Flightless P,
To a great extent I feel all Brits of around your and my age will also agree with many of the things you say, I am a product of the returning Service men from the WW2 era, my old Dad was ex Raf and when home at last decides he was going to work for himself, which he did all his life, to some extent people of my age are really the last of the Dinosaurs Baby Boomers, we can still see Icons of the past (read Relics) and we can see a brave new World in the future (from now on) the fifties and Sixties, were really 20 years of mixed and valueless problems caused in my mind by a sad situation caused by "Them and us attitudes" the Political jealousies of the Left always blaming the right being stirred up by the sad bastards who did betray our country by taking the communist shilling, but generating unrest that, allowed by very weak politicians lost such gems as our Car and Lorry, ships and Aircraft building companies to fall by the wayside due to communist inspired and funded Unions. I doubt we (the Brits) will ever know just how much we paid to the US for their help in WW2
I am happy with my lot, but I fear for my Grandchildren, for despite what we have had, standards, and the ethos of what we call normal life does seem to be changing..sadly not for the better.
But without causing to great an insult, will Iraq,Syria Afghanistan, Libya, Bosnia and all the other failed states that have been militarily helped, by the US, UK and varied EU countries make any repayments for our lost souls, efforts and hardware given, and used, as it seems the UK paid to the US for their help in WW2..? is there ever a profit to be had from War and Conflict, well if you look Westwards I would say "Yes" there is sadly.