You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Europe
Row over EU official's Sweden war comments
2006-10-05
A campaign by Swedish Liberal MEP Cecilia Malmström to end the monthly Strasbourg session of the European Parliament has led to a row between the speaker of the parliament and the Nordic countries. The speaker, Josep Borrell, claimed that Sweden did not suffer enought during the Second Ward War to understand the true meaning of the parliament’s Strasbourg base. The claim has enraged leader-writers on Sweden’s newspapers, who were asking whether Borrell really meant that countries who didn’t fight in the war should have less of a say in EU matters.
Don't even bring up the subject of Sweden being a Nazi client state during the war ...
“Borrell didn’t fight in the war himself – he was born 1947,” wrote Kristian Karlsson in Svenska Dagbladet.“But nobody has suggested that his entirely peaceful upbringing should exclude him from political debate.”

The row started last Thursday when Borrell, a Spaniard, claimed that the parliament is a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation, adding that “this historic dimension cannot be perceived in the same way in ‘some Nordic country’ which did not participate in World War II.”
Unless I missed something, Spain studiously avoided participating in World War II.
Posted by:lotp

#15  The French 2nd Army actually did quite well at Sedan in 1940, considering it was regarded as the "weakest link" in their armed forces and got caught by surprise by the elite German spearhead.


http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=battle_sedan
Posted by: Ernest Brown   2006-10-05 23:15  

#14  Charles Martel was born in Aachen. However at battle of Tours most soldiers on the Frank side were, according to Davis Hanson, Gallo Romans or
Francks born in France.

Tactics on the Franck side were definitely Roman-like not Germanic.
Posted by: JFM   2006-10-05 16:25  

#13  Que?
Posted by: Manuel   2006-10-05 15:18  

#12  Whatever you do, don't mention the war!!!
Posted by: Basil Fawlty   2006-10-05 11:54  

#11  While I nothing but contempt for the cowardly French government, let anyone who called the French soldiers cowardly spend a few weeks at Verdun. Or perhaps with Prioux who fought the German Panzers to a standstill (until the line broke elsewhere).
Posted by: Jackal   2006-10-05 11:14  

#10  Napoleon was Corsican. Does that count as French?

Was Charles Martel French or German? Nice bit of work at the Battle of Tours.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2006-10-05 11:02  

#9  I have a lot of admiration for the French soldiers. The Free French fought well in North Africa and they fought well in Europe with the allies. I realize they were not very good at working with the allies but give 'em a break. They were in their home country and had their own agenda. They fought well against the Germans at the start, it was the Higher Command Levels who couldn't grasp the way to counter the German tactics. The same can be said of the British. The French and British allocated their tanks, except for one massed tank attack by De Gaulle, in penny pacets to their infantry. They saw the tank as an infantry support weapon and not as an armoured spearhed in the attack or coounter attack.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2006-10-05 09:34  

#8  France: a country whose military heroes are a foreigner and a teenage girl.

Napoleon was born French. Not sure about if he was French when conceived.

For Jeanne d'Arc. A French girl was more than enough to rout the British.
Posted by: JFM   2006-10-05 09:21  

#7  France: a country whose military heroes are a foreigner and a teenage girl

Yeah, tell that to the WWI poilus, to the Dien Bien Phu defenders, or to the algeria war paras...
Prejudice about war proefficiency goes both way : Remember, in Europe, it's the US soldier who's a coward unable to fight without his bottled water, his air support, and all.
That's not true, of course, and so is your view, thanks.
Posted by: anonymous5089   2006-10-05 08:45  

#6  Strasbourg being the capital of French occupied Germany. Can't let the Hun forget that.
Posted by: phil_b   2006-10-05 08:40  

#5  Q. How many people does it take to defend Paris?

A. no-one knows, it's never been tried.


Except the taxi drivers.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-10-05 08:32  

#4  France: a country whose military heroes are a foreigner and a teenage girl.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2006-10-05 08:26  

#3  Q. How many people does it take to defend Paris?

A. no-one knows, it's never been tried.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles in Blairistan   2006-10-05 06:01  

#2  *snicker* Make mine buttered, please.
Posted by: .com   2006-10-05 00:49  

#1  Every year, members of the EU parliament pack their shit up (their entire office) and make the move from Brussels to Strasbourg, to spend four (4) days there, and return to Brussels. Oh why not, it's all paid for, it's all good.
Posted by: Speart Flerong2904   2006-10-05 00:28  

00:00