. Trump is not omnipotent.

I do however think that there is merit in working much closer with Europe and Canada and anyone else who is interested in not being dependent on Trump.

Carney is proving to be an excellent politician.

Trump is not immortal.

Putin would be jumping for joy at that prospect, lets wait and see what actually happens and deal with any issues then.