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UK can demand anything it likes from the EU

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    UK can demand anything it likes from the EU

    It looks like the EU will now become defenceless if Trump pulls out of NATO. All the whining "right on" so called "Europeans" of British descent who spend large amounts of their energy sniping at their country of origin and proclaiming their disdain for all things British will no doubt come scurrying back to Britain for protection when the Russians begin to pile through Ukraine Crispin Blunt

    Whatever else you can say about him, Donald Trump actually has a fair point about America’s allies freeloading on its military power. That led to his questioning the value of Nato, a position which will be concentrating minds hard now.

    Too many European countries have for too long been happy to let America carry the load on defence, without taking their own responsibilities seriously enough. Our European partners have long needed to get serious about defence capability, but on Tuesday it became critical.

    At the moment, most European countries don’t spend enough on defence and what they do spend isn’t spent well. Everyone has their own defence overheads from government to procurement and supply chain through to deployment of actual forces. The result is that there is far less European hard power capability than there could be. Europe needs get much more bang for each buck on defence, and to spend more bucks to meet the Nato target of 2 per cent of GDP on defence.


    This does not include the UK because we already meet this target. It also didn’t include us because of our lack of practical and emotional commitment to European integration, which is part of the reason we are leaving now.

    Britain always vetoed European defence integration but that veto leaves with us. The interests of the remaining EU 27 are much more intertwined, so the case for organising their defence in a much more intertwined way is overwhelming.

    That logic is now reinforced by need. Moving towards full co-ordination in the generation and maintenance of their forces is now essential given the large question mark over American commitment to collective defence in Europe.

    So far, Britain has actively prevented Europe moving towards more defence integration, strongly believing in Nato’s primacy. But now it’s not European defence integration possibly diverting attention from Nato, but a possible US reassessment. The complementary nature of EU defence integration may now be an asset to our defence, not just a liability to Nato.

    Europe now needs its premier defence power, Britain, to be as closely involved in European defence as possible. Britain is a full-spectrum military power, so we can provide conventional land forces, air power and naval capabilities, as well as capabilities in cyber and intelligence.

    These are all very important to providing European security, and it will be important to the 27 to secure a deal in the Article 50 negotiations that includes continuing British defence commitment. That could give Britain important leverage in those talks.

    We need to find an institutional basis to make that work and the negotiations should include a continuing British engagement with the EU’s Common and Foreign and Security Policy.

    Of course, the 27 will have differing views of this. Some, like the Danes, see the world as we do. Some are neutrals, but when push comes to shove, the interests of the Finns and the Irish are still in a secure Europe. Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia have a much stronger need for Europe to be able to defend itself from Russian interference. And for the Baltic states, this is existential.

    Poland has good reason to worry about America's commitment to Nato
    Beyond the EU, the only people to have shed their blood for the EU flag are Ukrainians. Securing Ukraine in the sphere of liberal Europe, free of Russian influence, is a key prize.

    In Europe, we have all lived securely under the American nuclear umbrella all these years, confident that the US would always respond to any attack on a European Nato member, a commitment that would deter any such attack.

    That deterrence is now in question. That doubt may be misplaced, and we need the new US administration to address this swiftly. But what if as a result of Mr Trump’s election Vladimir Putin thinks Russia can now act with impunity in Europe?

    European nations do have to ask themselves: what is the deterrent to Russian interference and aggression now? And much more of the answer may be Britain. That should concentrate a few minds in Europe as we enter the Brexit negotiations.



    Let us not forget EU open doors immigration benefits IT contractors more than anyone

    #2
    Interesting point. It remains to be seen whether Trump actually follows through (spot the accidental double entrendre there) with the whole "abandon Nato" thing, but there must be a few twitchy arses in Brussels and elsewhere right now. Without Nato, and the UK, Europe's nuclear deterrent is in the hands of the French, and we all know how reliable they are in a crisis situation. Basically, if the brown stuff hits the fan, they are a signal failure on the Eurostar away from a catastrophe.
    His heart is in the right place - shame we can't say the same about his brain...

    Comment


      #3
      There are only 5 countries chipping in the % of GDP to Defence that was supposed to have been agreed by ALL Nato members.
      They are the USA, followed by Greece!!, then the UK, then Estonia, then Poland.
      The rest just sit there and expect to be subsidised, mainly by the Yanks.
      I don't blame him at all for questioning their commitment.
      “The period of the disintegration of the European Union has begun. And the first vessel to have departed is Britain”

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by shaunbhoy View Post
        There are only 5 countries chipping in the % of GDP to Defence that was supposed to have been agreed by ALL Nato members.
        They are the USA, followed by Greece!!, then the UK, then Estonia, then Poland.
        The rest just sit there and expect to be subsidised, mainly by the Yanks.
        I don't blame him at all for questioning their commitment.
        With the GDP of Greece being so low though, doesn't that mean they buy 2 catapults and half a dozen pea shooter's each year to top up their defence?

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          #5
          Originally posted by DodgyAgent View Post
          ...All the whining "right on" so called "Europeans" of British descent who spend large amounts of their energy sniping at their country of origin and proclaiming their disdain for all things British will no doubt come scurrying back to Britain for protection when the Russians begin to pile through Ukraine ...
          Not me. I've got a nuclear bunker.
          Down with racism. Long live miscegenation!

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            #6
            Originally posted by NotAllThere View Post
            Not me. I've got a nuclear bunker.
            If that's the same bunker as MF, just bear in mind he's stocked up with baked beans. Not feeling quite so smug now, are you...
            His heart is in the right place - shame we can't say the same about his brain...

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              #7
              Originally posted by doconline View Post
              With the GDP of Greece being so low though, doesn't that mean they buy 2 catapults and half a dozen pea shooter's each year to top up their defence?
              Let us not forget EU open doors immigration benefits IT contractors more than anyone

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by doconline View Post
                With the GDP of Greece being so low though, doesn't that mean they buy 2 catapults and half a dozen pea shooter's each year to top up their defence?
                You just made be Google "Greece World War II" to confirm they were occupied during that war.

                Not sure why other nations who were occupied at that time aren't chipping in their share.
                "You’re just a bad memory who doesn’t know when to go away" JR

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by SueEllen View Post
                  You just made be Google "Greece World War II" to confirm they were occupied during that war.

                  Not sure why other nations who were occupied at that time aren't chipping in their share.
                  Its because they have always been sure the US would pick up the bill and bail them out, now that Trump is in they will need to stump up, not a bad thing really.

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                    #10
                    Just means it's up to the UK n US to bail out Europe....

                    Again

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