Matt V2.0
Registered: Apr 2002 Posts: 17728 - Threads: 847 Location: Surrey
2016 | Honourable Mention Party Animal
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While David Davis makes some better points:
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| And when we decided to leave the European Union we voted, not against the political project itself, but against Britain’s involvement in it.
Europe’s history will continue, and so will ours, and we will remain good friends and allies.
And for those who claim that we are not good Europeans.
Well, did you know that we spend one and half times as much on defence as the European average? That is how we stationed troops on Europe’s border in Estonia and in Poland.
I call that being a good European.
We spend over twice the European average helping the poorest people on the planet.
Including in Africa where for many, British aid acts as a ladder for people to climb out of the hands of people smugglers.
I call that being a good European.
And we are the first to help our neighbours in the fight against terror…as both our Belgian and our French colleagues found last year.
I call that being a good European.
This is more than warm words.
None of it comes for free.
If we spent only the European average on defence, on international development, on intelligence, we would spend £22 billion less a year.
And that isn’t going away. Because we choose to be good global citizens. |
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But interestingly he reiterates the "no deal" scenario:
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| On the negotiating front, we are aiming for a good deal
And that is what we expect to achieve.
However, if the outcome of the negotiation falls short of the deal that Britain needs we will be ready for the alternative.
That is what a responsible Government does. Anything else would be a dereliction of duty.
So there is a determined exercise underway in Whitehall devoted to contingency arrangements so that we are ready for any outcome.
Not because it is what we seek, but because it needs to be done. |
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