Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Ashton fires a shot across Hammond's bows

Though I doubt he noticed.


The Defence Minister should be aware that he, and the UK are being not so subtly undermined across the world. This is Cathy Ashton's statement today on her trip to India,
I was saying to the defence minister that I chair the meetings of the 27, soon to be 28, defence ministers, and that’s a real opportunity as we think about issues like pooling and sharing, bringing together our knowledge and our assets and our ability to operate so that we have more to offer India. And India, in its strategic role with countries - particularly perhaps with Brazil and South Africa, its role in the United Nations - has much to offer us too. So for me, there is good progress, but there is much more that we can do.
The inference is pretty clear. Why bother with any EU member state, I am the one in control here.

Mr Hague, Mr Hammond are you listening?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

New Zealand trades with India and has a defence agreement - without EU membership!

"New Zealand India deal not just free trade - also defence"

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/NZ-India-deal-not-just-free-trade---also-defence/...

The talks between John Key and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were supposed to be all about a free trade deal, but they took a detour to defence.

We now have what is being called a "deeper relationship" with a nuclear superpower.

It has helped New Zealand almost close a deal that could double trade by one billion dollars virtually overnight and be as big as that with China over time.

"The India-New Zealand relationship is poised for all round expansion," says Mr Singh.

John Key says that both nations see “potential for far deeper and richer cooperation".

opinion prole said...

"World's most expensive female bureaucrat promises to do something with India sometime".

Time to stop feeding the hand that bites us.

Get out of the EU madness before it bankrupts us all.

Gawain Towler said...

Anon,

I am aware of that, and the Aus/India negotiations. What we are seeing is the slow organic growth of a Comonwealth Free Trade area. One to which I hope in time the UK will take part.

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