We are launching today two series of articles focusing on major issues facing us.
“Britain’s Global Strategy after Brexit” will focus on future policies covering trade, defence, security, aid and influence. An American Secretary of State suggested in the 1960s that ‘Britain has lost an empire, and not yet found a role’. The perceived inability to find a role, and the lack of self-confidence among our then rulers, was one of the major reasons why the United Kingdom originally applied to join the then Common Market. Brexit means that we do now really have to find a role, and not have it given to us by others. We begin today with two articles. Sir Andrew Wood, former ambassador to Russia, analyses our present and future relations with Russia. Sir Richard Dearlove and Professor Gwythian Prins highlight the strategic and commercial importance of satellite systems, and support the PM’s proposal to develop the UK’s own system in preference to trying to cling on to the EU’s GALILEO. This article was featured in today’s Times (Friday 3rd May). We believe that Mrs May’s reported decision to undertake our own satellite programme is extremely important in itself, and as a precedent: the UK is not and should not be a supplicant, dependent on accepting constraining and disadvantageous arrangements.
‘Understanding the Remainer revolt‘ will undertake a serious all-round analysis of one of the most disturbing developments of the last two years: the formation of an intransigent ‘Remainer’ movement, composed of elements from all political parties, some of it highly organized with the support of lavish financial backing from overseas. This movement, which we think it is no exaggeration to call a revolt, calls into question fundamental practices and principles of democratic government: the equal rights of citizens, national sovereignty, the need willingly to accept majority decisions, and proper restraint on the use of political power. The first article in the series is by Dr Joanna Williams, who considers ways in which our education systems may be creating conformists rather than independent-minded critical thinkers.
A series of articles under the two headings will appear over the next few days
