"And what the heck is it that makes you think the french are better at building SSNs the the Uk?"
I don't think they are - informed opinion seems to think the UK produces some of the best SSN's around
My point is that the UK has never tried to sell any that I'm aware of whereas the French seem happy to sell them to Brasil (and probably anyone else who has the cash). The Russians also sell SSN's for cash.
So if you want a submarine force relatively quickly head for Paris or Moscow with a large case full of $$$$$$