Germans believe Britain is Europe's leading state

[T_i_B]

Germans may belive this, but I don't think most Brits do.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/03/wlead03.xml&sSheet=/portal/2003/12/03/ixportal.html

Britain has come top of a poll among Germans who were asked to name Europe's most powerful nation.

Results of the opinion poll - in which 1,500 Germans were asked: "Which country is the leading power in Europe?" - showed that 27 per cent thought Britain was "indisputably" number one.

France was regarded as the most powerful by 26 per cent, and Germany by 21 per cent.

In a similar survey a decade ago, 57 per cent considered Germany the top power, with Britain seen as such by only eight per cent. The new study showed that 42 per cent of those surveyed felt that Germany's influence in Europe had decreased.

[La_Serpiente]

1. Someone correct me if I am wrong

but do Germans care if their country is powerful or not? I have read polls of Europe and the Germans do not seem like they embrace nationalism or crave for power.

Maybe it is attention??? I don't know.

[Dirk39]

2. Hello from Germany,

I hardly doubt this poll, I'm pretty sure, most Germans would reply that German and/or France are the most powerfull countries, while GB is the poorest of the bigger European countries. Nearly every german knows that we're Nr. 1 in exports. I'm rather afraid that Germany will dominate the whole EU.
Dirk

[OldEurope]

4. Me too, can´t believe this result.

I wonder how the words "most powerful nation" were translated.Did they really ask: Welches ist die mächtigste Nation? Oder : wer hat am meisten Power? Or perhaps the questions were in English?
And also the context of the question would be interesting; did the Germans answer for economic power or for politics or for military power?

:shrug:

[T_i_B]

5. According to the article

the question was "Which country is the leading power in Europe?" which I must admit, I would not give my own country as the answer to.

[herthaner]

6. I think this is the german original version:

http://www.bdb.de/pic/artikelpic/112003/mT_Transatlant_0903.pdf (PDF Viewer required)
Chapter 4 or Page 21: Deutschland in Europa

The Question was "Welches Land ist die führende Macht in Europa".

[newyawker99]

9. Hi herthaner!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[coyote]

3. I live in Germany

and there is no way Germans think that the UK is Europe´s leading state. Most Germans I know would say either Germany or France....but Britain (bwahahaha!!!). The Germans know their number 1 because guess who is paying for all of the EU....Germany. Most English pride themselves for not being part of continental Europe and most Germans know this....the English are in a class of their own. They are part of the EU in name only. IMHO.

[0007]

7. Why haven't the Brits gone to the Euro?

[T_i_B]

8. Where to start...

The ERM, Black Wednesday, the CAP, the vehemently anti-EU UK press etc.... But underpinning all of this is a belief that we should not give away that much national sovergnity to the EU. For all it's flaws, we trust Westmister more than Brussels. Most people in the UK find the EU out of touch, unaccountable and way too beurocratic.

If a referendum on the matter were to be held tomorrow the euro-sceptics would win by a landslide. That's why the euro-sceptics tend to want a referendum on the EU constitution to boot.