Britain doesn't think a failed vote on Syrian intervention will hurt its "special relationship" with the United States — and they don't really care if it does, either.
A new BBC poll finds that a vast majority of people — almost three-quarters — in Britain think that the House of Commons was right to vote down proposed military action in Syria.
The vote, which came last Thursday, served as a shock and huge setback to Prime Minister David Cameron. It also was a blow to the fast-advancing strategy led by the U.S. and President Barack Obama, who was pushing for limited military action last week that included a broader scope of international allies.
According to the BBC poll, 49% do think the vote will hurt Britain's standing internationally at least a little, compared with 44% who think it won't matter.
And on the "special relationship" with the U.S., 72% do not agree that it will be undermined. 77% disagree with the sentiment that Britain is "turning its back" on the U.S. And 67% agree with the notion that the special relationship is "not relevant in the modern age, and we should not be concerned about hurting American feelings."
The White House has taken pains to emphasize that the U.S. still enjoys a "special relationship" with the U.K. over the past few days. But one of Britain's tabloid newspapers, The Sun, memorably declared its death in its Saturday edition:
