If you want a prime example of the damage done to this country by the USA, you need look no further than your nearest McDonald's.

Or put another way, if you want to see what damage Ireland did to the USA look no farther than the McDonald family.

Not to mention the grand Scottish military man Colonel Sanders.

What makes you think things have slipped culturally?

Interestingly, I can't find any reference to either Aldermaston or Harwell as prime targets.

Just my own personal observations.

What are your own personal observations?

Jonathan, you were only a child twenty years ago, what do you base this on?

Who said anything about prime targets? Do you seriously think that had there been a nuclear exchange, West Berks would have been ignored. Don't forget Welford.

There is a list? Could've done with that back then........ Nice of the Russians to make such information available

That things have slipped culturally!

Vodafone's main input to the local economy is a few thousand jobs - far more than the US base provided.



I have no idea how many people are employed at the business park - but I do know that the park pumps £ millions into local charities.

I'm not saying there weren't negatives to the local economy when the US left, but other factors enabled Newbury to weather the loss and boom. To suggest Newbury is in a worse economic state today than it was when the airbase was operational is absurd - there are more people in more jobs spending more money in more shops, and more restaurants and going to more entertainment events than there were 20 years ago. About the only thing that there were more of then is pubs.

And people using them!

I know what you mean, sadly you are highlighting general ignorance, which is so bloody annoying.

You mourn Wimpy?

Greenham Common Trust is best known for its two reactive grant rounds a year and funding for major projects which have supported over 600 local charities and community organisations with over £14 million pounds since the Trust started in 1997. We give around £300,000 a year away, managed by our Distribution Committee, in reactive grant aid.





I think Newbury is not in any better shape than it was 20 years ago, and in some aspects worse. The base is now a pigsty, for lack of a better word. It could of been a lot more than what it has become.. People used to travel to surrounding areas to eat and shop, and to be honest there is nothing spectacular about the choices here. It's like someone took another market town and plonked it where Newbury used to be. The market itself is nowhere like it used to be.

While the business park maybe produces more than it's previous tenats, but in terms of goods and services I really cant see what it generates as they are no financials, which is not a good thing if your trying to promote it.

Anyway, what was left as a beautiful business park is now a pile of p**p, and while neither side can prove their point, I don't think the local area has been the same since the base closed..

And your proof of this is???

I say better dead than red and Greenham was here to stop that happening. It worked.

The Warsaw Pact and Bolshevism was stopped by an effective containment strategy. It worked and democracy won.

And whatever happened to Golden Egg?

Economically conquered - err that's obvious - US waited until the UK was bankrupt until it joined the war then made even more money out of loans the UK. It was all about taking the British Empire and stuffing it into US coffers. Ever since we have been tip toeing around the US, always to the advantage of the US and detriment of the UK.

Military targets - lots of references out there from the old USSR. Let alone our own famous 'London Under Attack' report from the former GLC.

Cold war - would we have been a target if we didn't have US missiles in the country. Err no or few, we are not a strong military force and no serious threat to the former USSR.

It became a shoe shop