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When the sun will literally set on what's left of the British Empire

oikofuge.com

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Re: When the sun will literally set on what's left of the British Empire

#41

Post by mc32 »

lazide wrote: post #25
lostlogin wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who was the treaty signed with? It wasn’t the CCP.

And you think it would be ‘protecting’ the people of Hong Kong to argue with the CCP about it? Lulz Or that it’s ever been about ‘protecting’ anyone when the British Crown fights anyone over territory? As compared to asserting ownership? Not to mention the UK nearly lost it’s fight with Argentina - it wouldn’t even be pissing in the wind to go to war with China over Hong Kong.

How did Argentina “almost win” the Falklands war? I thought it was over almost before it started? Only thing that worked were some French missiles.

Re: When the sun will literally set on what's left of the British Empire

#42

Post by CorrectHorseBat »

jedberg wrote: post #32
WillPostForFood wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think citizens of Hong Kong would choose the Chinese rule of today, or go back to British rule if they could?

> Do you think citizens of Hong Kong would choose the Chinese rule of today, or go back to British rule if they could? I think the people that lived there in 1997 would absolutely want to go back to British rule. But you have to remember that it's been nearly 30 years since it went to Chinese rule. All the young people there prefer Chinese rule, because they grew up with schools teaching them that the British were ba…

I don't think so, did you forget about the Umbrella Movement?

Re: When the sun will literally set on what's left of the British Empire

#43

Post by kingkawn »

WillPostForFood wrote: post #11
kingkawn wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The idea that the British were holding territory in the world to protect anyone is laughable

Do you think citizens of Hong Kong would choose the Chinese rule of today, or go back to British rule if they could?

Do you think they would have chose British rule when it first began?

Re: When the sun will literally set on what's left of the British Empire

#44

Post by rwmj »

alwa wrote: post #20
rwmj wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The UK offered residence with a path to citizenship for all BNO holders in Hong Kong, which was pretty much the limits of the UK's power. What are we going to do? Invade Hong Kong? Hold China over a barrel by refusing to sell whatever it is we sell to China (Scotch whisky?) As for the Chagos islands, it's by far the best thing to get rid of them. There's no value at all and a lot of trouble keeping them.

I’m unfamiliar, what’s the trouble in keeping them? I thought they’d long ago evicted the natives, and more or less handed the islands over to the Americans—does this move relieve them of either of those headaches? Is the idea that Chagossian repatriation now becomes a Mauritian problem? Had the British been taking that problem particularly seriously? Or more to do with the British not really wanting to be caught bet…

It's a constant source of legal action and negative news. There's not any strategic need for the UK to keep an island in the Indian Ocean. Might as well get rid of the whole mess for someone else to sort out.

Re: When the sun will literally set on what's left of the British Empire

#45

Post by jbm »

neilwilson wrote: post #14
petermcneeley wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you aware the UK is basically bankrupt? https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/26/more-pain-r...

Are you aware that is an impossible situation in the UK and that you should never listen to journalists or economists on this topic. They haven’t a clue what they are talking about. Look at the one month Treasury bill to see the actual situation.

I don't know how much I trust bond buyers and other "Market participants" to have a meaningful long-term view of a financial position with the many destabilising factors we are seeing (Social, Climate, etc..). They are accurate until they aren't.

Maybe 20 years from now, you will be on a resort laughing at the treasury bill rates of 2025 and compare their accuracy to pets.com.

Re: When the sun will literally set on what's left of the British Empire

#46

Post by lazide »

budududuroiu wrote: post #38
lostlogin wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who was the treaty signed with? It wasn’t the CCP.

Are you high? The handover of Hong Kong was signed between the UK and the PRC

I suspect they’re referring to the 99 year lease the UK signed in 1898 with the Qing dynasty. [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declarati...]

As to how they think that has anything to do with their points, it doesn’t of course - and the UK agreed, which is why they left. Also, because it’s not like the UK had any other choice.

Re: When the sun will literally set on what's left of the British Empire

#47

Post by rwmj »

random9749832 wrote: post #10
rwmj wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The UK offered residence with a path to citizenship for all BNO holders in Hong Kong, which was pretty much the limits of the UK's power. What are we going to do? Invade Hong Kong? Hold China over a barrel by refusing to sell whatever it is we sell to China (Scotch whisky?) As for the Chagos islands, it's by far the best thing to get rid of them. There's no value at all and a lot of trouble keeping them.

I think you are just highlighting how the UK is losing agency in the world. At this rate it will become a museum.

The UK is a mid-sized country in Europe, and that's fine. Only you seem to think this is a problem.

Re: When the sun will literally set on what's left of the British Empire

#48

Post by mark_l_watson »

rayiner wrote: post #31
dang wrote: post #69

[stub for offtopicness / genericness]

I wonder what will be the legacy of the British Empire. The Roman Empire lived on in a sense as many of the barbarian kingdoms purported to be continuations of the empire for a long time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbarian_kingdoms . That hasn’t been the case with the British Empire.

In some small sense the British Empire lives on through the US hegemony. The British were experts at replacing local governments with people they could control, and since the Second World War we have tried doing the same thing.

Re: When the sun will literally set on what's left of the British Empire

#49

Post by cperciva »

rayiner wrote: post #31
dang wrote: post #69

[stub for offtopicness / genericness]

I wonder what will be the legacy of the British Empire. The Roman Empire lived on in a sense as many of the barbarian kingdoms purported to be continuations of the empire for a long time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbarian_kingdoms . That hasn’t been the case with the British Empire.

The British Commonwealth isn't entirely different from the Barbarian Kingdoms -- a lot of the political structure (elections to a Parliament modelled on Westminster, a nominally apolitical civil service) have been largely retained, and even almost a century after the Statute of Westminster the Commonwealth countries routinely look to the British for leadership in matters of foreign relations.

History doesn't repeat, but I think we're well into the realm of history rhyming here.

Re: When the sun will literally set on what's left of the British Empire

#50

Post by lostlogin »

budududuroiu wrote: post #38
lostlogin wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who was the treaty signed with? It wasn’t the CCP.

Are you high? The handover of Hong Kong was signed between the UK and the PRC

I’m referring to the start of the agreement, not the end.
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