Ancientgeezer

The secret cabinet papers for 1982 have been released and show a less than enthusiastic US ally. US Secretary of State Haig threatened to tip off the Argentines as to British strategy ( which had been shared with the US) and as the British troops were advancing on Port Stanley, Ronald Reagan demanded a "negotiated" settlement with the withdrawal of British troops and offered a joint US/Brazilian "peace-keeping force" instead.
Mrs T was too polite to tell Ronnie what the rest of us would have.
France too comes in for stick. The agreement by Mitterand to delay shipment of exocet missiles to Argentina and its ally Peru was not as easy as has been indicated in the memoirs of politicians.
US wanted to warn Argentina about South Georgia - Telegraph

Of course we have known for years that Haig and Kirkpatrick were both untrustworthy, backstabbling, two-faced, dago-loving, slimy, dog-breathed, pusillanimous, untrustworthy swine while Casper Weinburger was a treasured saint who shipped all the sidewinder missiles we needed and even offered a carrier on loan--but Ronnie?
As for the French---well, just goes back to type doesn't it?

Jax Historian

What is a "dago" and why is it unworthy of love?

pablo668

Dago was a corruption of the name Diego, quite a common spanish name and used as a pejorative term towards people of various latin/spanish backgrounds.

Possibly a tad offensive to be used in here.

General Michael Collins

I just love Realpolitik. You never know somebody until they have a chance to screw you over.

Jax Historian

Ya know, I do think I've heard that expression used regarding some of my Italian friends. I guess it is just part and parcel of engaging in conversation on a public forum, even one that gives lip service to being anti-racist ad anti-hate.

pablo668

Well here in Australia there are plenty of people of a mediterranean background that openly refer to themselves as Wogs, and they sometimes call Anglo Australians Skips (after Skippy the Kangaroo, an old Lassie type character from a TV series here).
There's not really any spite in it anymore.

You'd want to be friends with the people you're using those terms with though.

Patton

I'm not exactly sure what's so heinous here. Did we owe the UK something?

pablo668

Not really no, but considering the close defence ties during that period, having gone through WWII together....
The fact that the majority of the time after WWII the UK was supportive of US foreign policy, I guess they just expected the US to be supportive of them.

You scratch my back, I scratch yours.

Jax Historian

Yes, and here in the U.S. a few decades ago, you'd find Black Americans like Richard Pryor referring to the selves as "*****." Not the same thing as whites (like me) calling them "******"

Moderator note: Racial slur deleted. Please note Jax Historian that we do not give lip service to racist and hate expressions, we take them very, very, very seriously.

pablo668

Very true, but not exactly the same as me giving a mate a bit of stick about being Italian......and him actually knowing more and better Italian jokes than I did. Like I said, friends though.

I don't think I'd ever be comfortable using the 'N' word with a black friend, no matter how close we are/were.

I have a Jewish friend, he's actually fine with me teasing him about being Jewish, but I never feel comfortable doing it, so I don't do it often.

But we are digressing from the OP somewhat I think.