The Telegraph, June 29, John Longworth
Britain is in the verge of something big. Notwithstanding the knockback to the economy of the ill-conceived lockdown, the UK has every chance of emerging into a new golden age of growth, prosperity, trade and influence.
In order to achieve this, we need our leaders in government and business to be bold opportunity-seekers and not to be protectionist rentiers, compromising fudge merchants or the timid damage limitation mongers that characterised the May administration. In order to have super growth and prosperity, we must free ourselves completely from the shackles of the EU. This means that absent of a very good deal in deed, which provides undisputed sovereignty and economic freedom, having no deal or an “Australia deal” is the best outcome for Britain at the end of 2020.
Of course, there is no point in swapping the suzerainty of the EU for the hegemony of any other nation or bloc, including for example over-reliance on China or indeed, even the USA, but instead we should seek to balance trade and foreign direct investment across the globe.
Nonetheless, the evidence is stark. The Indo-Pacific part of the world is the most dynamic, wealth creating and fast-growing and we should be part of it. We must climb out of the EU dungeon and seek the light shining from the east. The irony is that in the ages when trade was carried on the wind and then by the puffing bullies of steam, Britain was pre-eminent in the region’s trade and security, even when we had not much to trade that was desirable.
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