The reason why by and large the US and Britain get on and the US and the Britain don't get on with the rest of the EU is cultural as others have pointed out. Britain doesn't share the same culture as continental Europe, doesn't share the same Economic beliefs and has been at war with one or other of the European states for ever. Britain should have joined the US not Europe; it was the most natural evolution of the British Empire.

Sonny, London,

Why is an allegedly British paper like The Times so obsessed with ensuring that we remain in continued awe and deference to the American Empire?

Charles of Philadelphia - I wholeheartedly agree with you sentiments. Please ask your government to remove its remaining military forces from the UK forthwith. See, I wonder how the US citizenry would react at continuing presence of a foreign military on its soil over 60 years after European hostilities ended? Why are you still here?

The UK's future is within Europe not an irrelevant World War 2 based non-reciprocal "special relationship".

Marroc, Bury, UK

"Even if China continued at a 10% growth in GDP each year (unheard of in the history of world), it would take until 2050 before they caught up to us" -M. Fernandez, San Francisco, California

1) China won't continue a 10% growth in GDP. Even now the Chinese government is working through steps to cool the economy down or the bubble will burst
2) You forget to consider the decline of the US dollar
3) Of course China would take at least 50 years to catch up with the US! No one has said that China would become the superpower in 5 or 10 years! The main point is that China WILL become the economic superpower whether it takes 50 years or 100 years. America will become 2nd.
4) America's refusal to accept that China will overtake them someday is only detrimental to themselves. While Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and SouthEast Asia are busy forging vital trade and commercial links with the country, the Americans are banning or setting quotas for Chinese textile imports. Your loss "buddy".

Pete, Cov,

I'm unsure whether to be amused or bemused. The usual predictable comments from the majority of US posters who expect unconditional gratitude for largely "re-imagined" largesse and the tugging of forelocks across to European posters convinced that the US is damned to meltdown and inhabited solely by religious war mongering zealots.

The truth is that both the US and the EU have their own, unique problems. The US is run by a super-rich bumbling, lying elite making the lives of most Americans harder though endless greed. Over 30 milion living under the poverty line, tens of millions more unable to afford medical care. Unemployment, wars for profit, pollution ect.

The EU's legacy is mindless beurocracy, economic migrants living off the state, a domestic criminal underclass that does the same, ridiculous taxation, sky-high house prices, political correctness and a lack of desire to do anything about religious fundamentalism.

Perhaps we need to look at what we have have in common?

Dan, Hampton,

I wholeheartedly agree with Ralph, Hamburg, Germany. All this in-fighting seems a tad childish and irrelevant, especially when there are serious problems in the world which need to be addressed, i.e. famine, hunger, natural disaster victims, the environment etc, I could go on. Shouldn’t it be enough that we all live on the same planet, in the same corner of the universe, trying to survive? Maybe I’m being naïve to think world peace (not just European or trans-Atlantic) is possible.

Sofia, Birmingham, West Mids

It is unnerving at best that so many Europeans claim the moral high-ground against the United States while using the same rhetoric of collapse and destruction used by Jihadist terrorists. When you talk of 'America', I'd like to remind these people, you're really talking of a country of 200 or so million people, who are not all of the one mind. And as for that moral high-ground, didn't Europe have an imperial legacy well into the latter half of the twentieth-century, didn't the internicine squablling of the contries of Europe cause not one, but two World Wars, didn't the European countries tolerate Franco's Spain in their midst, and, in the broadly anti-American (and everyone else for that matter) policies being fostered by the EU, isn't it Europe that is causing a dangerous rise in economic protectionism, the only out come of which can be conflict?

KJ Keir, Aberdeen , Scotland

Some extremely amusing comments from across the Atlantic. Along with the billions of pounds in revenue the US took from their kind and gracious "help" during WWII, it would appear an even more valuable and long-lasting talent was a Goebbels-esque flair for propagandising. The brainwashed and ill-educated versions of world history make compelling reading. Thankfully America has 50 years left, at most. Equally thankfully, Europe has been quick to forge profound economic relationships in China. Europe, in her many guises, has been around since time immemorial. America has been a flash in the pan and has been steadily on the wane for decades. Such a shame, really.

Auntie Septic, Harpenden, Herts, England

I think that Europe is an achievement that we Europeans should be proud of. However, as a European citizen, we need to be tough on EU (just as we are on our national government)!
But with Europe's 50th birthday this week, I'd rather say:

CONGRATULATIONS TO EUROPE!
CONGRATULATIONS TO BRITAIN!

And I really don't unterstand all these arguments on the relationship to the US. Personally, I don't follow my BEST friend blindly, instead, I tell him if I don't argee, and we might fight, but he's still my best friends. Why should the EU and the US act differently. That's democracy - America's present to Germany and Europe!

Ralph, Hamburg, Germany

Oh MRZ, macclesfield, UK -

I remember the decline of the US story from the 70s when inflation was rampant and the Iranians were taking our diplomats hostage, then the 80s when the German and Japanese economies were going to leave us in the dust while we ran massive deficits and spent 6% of our GDP on staring down the Soviets, now its the Chinese. (Yawn).

Even if China continued at a 10% growth in GDP each year (unheard of in the history of world), it would take until 2050 before they caught up to us.

Rumors of America's demise have been greatly exaggerated But, MRZ, go ahead and place your bets and takes your chances.

M. Fernandez, San Francisco, California

You've "not turned out how [we] would like"? I suspect you are much younger than I, Pragmatic European. It seems (to me) not so long ago that environmentalist activism, gay rights, feminism, and the political correction of difference were widely derided as typically American petit-bourgeois preoccupations and distractions from the real struggle, then as now conceived as supplanting the US with something a little more ennobling and absolutist. As were taking daily showers (this one really bothered some people), flossing, dentistry for children, casualness, and democratic sociability. I am too old however to remember the pious horror female smoking, household appliances, running hot water, and indoor plumbing once inspired. It was just twenty three years ago that eulogies to Foucault in his own country were carefully sanitized to remove references to his sexuality. Your great-grandparents would have thought you had positively sold out.

madprof, Livingston, MT, USA

I think the truth is that America isn't really interested anymore what Europe thinks. It talks a lot, makes lots of visionary statements, but exercises complete hypocrisy by dealing with the very regimes that conflict with its so-called moral authority.
I think Americans who actually know Europeans have long since come to the conclusion that they can be charming, fun to be around, make marvellous cuisine and offer wonderful short vacation idylls, but when it comes to trust and depending on Europeans, it seems clear that isn't the case.
America knows it can get a job done if it does it itself instead of trying to allow toothless defunct powers the illusion of having the mechanizations to flatter their vanity, even if reality is clear they affect little.
I think Europe has by and large been a disappointment and as such, has been downgraded in importance in American eyes.
America seems to be more practical and is focusing more on Asia where the real power is growing.

M.Paul, Springfield, USA

The idea that the US is our future guarantor and main ally is laughable. The writing is on the wall for the USA right now: spiralling national debt and huge deficits, massive defence spending with no end in sight and a currency that could very well be on the verge of collapse. Not only that but do we really want to ally ourselves with a country that is shedding friends and allies at an incredible fast rate. A country that routinely ignores the views and opinions of other states and then exerts diplomatic pressure that damages our own interests from investment in anti US countries to an arms embargo on China. The EU should not be a vassel for US interests; we should no longer be the US's lackey there to provide moral support. The US is a country which is going to crash hard soon and we need to solidy our position so we can cope and take advantage of other major markets that are set to grow in its wake.

MRZ, macclesfield, UK

I think that in the long run the US and the EU will find a workable equilibrium but always have a certain tension between them. I doubt that the UK, with all its linguistic, cultural and economic traditions will ever be an EU member in the same sense as France or Germany. In fact, the notion that the American people and the British people are cultural cousins is absolutely true. In the long run our common history and traditions will continue to our mutual benefit. I think "the Anglosphere" is a real and unique entity and as such is the final evolution of the old British Empire. In a way, it is our inheritance. The comments of one of the French bloggers are sadly consistent with what one would expect. I doubt that the French will ever rise above a state of chronic PMS when it comes to the english speaking world.

Jon, Reston, Virginia

There is a fundamental difference in the general mentality of Europeans on the one hand and Americans and some Brits, on the other. The USA is founded on the concept that the individual is sacred; that the people have the power, and that power is given to the state only when absolutely necessary. This requires the acceptance of the individual that he or she must take responsibility for their own lives.
Europeans have a mindset that, even though royalty is gone, the state grants them their freedom and is free to take it back. In short, the attitude of Europeans is the same as that of a minority of freed slaves; terror at the thought of having to provide for themselves. Look at the reaction in Eastern Europe to freedom. Some still want the Commies to re-enslave them and provide them with "three hots and a cot" in return for not having to think for themselves. BUT also look at Eastern Europe; these are the countries who have sent soldiers to oppose a cruel dictator.

Ed Frank, Sun City Center, Florida, USA

After 60 years, maybe it's time to give France back to the Germans and be done with this petite annoyance. What's there to lose? I'm not sure Paris is worth that much anymore, much less the whole EU itself. Why should anyone waste more time with old world cultures and politics which haven't produced much of note since the Enlightment (except perhaps for CERN, a supercollider or two, and some art)?

Europe has been in a steady cultural and social decline for years. This has been exacerbated by an unfortunate slide towards the Left in its politics. From one American's viewpoint, Europe should be left to resurrect itself on its own. When that inevitably fails, the US should be willing to offer assistance but only when asked directly for help by each individual country and only in the form of unforgivable loans. Maybe this next time Europe will better remember who bailed it out -- again. Or maybe China could buy the whole continent for cash. Anyone for Mandarin?

Tom, Atlanta, GA, USA

Right again, Rosemary Righter. You have hit upon what this Yank recalls from years of living in England and traveling the length and breadth of the Continent: the "Ugly American" is a myth; the Ugly European, an unfortunate reality. A species prominent in Britain, Holland, Belgium, France, they pipe in out of the blue with anti-Americanisms and expect us to absorb them. When we get back in their faces, they are shocked by our "arrogance." I came to see the syndrome as a European inferiority complex undisguised by airs of superiority. The EU has a lot of growing up to do before it can play with the big boys.

William Sonzski, Boston, Mass., USA

I think it's funny how some Americans and, indeed, Europeans see being anti-war as being anti-American. Is war such an integral part of American culture? From here you remind us of a falling giant desperately trying to figure out how to soften the landing.

As a European I'd like to say thank you to the United States for setting us straight in and after WWII, but don't tell us it was the altruistic act some want to believe it was, because it was very much in your national interest. The US is not a charity. Now that we've not turned out how you would like, you think we rebel against you just because we're different. They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree; now, it's up to every person to decide who's the apple and who's the tree.

Europe should get its act together and stop quarreling with itself about unsignificat matters and who it should be. We don't need to define ourselves in the context of others.

The Pragmatic European, The Moral Highground,

As some have already pointed out in this thread, the US aggressively pursues her own geopolitical interests, has a strong sense of national pride, and strives to maintain a world-class competitive, agile economy. These are precisely the qualities the EU needs to inculcate in member nations in order to create a strong and viable Union. Too much European intellect and energy is spent in looking down the cultured European nose at the "brash" US. Europe will never build a cohesive continental union by defining itself as the anti-US. In this sense, Europe's overweening anti-Americanism is hindering its own growth.

deb, Tampa, Florida

I am always amused how people from around the world think they know Americans when they really have no clue. Most of our citizens operate in the middle. We do not support everything our government does nor are we rabid Bush haters. We generally feel our government is well intended when it comes to foreign affairs but certainly not perfect in the implementation of its actions. We like our way of life and we want to preserve it. We are a religious people and make no apolgies for being so. We do not like people killing our citizens and when this happens we rally together against any common threat. We are naive people in many respects. We assume that if a brutal dictator is removed, the people suppressed under his rule will want democracy. We cannot comprehend how detonating a bomb designed to intentionally kill women and children furthers any political objective. We are the last bastion of idealism which Europe would do well to consider as it contemplates how it really feels about the US

Thinker, Los Angeles, California

Oh please, please, please Britain embrace the EU. You deserve it, it deserves you. The first order of business for the new Europe should be to quit NATO and shove out all of the US military bases. After all you no longer need America for anything so kick it to the curb. We expect nothing less from you.

anti-,anti-American, Orlando, Florida

Do the good, ordinary people of the US and the UK truly understand the death, destruction and murder that their facist regimes have inflicted on hundreds of thousand of innocent men, women and children? How did the people that gave the World Churchill, Jefferson, Lincoln and Kennedy subjugate themselves to the obscenitites of Bush, Blair, Cheney and Rumsfeld? Is everyone asleep while the greed of their leaders is butchering the planet?

Wake Up, Francistown,

Re-building a relationship after a loss of trust of this magnitude will be a long and arduous journey. You cannot expect anyone to just open their arms and declare that "all is forgiven" after years of ridicule, national character assassination and backstabbing. Relationships do not come cheap, and they have to be worked on. They have the uncomfortable characteristic of being two way street. Yes, it could be a very good partnership, perhaps even a marriage. Of course, there would have to be a major stepping down from mutual high horses with a willingness to meet each other on a level playing field. An Uncouth Nation could never meet the standards of an oh so sophisticated, genteel spinster hung up on her aristocratic ways :-). Mutual assured humiliation can be just as harmful as "mutual assured destruction" used to be.

Sarka, San Francisco, US

I lived in London for 2 years, traveled around Europe, both in and out of the EU (this was 1998-2000) and I have this to say - the EU is not really a 'union' like the US is a union of states. I think it could be someday, but there are huge cultural differences between say the UK and Poland or Greece or even Germany. It is no big deal for me to live in California or Florida or Alaska - but I think someone moving from London to Athens would find less in common. My point is unions are not just economic but cultural too. What is holding the EU together? Is it lasting?

Dave, New York City,

The idea of the EU is great. By making it one market, consumers get better quality products at better prices. Also, the sheer size of the EU gives it a power that none of the member states would have alone. The EU now has the size and clout to take on gigantic American companies such as Microsoft. And Microsoft has to pay attention for fear of losing access to the huge market of almost 500 million.

The problems they're having with the open market are the same problems we face in the United States with globalization. There is opposition, but ultimately it results in the best prices and quality for consumers.

As an American that has a great interest in the EU, I hope that the EU prospers. And I hope that the arguing amongst member states and other problems they're currently encountering don't result in an end to the union.

Kristi, Detroit, MI, USA

Personally I'm happy to say that I'm a European.

To me, Europe doesn't stand for any sort of religious, ethnic or nationalistic ideals. Rather it stands for a sense of moral decency, social principles and environmental awareness.

It is when Europe tries to emulate America's path of economic and military expansionism that it fails, because these contradict these core values that lie at the heart of Europeanism.

Mark, Woking, UK

Ms. Righter is wrong. The best thing the EU could do for European prosperity would not be to work with the US on creating a single market spanning the Atlantic but, rather, scrapping the EU Constitution altogether and replace it with something much simpler and more workable - one modelled on the US original.

T. J. Cassidy, Arlington, Va., U.S.A.

Not much intellectual courage demonstrated in your selection of comments.

But I guess that suits the tone of this silly, American-wannabe piece.

John Chuckman, Toronto, Canada

For Righter to make this assessment after just 50 years is incredibly short sighted. No World Wars stemming from European conflicts would be sufficient enough as a contribution of the founders in proposing the Rome Treaty.

But there is much more to the story. They don't need the approval of the United States to celebrate a common currency stronger than the dollar, an economy with a robust potential for growth and a reasonably good process for admitting new members.

After 50 years, the United States wasn't in the best of shape in about 1850 as it looked ahead to the Compromise of 1850 and a horrendous civil war.
At 50 years, "Ode To Joy" is more appropriate to the EU at 50 years than it was for the United States.

Righter needs to give it time and let the EU evolve. It has a promising start.

John Tredway, Venice, USA, Florida

"I'm confused by the American comments here..." So, one American in California has a different opinion from that of another American 2500 miles away in New Jersey. This is confusing? A big country with lots of people speaking their minds freely.

"Where were the Americans when German tanks rolled into Poland and France?" Along with most non-Poles and non-French, we were elsewhere. Yes, we Americans entered the war late. It has a lot to do with our history; our first president warned Americans to avoid foreign entanglements. And, there were allegations (now largely disproved) that the British government had exaggerated German atrocities in Belgium in WWI. America's isolationist streak was - and still is - very strong.

"By the way, Soldier, the EU doesn't need America's "security umbrella" So *that's* why Europe needed the intervention of the US Air Force in the Balkans.

Britain, the US, and other nations in the Anglosphere turn our backs on one another at our peril.

John Butcher, San Diego, USA

Europe (and of course, that includes England) would be a far sadder place without the Union.

Thanks to the EU we are all free to travel, work and live anywhere in the Union.. How sad then that the English can't enjoy the real advantages and convenience of the euro and the Schengen area.

And how sad that Rosemary Righter can only see the negative side of the EU and the positive side of the US.. Perhaps she would be happier living in the US.

Peter GODDARD, Cheam, England

We have a fundamental different of mindsets. The USA was founded on the dual principal that the individual is sacred and that the individual is ultimately responsible for their own welfare. The European mindset, even without royalty, is that the state is still master and as long as "3 hots and a cot" are provided, Europeans will surrender anything. Hence pacifism.

Ed Frank, Sun City Center, Florida, USA

Three points:
- EU is a political ambition, hope and a dream where public does not feature. Indeed the public opinion is considered an impediment which should be glossed over.
- Although I am pro-American, arguments put forth by you in support of friendship between EU and US appear more to argue in favour of EU feeling more grateful and less kinship. Friendship exist between equals. Everything else is a relation of mutual convenience.
- Finally, there is a very basic difference between EU and the US as you have pointed out. In the US people rule the roost, lead the country and an average American knows this. In the EU, politicians rule the roost, lead the State and and average European knows this. It doesn't take much to figure out which model will last longer.

Prabhat, UK,

I couldn't say it better Greg from London.

As for Chris from Warrington, I suppose your schools are as bad as they proclaim. The US came to help in WWI based on our natural close ties due to immigration. We suffered great loses and then were looked down upon. When the Germans invaded Poland to start WWII, the US population was reluctant to help again, though we "lent" you Brits quite a bit of hardware and ships. We also, through the Marshall plan financed the reconstruction of Europe and forged the necessary treaties to hopefully ensure a peaceful future. I'm not sure what spoiles we took from Britain, though we did spirit away some Germans. No, I believe the dissolution of "The Empire" started prior to WWI and was accelerated by the costs of WWI and WWII.

James , Grosse Pointe Park, USA

I can't help but wonder where Europe's sense of superiority comes from. Does Europe turn their noses up at the US because certain states have the death penalty? Or because of the war in Iraq? Think about this: It was Europe that continued to have colonies up until very recently, not the supposed power hungry US. The US is also much more liberal with immigration. And when we let immigrants in, we give them equal opportunity for jobs and a better life, unlike in France. And despite comments to the contrary, anyone in the US that wants a college education can get one. If you're economically disadvantaged, there is more financial aid available to you than you can use. With all the bad news I read about the EU, their criticisms of the US sound down right hypocritical. I am an American that has a lot of respect for the EU and what they've accomplished. I think the deep hatred for Americans is unfounded and a waste of time that could be better spent elsewhere.

Pro EU, Detroit, MI, USA

I am very pro europe and want a strong europe with its own federation, foreign policy etc. I want all US forces removed from the EU, I want NATO dissolved and I want us to stand up against blatant US imperialism. I was born British but see myself as european. If the UK doesnt start toeing the line they should be expelled and become what they have always wanted to be...Aircraft Carrier USS Britain. Me..I will go live in Europe

andy, Winchester, UK

Much of this is "normal" and to be expect. Something similar happened here in North America between 1763 and 1775. Britain finally won the Seven Years War (which started here as the "French & Indian War"), and then it tried to get its North American "house" in order. Significantly, the Treaty of Paris of 1763 removed French power from North America. Sadly, as Britain tried to get its house in order, it needlessly stepped on our toes, worried us, and angered us, provoking outbursts. Like Europe today, we after 1763 had the luxury, once the French were removed, of grumbling against George III. Moreover, we were then among the world's most literate people, we were among the freest, (thanks to Salutary Neglect and self-rule via ur "little parliaments"), and our standard of living was high. In short, we had "it good," and we were worried.
I still think a pan-North Atlantic relationship is win-win. Sadly, both of us have changed since c. 1950, but let's work it out.

James, Jacksonville, Illinois U. S.

The same Europeans who constantly remind Americans of their historical blindness, conveniently ignore the geopolitical context from which the Bush administration emerged. Do we not remember Haiti, Somalia and the Balkans? Do we not remember that Bush entered office hopeful of disengaging the American military? And if everyone is so annoyed and threatened by American unilateralism, then urge your multinational institutions to pass resolutions that are intelligible and enforceable and get in the habit of taking action. And let's not kid ourselves: there was always a visceral hatred towards Bush long before Iraq because he had won a controversial election against Clinton's would be successor. Weeks after 9-11, Powell had to placate bearded Swedes in silly MTV sitdown. Then came Iraq and all of those hateful Euros had their justification to lay it on thick. Prove history wrong, Europe. Grow up.

Brian , Hyannis , MA, US

Its not possible anymore.

I was talking to a good American friend who works as a lecturer in politics (or something like that) at the University of Buffalo. A growing proportion of the American elite realise that they can no longer rely on their "allies" anymore. They have realised that all countries, regardless of historical ties, economic dependency, and military allegiance, ultimately look after their own interests. Any "allegiance" is merely a front, and whole countries will turn against longstanding allies, if "sticking with them" would prove detrimental to themselves instead.

In that sense, they would rather do business with countries that clearly do business with their own interests in mind because each party knows where they stand. Undoubtedly, conflicts and tensions will arise such as American friction on Chinese textile imports.

NATO and the EU (with the exception of the UK) have blown it with the Americans. Their initial assistance in Afghanistan and their subsequent refusal of assistance when faced with the threat of militant Islam has opened the Americans eyes to the two-faced nature of European countries.

Pete, Cov,

Interesting article. Many of us in America believe it is time to concentrate on our own nation, including universal healthcare. We can fund this if we withdraw from NATO, South Korea and certainly Iraq and allow the Europeans to take the lead on managing emerging problems.
Elaine, Ann Arbor, MI USA

Elaine Ledwon-Robinson, Ann Arbor, MI USA

Thanks for the big laugh ! Written from this side of the Atlantic ,history seems different .As long as the USSR was representing a threat ,there was a tacit agreement to let the US boasting and bullying .After being called a bridge between the 2 sides of the Atlantic ,the UK proved itself to be a tool of US policy rather than a partner .Today after the fall of the USSR ,a war in Iraq which caused a civil war ,more than 500000 innocent deaths and more than 2 millions refugees ,the world is pretty fed up with the bully's reckless behaviour .Anyway the US by the weakness of its institutions (disrespect for the constitution ,international laws and conventions ....) proved itself unworthy of the other peoples' hopes and admiration .We've seen with the UK (once a proud nation today a poodle ) what it means to be a bully's friend . NO THANKS !

Jean-Robert, Paris, France

Where were the Americans when German tanks rolled into Poland and France?

They were cynically waiting for Europe to beat itself up, for the dissolution of the British Empire - with its marketplace of over a billion people, before stepping in to pick up the spoils - technological and economic.

I should damn well have expected America to come to Europe's aid afterwards - much in the same way they should clear up their havoc wreaked in Iraq.

Chris, Warrington, Britain

Eu adapt or die? Die? at whose hands? The EU has no credible military opponents, the Soviets are gone and the 'international terrorists' are pinpricks. OK, there is always foreign adventure, going out to find strife from the Middle East to Afghanistan, but there is basically no they're gonna invade! security threat. This is unprecedented, since WWII there were the Soviets and before WWII it was each other. Interestingly it is a position with which the US in its protective isolation is long familiar.
There are a lot of posters who seem to think that opposing particular acts of the USA is somehow anti-American. Not so, any more than opposing given geopolical acts by Israel is antisemitic. Few Europeans are anti american as a concept, many disagree with some US deeds. this is maturity, not infantile.

alistair stuart, London, UK

Well, indeed, unfortunately, it is much easier to find a person in EU who would be happy to blame USA for the acts that Al-Qaida and other jihadis should be blamed than we find one who understands who's who in the world. People here are happy about China and who cares about the fact they are not a democracy (far from that, imagine they'd demand that you have at most 1 child in your family), occupy Tibet, etc.)? Many would smile from mentioning Russia (again a long list of problems that we're too happy to forget). It seems people in EU dislike even Saudi Arabia or Iran less than USA. Is there any wisdom/logic in such a position? I doubt it. To me EU looks like a spoiled teen who thinks he knows better than his dad who should be his friends. The teen will grow up, of course, and will learn his mistakes, but at the expense of him and his dad. Well, it seems this is a general trend in the West: many people want to be teens even whey they are in their 30s. Why? - Less responsibilities.

Greg, London, UK

Rosemary, You have written a lovely and cogent piece. Unfortunately as you can see from the American comments here, Americans are fed up will all the anti-Americanism and the Europeans (including the English) are not at all tired of it. As a result, my crystal ball says that the next President of the United States (whoever he or she might be) will be an isolationist and the next Prime Minister of the UK will at least pretend to be anti-American.

“L’heure de l’Europe a sonné” . And as a friend who is very sad at this turn of events, I wish you all the best of luck.

Inna Tysoe, Sacramento,

End of Empire is always messy

Donal, Salford,

For Tom UK:

If Briton's want to be referred to as Britons, and not Europeans, why do so many Britons, and ever increasingly so buy property in EU countries, adopt their cultures and way of life? Why when asked what made them leave, one receives an answer: 'quality of life is so much better!'

Tom......maybe you should try Europe. The UK will never be a bridge between 2 juggernauts. Beware of being crushed!

Euro, NY,

I hardly think that challenging US policy and culture is childish, rather is shows that Europe is not willing to be easily led down a path not of it's own making.

Paul McCloskey, London, England

I think the question is not can Europe make friends with America but can Britain make friends with Europe. Europe is not perfect by any means but why the outright hostility that continuously comes from Britain, What does the UK fear so much from a united Europe. Is Braitain afraid that if the EU continuous to be sucessful they will lose their "special" place in the world? Is this why the "special" relationship with the US is so important? And what is this special relationship, is it better trading rights? Better Visa rights, can Brtish people work legal in the US without Visa's? I do think it's time Britain decided once and for all are they in or out. (of the EU). They cannot be allowed to continuously hold back the rest of the EU whilst not bringing anything constructive to the table. Yes the EU is left leaning and why not? Why shouldn't a more inclusive society, where medical help and education are seen as rights regardless of income be welcomed.

Denis, Dublin, Ireland

the sooner this EU abortion of a fake phony dictatorial, neo-Nazi rule making state is destroyed the better

WW2 was fought to depose Hitler and fascism ,..and now its replaced by neo-Nazi style governments who trample over people rights and spy and phone-tap them.
The disgusting manner in which e.g. Muslims, Morrocans, Asians & Turks are treated in Germany, Holland and elsewhere is little different than the days of enforced wearing of Yellow Stars of David on ones clothes.
Visa for this, ausweiss for that, vergunning for this, permit for that,.....
The EU is a Nazi Gauleiter, and Gauleiter Jobsworth paradise.
It is an afront to democracy,..when people vote against it the fascist resurect the Treaties once more to force on you its will.

AB, london,

Perhaps Europe would be better off if the EU based its policies on those of Adam Smith rather than Karl Marx. You've hit the nail on the head with "Excessive regulation also means that people associate the EU with less, not more, democracy." A democracy is based on a free electorate, not a regulated one.

Don't get me wrong - I like Europe, but I'm hard-pressed to find the significant cultural contributions that Europe has made to the world in the last 50 years that so characterized the hundreds before. Spreading democracy and human rights? Eh...hardly. There are European forces helping American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for that we are deeply thankful, but even those missions seem to be loathed at home and the troops sent mostly reluctantly.

My advice to Britain - smart move staying out of the Euro; take the same stance on political integration and you'll do well.

Cameron Galbraith, Irvine, California, USA

I am English and have lived in the US since 1978 and I would like to add a note of caution to your arguement in favour of reapprochment. Put simple the US in its current state is not interested. The attitude is "the US way of life is not up for negotiation ". The war on terrorism is a side issue, the real issue is the fight for natural resources. If Europe is useful to the states in securing these resources for the US so be it other wise be prepared to be rolled in the dust (texan).

ron, New York, US

Europe has done b****r all for us in the UK except tie us with needless regulation. Bill from Bristol you are wrong, EU is not to be proud of. The US was definately needed to protect us from the Soviet bloc. I think 80% of educated people in Europe would prefer to live freely than under the Russian thumb.

Those in the US please stop refering to Britons and Britain as Europeans and Europe. We are British and Europe starts on the other side of the English Channel, and they can keep it.

Tom, London, UK

As a Brit I'd far rather join in union with the USA than be in a union with the rest of Europe. I don't know anyone who wants to stay in the EU with the current status quo, EFTA maybe.

We have far more in common with the Anglosphere who don't seem to be quite the defeatist, welfare junkies of Europe. Plus they're not dying nations (demographically speaking with regard to the indiginous populations) unlike much of mainland Europe.

Julian, Wincombe,

I take it you are not an economist, nor indeed a logician, because all your criticisms of the EU would be minor by comparison to those that would arise from a single trans-Atlantic market, for reasons that should be obvious. Besides, I think we need friendly friction between Europe and America. We need contrast not homogeneity. Vive la difference, or is it le. You are also making the mistake of correlating present economic conditions with the EU - failing to consider what they might have been like were it not for the EU. And another point is that the more efficient an organisation, the more rules and regulations it will inevitably have.

Henry Percy, London, UK

EU should leave NATO and set up their own defence organisation. They should work for disarming the world of atomic weapons!
The EU regulations from Brussels are setting standards for businesses to replace individual countries red tape e.g. making trading easier for the future.
The Euro saves everyone from loosing out on exchange rates among member states.
Wars between EU countries are less likely to happen!
Raising the living standard for people in EU countries.
We don't need ''God bless EU '' like the Americans peddling in religion.

Peter Darlington, Southampton, England

I'm confused by the American comments here - should the US "embrace China" (American Soldier, San Francisco), or does it have "a lot more in common" with Europe (Marshall Hood, Montclair, New Jersey). By the way, Soldier, the EU doesn't need America's "security umbrella" - it's not like we have Soviet tanks 24 hours from the Atlantic coast any more. And Marshall, remember "two countries devided by a common language"? They speak English in Zimbabwe and Nigeria, too.

Michael, London,

We as europeans support the other half of americans that do not approve of the misdeeds of president Bush and his treacherous clique. Do not forget that he US and
the EU have much more in common then the daily one sided US news will let us know. I always keep wondering though why the US continually needs an enemy -be it communisn yesterday and China to morrow- to prosper itself.

brochet, Velp the Netherlands, the Neherlands

Well said bill from Bristol. and yes we should appreciate the support of the US, but was the marshall plan really that much of a selfless sacrifice or moreover the means of ensuring a non-soviet US friendly bloc? do you not think it would be better in the interests of competitiveness if we could develop our own successful market? 50 years is very young to judge so harshly.

European , Europe,

Left-wing pacificism is a noxious weed that has flourished in Europe (and Australia) only because it has been protected by the military might of Rambo-land . Left wing Europeans don't value their national cultures any more, even though post-Enlightenment Europe and its diaspora offer opportunities beyond the dreams of the generations that have gone before . Americans believe in themselves and their nation ; Europeans ( and left wing Australians ) seem afflicted by a paralysing ennui that manifests itself in puerile anti-Americanism.

Lorenzo Mack, coffs harbour, NSW/Australia

Reconcile? Don't think so. We've been through a bad divorce and we've had to pay child support for the last 50 years for a child that has basically spit in our faces. It's time to close all the bases, end all foreign aid to Eurabia and find new partners. You got your wish now enjoy yourself.

Charles, Philadelphia, USofA

"America" doesn't exist, only American governments. The current one is appalling and has nothing whatsoever to do with the Marshall plan of almost 7 decades ago.
Europe has to stand up and actively defend it's own viewpoints on the environment, human rights, privacy, globalisation, extremism, Palestina, Iraq, Korea, Iran, Sudan, and so many other issues.
Notwithstanding it's deficiencies, Europe is an achievement to be proud of, but it needs constant rethinking and strengthening.

bill, Bristol, UK

Americans wake up and say "God Bless America!" I can't think of a single person who on waking says "God Bless Europe!" In there lies the difference.

Adrian Gilbert, Tonbridge, England

Thank you!! Your article hits on what many feel here. If the history of the last 50 years was reversed I'm sure Europeans would have the same feeling of betrayal. Maybe not betrayal so much. More like the teenager who thinks they know all, but has yet to deal with the realities of life outside of the safety and security of.....family.

Sleep tight. We'll always!!!...Have your back.

Murph, Madisonville, Kentucky/USA

rosemary, well said,

now, prepare for the backlash.

robert furlong, prescott, arizona

I would second the author's view that Europe should embrace the United States and create a trans-Atlantic single market.

A market such as this, with a combined population of nearly 900 mil. people and more than half the world's GDP, would set the dialogue on trade and sustainability among other things. As for the UK, imagine the benefit of having 330 million English speakers with a similar culture in North America as a bulwark against French statism!

The United States is not your enemy, forget our imbecile president, and remember that y'all have a lot more in common with us than say, China.

Marshall Hood, Montclair, New Jersey, United States

Sorry, we Americans are tired of indulging this brat. The last 6 years have taught us who are allies are, and more importantly, who they are not. The US should look out after itself, disband NATO (or seriously restructure it so that the chaff is thrown out) and focus our attention to the East - Austrialia, Japan and China.

When the US stops coddling the EU under its security umbrella, the EU will either adapt or die.

Some of them, I'll miss.

American Soldier, San Francisco,

Right again, Rosemary Righter. You have hit upon what this Yank recalls from years of living in England and traveling the length and breadth of the Continent: the "Ugly American" is a myth; the Ugly European, an unfortunate reality. A species prominent in Britain, Holland, Belgium, France, they pipe in out of the blue with anti-Americanisms and expect us to absorb them. When we get back in their faces, they are shocked by our "arrogance." I came to see the syndrome as a European inferiority complex undisguised by airs of superiority. The EU has a lot of growing up to do before it can play with the big boys.

William Sonzski, Boston, Mass., USA

To stay with the metaphor: Maybe the USA finally ought to admit Europe *has* grown up and should be treated as an equal. And this means talk first, act later, not the other way round.

Peter Friedrich, Altdorf, Germany

Whatever the rights and wrongs of Iraq, at least the Americans have the courage to fight for their own interests. Courage in Europe is something that exists only by exception - as shown by the NATO operation in Afghanistan, where British troops are under fire but the rest of Europe refuses to provide any backup, in blatant defiance of their obligations under NATO rules.

On the economy, it's sad that Europe's strengths - in education, culture etc. - are wasted by institutions that are more concerned with cutting the cake than creating it in the first place. What could Europe achieve - for its own people - if it had the courage to match these strengths with a deregulated economy?

Anthony Martindale, Reading, UK

It seems as though Brits are ceding control of their lives to an unelected set of rulers. Most times that has been an operational definition of occupation by a hostile Power.

From a distance it also looks like the English Common Law is being eroded if not lost in favor of Roman Law. If so, this is a catastrophe for the world, not just Britain.

If I am right: what in the world are you people thinking?

John Brand, Baltimore, USA

And what precisely has America added?
Jazz and blues..............they were good! Oh and Woody Allen.
The rest frankly is something of a joke.

david nordon-angus, Cahors, France

I think it is not very helpful to look back 60 years saying "US has helped Europe with the Marshal plan now why don't they love them today". Everybody I know appreciates that but what's that god for solving future problems?
Its easy just criticising by blaming the EU as being bureaucratic. I say yes,it is bureaucratic and often annoying, but I prefer fighting with the French and British about Airbus plants or even agricultural funds than otherwise.
And in fact US politics are NOT an exapl to be followed hese days. What the Bush government has made out of the War against Terror is a disaster, that should be allowed to say between friends. Yes, friends, I still consider the US a friendly nation. Is that too much for yo to understand that friends must be able to criticise each other?

Bernhard Heimann, Hamburg, Germany

Forget it,
So many European’s are now wearing blinkers towards America, including the British. I’m 30 so the Marshall plan is just history to me, but I do recognize the importance of it. However what disappoints me today is the sheer stupidity of most “America haters”. If you get into discussion with them, they usually pull out all the old ones like going into Iraq to steal oil, starting a war on Muslims etc, most of which is totally baseless and untrue, and once you dig a little deeper you find they haven't thought about it at all. I for one am a Scot proud to stand up for the Americans, and regularly have to. I think Europeans forget they’d be speaking Russian if they hadn’t stood up for us. I can only apologize for my fellow Britons who seem to have forgotten who their real friends are. Maybe it’s got something do to with the ever powerful biased broadcasting corporation (BBC) which we are all forced to pay for with threat of prison.

Thank you USA, don't give up on us!

Hugh Mackenzie, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

All very well but, you don'lt really believe that the US did it for free, do you? The Marshall Plan was no more than a logical extension of the original Munroe Doctrine ("America reserves the right to interfere in Europe"). The two great wars of the 20th century provided the US with the excuse,and the means, to develop the cultural imperialism, backed by military might, that we see today. By any standards, the Marshall Plan was a shrewd investment. And don't fool yourself into thinking that it was not also a perfectly cynical one!
American culture (whatever that is, other thanTV & fast food) and values (trivial and saccharine as they are) are now the norm to which developing countries aspire. That the Europeans were the first to see through that candy floss screen is something of which they can be proud, and should celebrate.

And, pace Peter Day, Bush is not the problem, he is just the true public manifestation of what lies at the heart of America.

Bill, Suzhou, China

On what possible grounds does the author claim that the "EU" is 50 years old? I am old enough to have voted in 1975 for a "European Common Market", and NOT for a European Union - that only appeared a good many years later. Why distort history so much?

H L Foxworthy, FORFAR, Angus, Scotland

OK. But I just hope they wait while this evil Bush regime ends before peaceful overtures are made.

Peter Day, Doncaster, UK

You hit the nail on its head. Here in Germany most people think that our economic miracle was only based on German virtues (whatever that means). This view is even stable against peoples experience in the past, when they received care-parcels from the US in order to survive. Over here it's deeply ingrained that everlasting German virtues will help us to defend globalisation. We are just wondering why we can't make headway this time.

Simone, Cologne, Germany

Hi Angela, no vitriol here.
I am not untypical in recognising the tremendous debt owed by the UK and what passes for Europe today to the US of A.
Maybe a lot of people are embarrassed at having had to have so much help from your side of the Atlantic.

Edward Johns, Lannion, France

As a Canadian living in Europe one of the most welcome differences is that Europe still has some private sector health care. Canada, along with North Korea and Cuba bans that, so that now Cleveland, Ohio is Canada's urgent surgery ward. Some Americans see Canadian health care as a model, but they would do better by moving the opposite direction by rooting out their own imports such as Medicare. Heading to the statist Canadian example via a mixed European model is a dead end.

Patrick Rioux, Frankfurt, Germany

I could not agree more. The USA saved Europe from itself twice during the 20th Century. The EU and USA now need to work together, to save all of us from the threats of radical Islam.

Steve B, Tustin, USA/California

Mmmm. I'm thinking you should start with Canada. They're practically Europeans except they're healthcare system actually works. I'm all for free trade and maybe a common minimum wage (long as it's a worldwide and doesn't just cover the first world.) As for the other regulations, have enough regulations in the US already thank you very much.

Andy Jennings, Buffalo, New York, USA

It is nice to see that someone like you exists.

We finally cancelled many contracts with EU companies because of the blantant anti-Americanism. I really hated going to Europe to endure the abuse.

Thank you.

James , Grosse Pointe Park, USA

It's a lovely thought, and appreciate your having the courage to say so. that said, the fact that it's a matter of courage says it all. No comments have been posted in the Have Your Say section, but I know that many, if not most of the comments will consist of the usual British vitriol that we have come to expect.

Angela, Chicago, USA

Surprise, surprise, yet another unapologetic eulogy to the US even when it's the EU's birthday. I resent the constant looking to the US as a role model journalists and politicians force upon us. It is bad enough being culturally subsumed by all things American. I look towards Europe to give us the lead morally, legally and politically - warts and all. With its fiftieth birthday around the corner it is high time we moved from out of the shadow of our American cousins and enjoyed playing with our back yard neighbours.

John Pearson, London,

The only childishness seen so far is more the renaming of french fries into freedom fries, the pouring of french wine in the gutter, the crashing of french goods under a bulldozer, the boycott dear to Bill O'reilly, the claim to repatriate the bones of US soldiers from the cemetaries of Normandy, the name calling of the French, German and Belgian, as cheese eating surrender monkeys, the axis of weasels, the worms, the schoolyard approach of a provost turned secretary of state to punish the French, ignore Germany and forgive Russia, the endless "jokes" about anything French and the still on going French bashing in some media who cannot stand counting and counting again the killed, the maimed, the traumatised US and coalition of the willing civilians and soldiers, not to speakin of the iraqi. Yes childishness is the word of the day, but maybe immaturity and insanity are to be pondered against the results. Disparaging old-europe may not be the best way to get rapprochement.

Belloni, SUva, Fiji