Emperor Oli

Yay Have you looked at a map lately? Did you notice how the English Channel is getting wider and the Atlantic Ocean is shrinking? In fact, any objective surveyor would be sure to conclude that the distance from London to Paris is far greater than that between 10 Downing Street and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. This revisionist geography is not just an Iraq war thing. It is a sober conclusion based on the changing realities of foreign affairs. During the Cold War, America, Britain and the rest of Western Europe had to present a solid phalanx to the Soviet Union. Sometimes American hawks got a bit to the Right of European doves, but the Atlantic alliance rested on its two pillars - North America and Western Europe. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the defeat of communism in Russia, President Bill Clinton argued that economic and trade issues should come ahead of military/diplomatic concerns on the international agenda. Issues such as curbing instability in the Balkans, preventing genocide in Africa, protecting human rights in China, cutting the flow of illegal drugs, and fighting international terrorism all had their place in the Clinton Administration, but they ranked below the need for economic stability, sound national currencies and a free flow of goods and services across international borders. In the econo-centric world of Clinton foreign policy, the United Kingdom could only play as part of a pan-European team. In this way, London could only participate in a four-sided world of America, the European Union, Japan and China. Russia was negligible and the rest of the world mattered little. But September 11 shattered the assumptions that underlay Bill Clinton's world view. Suddenly, terrorism became the pre-eminent problem and the military-diplomatic-intelligence matrix we need to confront it our dominant need. In this construct, the size of one's economy is no longer the admission card to the top levels of global leadership. Japan's large economy is of little use in addressing these new priorities and Russia's small one no impediment. Britain need no longer come as a diplomatic package with France and Germany. In the new era, willingness to act counts for more than any other factor in attaining global power. The war against terror does not require a massive economy to sustain years of expensive combat, but a relatively small and proficient military, combined with political will - among leaders and voters alike - to use it. Here, Britain's heritage and tradition of global involvement and leadership have conditioned it to play a major and decisive role on the world stage. Always globalist in its thinking, Britain has learnt the lesson of its pre-Second World War days and has embraced the need for a strong hand in foreign affairs. Understanding the reason to use force against injustice in a way German post-war conditioning (for which we must be grateful) will not allow, Britain can and should step up to the permanent role in global leadership that its limited population and economy forced it to abandon in the 1950s. The era of "no commitments east of Suez" is long gone. The political lesson of the war in Iraq is that the people of America and Britain have far more in common with one another than do the British people with the French or the Germans. Our common linguistic heritage, shared values, renunciation of appeasement as a policy option, commitment to do battle against injustice, and our essential optimism about the possibility of success make us partners in a way that continental Europeans, with their history of foreign occupation, can never hope to match. The peoples on either side of the Atlantic share an affection, a warmth, and a feeling of responsibility that bind us tighter than any economic union ever can. Britain should no longer act like a European fish swimming in the Atlantic Ocean out of its native water. The ties that bind George W Bush and Tony Blair are more than just a determination to topple Saddam Hussein. They run to a shared concept of global duty. Has the mandate of the United Nations run its course? Is the veto of the fearful, appeasing and economically selfish French delegation as hobbling as was that of the Soviet Union in the Cold War? Before there was a United Nations, there was an Anglo-American alliance and then a Big Three of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. Will Vladimir Putin join with Mr Bush and Mr Blair to create a de facto world order determined to root out terrorism? The days when Vladimir is content to join Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schröder in toasting their shared impotence over vodka, champagne and beer are probably numbered. His instinct for power is too finely tuned and the opportunities to restore Moscow's big power status too tempting to consign him for long to the backwaters. But whether Russia participates or not, the political and diplomatic future of Britain lies with America, not with France and Germany. The British are a can-do people, imbued with energy and positivism. Like Americans, they look to their future. Unlike the French, they are neither cranky nor neurotic. Unlike the Germans, they have been neither beaten nor humiliated. Britain can trade and share its currency with anyone its wants. It can subscribe to joint domestic policies with the continental bureaucrats if it so desires. (Although I suspect the door to Nafta is open to Britain if it ever gets tired of its current confrères.)

Moi? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...0/16/nque16.xml Thats one specifically about the Head of State http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2950276.stm And thats one about the Consitution as a whole. Interestingly, every member country has to agree to it so if only one vetoed it, it could be finished! They should stay in their own country and work to make it a better place for them and their children. I mean, if they keep flocking to our doors, their population would plummet.

However, if people are offended you can by all means take down my posts and I won't say any more on the topic

Indeed I know, however I thought you had relations who were continental Europeans so I didn't want to offend Ditto, but how many have things to offer, apart from Tubercolosis? It has been proven that since the vast influx of "asylum seekers" have come to Britain, Tubercolosis has resurfaced as they weren't vaccinated I went on holiday to Cluj-Napoca which is just North of Transylvania and near the Carpathians three years ago The new EU Constitution, if it ever comes into effect, will eradicate the Queen's role as Head of State. To me, the Queen and the Royal Family are a part of British Culture. I am not afraid, I am wary of its motives

Hell no! Europe can shove its "Constitution" up its red-tape wrapped arse and those "coins". Our future lies with America and strengthening the "special relationship". Just to reinforce my point, the contracts are up for the rebuilding of Iraq and British companies are the favourites to get them. However, the French and Germans now decide that they want them but the Americans have banned them from bidding (quite rightly) as they did not participate in the war. Now they are up-in-arms about it saying its unjust and unfair. Do you know they are planning to expand the EU into the Balkans? Tons of poor homeless Romanians and that rabble will be free to come through British doors and there will be nothing we can do about it! We should take a leaf out of one of the Italian Minister's books; he plans to lease a destroyer from the Navy and sink ships with Asylum Seekers on them before they hit the shores and not pick up the survivors. This may seem extreme but it is the only real solution to the problem - it serves as a detrerrent and stops more of them entering the country. Aaaarrgghhh I'm ranting now but it gets me so worked up how continental Europeans (present company accepted) are systematically destroying British independence and culture with and endless stream of s**t legieslation from Brussels. Balls to the lot of them, especially the invasion-hosting French. Pah

This topic just drags on and on and on and on and on and on and on - people should read the info on the site!

Is there any way of accurately distinguishing newly struck Talers from the original older ones??

...or dentistry's equivalent of total refurbishment

They're not big, they're wiggled and overlapping. In "I believe in a thing called love", he runs through a tunnel and a camera does a closeup of them. I tried to find a picture on the internet but to no avail

Christians would probably say Godless Florins are

Could you post some on the boards? I know i'd like a look at them!

Hawkins' teeth scare me

Here's a photo of the "coins"

Good idea!

Here they are and the new deluxe set is in a wooden box; classy!

How do I upload an image?

They will have to resize the coins or his head to fit his nose on

I'd personally believe Spinks, after all, they've been established since 1666 and so have a considerable knowledge! The Richard's reference does seem preposterously low however that's just my opinion

Whoa! I nearly had a seizure when I saw that wooden "cabinet". How one can compare that to Nichol's is beyond me....

Unless they are extremely old or rare, I don't think "crusties" are any good but that's my opinion...

Charles should be King, as there is no reason for him not to be, but he should drop the horse (*cough* camilla *cough* *cough*)

I know these are different "forgeries" but in the Daily Mail a while ago, they had a bit on these coins from an African country. They were made out of the same alloy as pound coins, had their country's monarch on the obverse, felt like pound coins and looked, at-a-glance, like real pound coins. The problem must have been ironed out as I didn't see any follow-up on it...

Slightly off-topic but David Dickinson was convicted of fraud so one really shouldn't believe what he says!

Hmm Brazilian stock mahogany or plastic? I know which one I'd choose

Hi I'm called Oliver and I'm only 14 but i've been collecting for about three years. It started when I was rooting through my grandparents attic and I found my grandfather's old coins. I bought Spinks catalogue and looked them up to find out a bit more information on them. The best I found was a William & Mary 1692 QVARTO Crown in VF that's worth £900 in Spink 2004 ! I didn't really store my coins very well so last year I bought a cabinet from Peter Nichols (www.coincabinets.com), the BEST coin cabinet maker ever, who also makes cabinets for the British Museum. It now takes pride of place on my desk. I collect from George II to the present day and enjoy collecting a lot. oliver