I still don't get those who are saying the UK is ideologically/socially closer to the US than to the rest of Europe.

The UK has public health care, high social benefits, gun control. What are the similarities to the US that trump these (and other) similarities to the rest of Europe?

Wait wait, how does Europe have LESS of a geographic claim? 

It's hard to explain but American products tend to be a lot more successful in the UK versus the rest of Europe. Ford, for example, have a much larger marketshare in the UK than any European company, look at the success of the 360 in the UK versus the rest of Europe, our cinemas are stuffed through with films from Hollywood - a lot of European countries, like France, seem to have a far more developed movie industry in than the UK (the UK might produce more films than France, but French films are more popular in France than British films in the UK - which is probably all down to language), the same could be said for the music industry.

Meanwhile, American politics is all over our news, whilst European politics take a side-line, and large numbers of our news sources are owned by American corporations.

The British seem to share similar work values to the USA, as well - we tend to work a lot more hours than our European counterparts. Also, our teens are very similar - I read this study on the BBC somewhere (of which I cannot find a link), which basically said that British teens possess far more gadgets and gizmos than teens from other Euro countries - British teens are far more likely to be hankering for a Pre/iPhone/HTC phone or a 360 than a bicycle. I imagine that this is something very similar to US teens, and I also imagine that this culture has been derived from the American-Teen-Comedies which seem to dominate the British Airspace on a mid-Saturday morn.

Of course, this post could be entirely factually incorrect, but that doesn't matter. These are perceptions, and that's what this thread is about - the British perception that they are separate from Europe, and closer to the USA.

The Uk cinema and film industry is controlled and ruined by hollywood. In france its part of their law that a set amount of their cinemas have to show home made films but in the UK no such luck. America has ruined with no small part from successive british governments (which is now happening to our games industry) our film industry.

The similarities are in similar lifestyles. Music, films, products, close trade and political links. These are similar than with Europe which is why people say we are closer to the US

Don't forget the Empire wasn't just about land. What about the scientific advances made? the trade routes, governments, legal systems all based on the English way. But does this need to be about the Empire?

SamulaIRsmith is spot on with it all being about perceptions.

World war 3.

Well at least it became "officially" world war 3 when the Yanks finally joined in

Now wealthy, not then.

It's just not as impressive(for me) as let's say the Chinese empire, the Roman empire, the Persian empire, the Mongol empire, the Hellenistic kingdoms, etc

Nice spin about India being a wealthy nation only after their freedom. They have a richer history then the UK and one that's a lot older.

And the fact that the British empire is not contiguous is one of my reasons why I don't find it impressive.

Remember this is just my subjective opinion.

You know what I find impressive? Leopold II getting an area 75 times the size of Belgium as his private colony. Trust me, you need to be extremely cunning for that as Belgium was only an economical "superpower" in the 19th century and not a political one.

One could argue that UK got it's colonies very easily. The fact that they're an island is one of the biggest reasons as to why they made such a big empire and it's not like it was hard at all to conquer Canada, 13 colonies, Australia, India, etc

And I also find it impressive yet in a very disgusting and bad way that he killed 10 million Congolese without even wanting them dead. Let us all be very happy this guy didn't try a genocide as the numbers would make the Holocaust fade away to nothing.

@Kasz

Europe most certainly is a continent. Tell me one country that has never been ruled by a European state except for China and some small parts in Asia. Don't forget that Russia is a European state.