France has expressed fury over Australia’s surprise decision to scrap a huge submarine deal in favour of nuclear-powered subs from the US, describing it as a ‘stab in the back’ from Canberra and a strain on its friendly relationship with Washington. ‘We had established a relationship of trust with Australia, this trust has been betrayed,’ said the French foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian
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‘Stab in the back’: French fury as Australia scraps submarine deal ► https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/16/stab-in-the-back-french-fury-australia-scraps-submarine-deal
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‘Stab in the back’: French fury as Australia scraps submarine deal ► https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/16/stab-in-the-back-french-fury-australia-scraps-submarine-deal
UK politics – live ► https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/sep/16/boris-johnson-reshuffle-nadine-dorries-liz-truss-politics-live-news-covid-latest-updates
I hope the Australians have deep pockets. Do they realise a Nuclear sub costs over £100,000 /day to keep alongside in harbour? Can you imagine the overrun costs of a project managed by the UK/US 😂
Look here Napoleon, you spent $4 billion over budget. Australian taxpayers don’t appreciate having to spend more money on something they don’t want to!
America still loves you though….
France is being very irrational about the cancellation of the submarine contract with Australia. The actual contract specifies that the number of submarines to be built was only ONE (1). After that submarine was built, and if it met all of the requirements, the option was there to build one more – one by one – up to a maximum of 12. The contract with France also specifies that should Australia wish to cancel the agreement, or to build less than twelve submarines , that was okay. It was in the terms of the contract.
France also has forgotten to mention that the original project for up to twelve subs was going to cost AUD$50 billion and be delivered from 2030 onward.
Four years later that cost went up to AUD$90 billion and the delivery timeline pushed out by another 10 years, ie. from 2040 onward.
Meanwhile some 25,000 pages about the design of those subs found their way into the hands of the Russian Intelligence Service thanks to loose security by the French builder.
Thus far the French have received AUD$3 billion from Canberra for this contract – and for that 3 billion Australia hasn't received a single row boat. Great money for the French government contractor for doing NOTHING!
No wonder your back is bleeding so badly , not your top. Indeed, It's highly unprofessional for Australian PM to stab you from the back instead of front after many years of profitable 'seller – buyer' relationship. 😁
France should be happy, no fossil fuels will be used.
one thing is clear. france should no longer be part of nato. What just happened proves it, America made her understand that it was useless, so it would be time for France to finally follow its own interests and turn to Russia because Russia has all the raw materials. . . which France needs, and France has an immense maritime space, especially in the Pacific, which would be better defended in cooperation with the Russians, and the Russian and French military technological mix would be beneficial to both parties … the software which was used for the development of the virginia class submarines comes from the manufacturer dassault, and the sonar which equips the astute comes from sagem in france …
Australia 🇦🇺 is an independent nation and has the right to make decisions in the best interests of Australia 🇦🇺.
Just like any other country in the world.
Sorry France 🇫🇷 but you are acting like the ex wife in front of the new girlfriend….
They knew the deal wasn't going to happen, they should quit acting so indignant
All I can say is: c'est la vie!
Stab in the back, it's got a familiar ring….
" Stab in the back", It's got a familiar ring….
Wise decision, lesson learned from Covid 19. If EU shows his weakness to form alliance Australia won’t be a pride for opportunistic and selfishness
I don't think French gov could do much about it…… It's like two biggest military power now formed a new friendship. They simply kicked France out.
Just like an angry girlfriend, anger will be over after some sweet talk. Macron is no De Gaulle, Chirac, Mitterand, he is under tight grip of Biden and Johnson
Lazy childish out of date late overpriced rubbish probably using Citroen spares.
Might as well group US UK Australia together the old British empire. US drone strike killing civilians? They didn't say anything.
If you were suddenly given a new choice what would you buy…Barracuda Class nuclear submarines or Baguette Class diesel? 😂
Même vladmir putin vas jamais faire se genre de choses
Les européens sont toujours aussi naïf
Congratulations 👏
Firstly, Australia will be a nuclear power ☢️
Secondly, Australia will be the next nuclear bomb target 😱🥶
When your liberal buddies decide they don't want to play with you.
What are the Aussies going to do with diesel boats to worry China ?
The United States said that she is so poor, so she has to blackmail Meng Wanzhou to pay billions before she.could be set free! Because US is so poor, US has to stab the back of France so that the U.S. can make some profit from Australia.
They were celebrating Biden getting into office.
Maybe jumped the gun on that one.-
Stab in back ? are you comparing French Sub specs to US one? like seriously are you ?
Ahaha France is like a little kid throwing a tantrum. Their sub tech is inferior, and, they have been nothing but difficult working with Australia. Australia would be crazy to turn down working with the US and getting superior tech. France you're cute and all, but leave the geopolitics to the adults.
The interesting thing will be if France tries to scuttle the EU Australia trade deal.
Near in mind that the EU sells to Australia twice the value of goods than it buys from Australia. We are predominantly a minerals supplier, bauxite, iron ore etc.
But we also supply rare earth materials essential for the 21C.
So if France tries to abandoned the deal it shoots itself -and the rest of the EU in the foot. It will reduce sales of “essential goods” like new BMWs, Porsches, champaign and cheese, whilst reducing supply of inessential frivolous goods like lithium, zircon, yttrium, etc.
But the big question is will the EU, with supposedly every member country having an equal voice, allow France to derail the agreement? Will Germany care about French pride? Or will sales of Mercedes be more important?
And will the EU accept the shame of not having an Australian trade deal when the UK has….
The anglosaxon incompetence mess never ends!
I would be disappointed if Australia pulled out of AUKUS, but I don't think the US and UK would react like the French did if Aus did ditch…it would further tarnish Australia and their character, but that's about it.
They are comparing this to TRUMP tanking the Paris Climate Accords? BAWAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!
bouahaha, they thought the "Trump" card would work forever. living the lazy parisian life. "Oh Joe we thought you are not like Trump, we thought you will be paying us our vacations"
PMSL! France is the comedy act that just keeps on giving! Merci!
Both Australia and S Korea should have nuclear submarines to put pressure to China. Let France work on S Korean nuclear submarines project will make France happy thus Biden should just go with flow to make everybody happy. S Korean nuclear submarines can check on N Korea or China in few hours but Australian nuclear submarines will take over a week to get to China. It's time for S Korea to arm with nuclear weapons and submarines for its defends or ended up like S Vietnam or Afghanistan. China has 3 fleets North, East and South. Chinese north fleet port is within reach of S Korean cruise and tactical missiles and have to pass by S Korea armed with land based anti ship missiles thus they are trapped. S Korean navy can destroy China's East fleet then it leave only China's southern fleet against S Korean navy. During training with Thai air force, Chinese J10 and J11 were no match against Thai Swedish Grippen fighters due to accuracy of their missiles and radar which are similar to F16. S Korea is armed with F16, F15 and F35 which are maintained well. China will lose more than 1,500 fighters if it try to fight S Korean air force.
From Australia a report from the government member involved in the Submarine contract 4 years ago. The contract budget started at £23 Billion for a number of Submarines with Diesel engines and a target date for completion of all submarines was laid down. The contract also said that the Submarines would be built in Australia with French engineer's support and technology.
The people who attended the final signing of the contract was. The contractor to build the Submarines. A member of the French government. A member of the French Naval Military. What was also in the contract is that the French company would provide engineers on-site and attend meetings on the progress of work. That was fine.
But when the French got back to France they changed the contract. The designs kept being changed by the Fench. The budget was increased. The contract to build in Australia changed the French said that France would build the submarines, not Australia, which is in the original documents.
So, the cost was £23 Billion went up to £65 Billion and then £90 Billion. As mentioned kept changing the designs and time scale for completion of the works. With the delays in design and other problems, it put the contract back by 6 Months. So the Fench contractor broke the contract agreement and the Australians should have pulled out then not later but better leaving now before being cond any more out of money.
To the French Nuclear submarines. The life expectancy is 7 years before having to re-fuel with nuclear fuel.
Now the US/UK and Australia deal. The Nuclear Engines submarine's life expectancy is 35 years without a refuel.
Now France Macron and Ambassadors and others in the Macron government.
Need to re-look at their phone calls as every phone call that the Australian government and US/UK governments have used is recorded. Under contract law. The French government was given notice that the contract was coming to an end as times have changed and the costs going out of control and delays increasing. The Australian government is willing to share the phone calls if challenged.
This is all from the Australian government, not false information
So France should tell the French people the truth.
The joke is they keep saying we are allies. So why were they trying to f us the whole way through brexit . Even now the migrant crisis is a joke. Close allies we are not. They stab everyone in the back.
My 2 seconds analysis : France has been relegated to second stage as a third world country
This about the continual disintegration of the European project.. Merkle has held on long enough to ensure the German control over the french would continue in Europe. Now that macron is rapidly loosing all cred ability in the face of election defeat his party is blaming every other country on his failure. First it was hungry and Germany, then Britain and Spain on fishing, then its sponsoring a war in libia and now the germans and Australians don't want to buy French defense equipment in the light of the chineese Arms build up to invade Taiwan… The Europeans laughed at macron but soon he will be out!
反華生意也內卷,這年頭誰都不容易
If france is upset with one deal, imagine what former french colony africans feel when france backstab each and every deal thry make with other nations
the french did one on the russian ship deal
Stab in the back by usa ? 😄 welcome to the club 😄😂
From a business point of view, Australia stabbed itself in the back. They've basically walked into the submarine shop, and announce that they absolutely MUST buy a submarine and wont buy it from any other Submarine shop out there. Guess who holds all the cards when they actually sit down to negotiate the details of the contract?
Australia is a backstabbing country. They never honour any contract signed.
The French response should probably be considered in the context of a National election early next year. It’s just politics.
Why all this anger on the part of colonial France, it is doing worse than this is a demon in the middle of the world
EU and the world should embargo all Australia exports for violating the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The nuclear submarine is an attack vessel and the ownership of a large fleet of nuclear submarines disturbed the Asia regional balance of power and Australia should be punished.
Wow. Lots of the drama