Beamer ,
"And if nothing else they do speak the International language
of the air which is more than can be said for certain others in
Europe."
What a prattish statement. I wonder how the likes of you would react if ICAO decreed that French or Spanish should be the new international language and be spoken in the UK.
ALL foreign controllers speak English with English speaking pilots. And by the way, many of my European colleagues have a better command of the English language than some British ATC and flightcrew people I know.