According to YouGov, the Party commands a plurality of voters only among the over 70s. As far as voting intention is concerned, the Conservative Party is literally dying on its feet.
Estonia’s government has, in a White Paper that rightly calls for Russia’s defeat, estimated it could be done at a cost merely of 0.25 per cent of Western GDP over four years.
When I raised these issues in the summer of last year, I was shouted down. But MPs should be encouraged to show political curiosity, share their passion and advance and test current thinking.
They have grown up in a cultural milieu that denigrates Britain’s culture and history to the point that the idea it is even worthy of respect – never mind dying for – is ridiculous.
We should not shy away from facing the many unsavoury episodes of imperial history. The consequences of Britain’s historical actions are still shaping world events negatively. But that doesn’t mean the moral wrongs of our ancestors should necessarily dominate and guide our actions today.
Now, through Orbán and Trump, the Kremlin is cashing in its chips. Unable to defeat Western-supported Ukraine on the battlefield, it’s playing Western politics to cut off its supply of money and weapons.
Russia’s invasion represented the first open attack on an already-fraying rules-based system. The post-Cold War status quo, about which we became complacent, is gone. Everything has changed.
The shift to nuclear-powered submarines has caused some concern in Australia, but despite that all three nations are moving ahead with deepening this vital security alliance.
For all the thunderous blow-back that is undoubtedly coming, Hamas has already got what it wanted, both domestically and strategically.
“Investing in defence is morally the right thing to do, the Defence Secretary declared. “It saves lives.” He criticised those who “from a woke banking perspective” who feel we should disinvest, should take a “dose of reality.”
A victorious Russia would not only be free to continue its extermination of Ukrainian society, but its forces would be on the Polish border, and its leadership convinced that the West lacked the will or ability to defend itself.
The Defence Secretary adds that “we will stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainians.”
s the world’s centre of economic gravity shifts eastwards, it is projected to be generating more than half of global growth by 2050. So we’re building more diverse supply chains, reducing our dependence on hostile powers, and establishing partnerships in cutting-edge technologies.
It was my fourth visit to the country since Russia tried, but failed, to launch a full-scale invasion in February last year. The strength of my commitment to Ukraine grows with each visit.
A remarkable amount has been achieved. Often against the odds and in the face of adversity. And certainly in circumstances far less benign than those faced by New Labour.