In this sentence from common sense, what does thomas paine mean by "the makeweight in the scale of british politics"? it is the true interest of america to steer clear of european contentions, which she never can do, while, by her dependence on britain, she is made the makeweight in the scale of british politics. a. great britain evaluates the success of political policies on how they are implemented in america. b. european politics rely heavily on events that occur in the american colonies. c. the american colonists have a great effect on policies enacted in great britain. d. great britain values america only as a way to shift the balance of power in europe.