Is the UK still significant on the world stage?
the UK has been excluded from the negotiating table in Saudi Arabia, not deemed influential enough to take part in a potential resolution to a conflict in which it has immense vested interest. Post-Brexit, the UK continues to flounder in a mire of insignificance on the world stage, in spite of the current administration’s publicity stunts. ◎
“ The lights are going out all over Europe.” Foreign Secretary Edward Grey spoke these words at the dawn of the First World War, yet they recently captured the gloom of pandemic lockdowns. Nations endured, only to face a tsu- nami of inflation and the horrific wars in Ukraine and Gaza. In such turmoil, only those few nations wielding both hard and soft power, the ability to coerce and coax, remain significant global players. Some have questioned Britain’s place in such a it soon fell flat as Trump discovered that King Charles had extended a similar invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who later visited the King’s Sandringham estate. One might say the turn of events embodies the UK’s tragic decline, pandering to a man who gauges foreign relations based on how “special” they make him feel personally. The upshot is that, for a nation that is one of the biggest individual donors to Ukraine ($2.8 billion),
Co-Presidents of the Politics Society, Bruno Lykiardopoulos and Alex Maxwell-Scott debate the standing of the UK in global relations
Unlike US officials still mastering the art of thumb control whilst handling sensitive war plans on dubious “secure” messaging apps, Britain con- tinues to serve as a global model of diplomacy. We lead the 54-nation Commonwealth and mediate between the US and EU over Ukraine. In that sense, Keir Starmer has proven he “has the cards” through his ability to charm, however “short and fat” a certain world leader may be. He has also reset EU relations, quite literally a brother- in-arms with Emmanuel Macron on everything from Ukraine to illegal migration. Meanwhile, the BBC World Service, broadcasting in 64 languages to 365 million people, remains a beacon of press freedom in an increasingly authoritarian world, while COP26 in Glasgow secured a unanimous global phase-out agreement on coal, highlighting our diplomatic efficiency. In technological development, UK universities excel: Oxford developed the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, and two of the world’s top four universities are British. Our cultural influence is vast: TV figures like Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Who and Mr. Bean are global icons to hundreds of millions, not to mention that the world’s foremost sports: football, cricket and rugby, all originated in our green and pleasant land. Finally, as a G7 and G20 power Britain remains vital. GCHQ is central to the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, and free trade deals with Australia and Japan expand our economic reach. True, we no longer “rules the waves”, and Brexit may have failed – but Britain hasn’t. ◎
by Alex Maxwell-Scott, Year 13
“ Rule Britannia!” , as College old-boy and notorious Politics Society blacklistee, Nigel Farage can be seen singing in an infamous clip taken at the conclusion of the 2019 “March to Leave” protest in London. Yet one might question the leader of Reform UK’s enthusiasm, there being no part of the British Empire in which the sun rises. Indeed, Mr Farage’s Brexit rhetoric and his patriotic vigour have both aged like school cafeteria milk, interdependent factors in the UK’s decline. With the war in Ukraine, US diplomacy possessing the temperament of a chimp that’s had its bananas laced with amphetamines, multiple nations in the Commonwealth revaluating their ties to our island, and a Chinese investment deal that amounted to pocket fluff and a pitying smile from Uncle Xi, it’s not hard to see that now more than ever we should be united with our Continental friends. But there is now no corner of the world in which the UK can meaningfully have its voice heard. Instead, we find ourselves truly cut adrift as a result of our exit from the EU, descending further into insignificance. League of Nations style, Keir Starmer is doing his best to claw back some relevance via his “coalition of the willing”, the PM rallying Europe’s flimsiest backbones for emergency shots of testosterone in the face of US isolationism. The UK in this
respect is unfortunately the spearhead of a farce, a temporary remedy to Britian’s woes on the world stage. The idea of “boots on the ground” is an undoubtedly absurd proposal, wheeled out in aid of Starmer’s remodelling as a 21st Century Churchill, minus the rousing capabilities. The truth is that since Tony Blair, and perhaps Gordon Brown, the UK has not seen a prime minister that has had the capacity and the appetite to observe investing in political relationships as a fundamental part of their job, diplomacy not being seen as a factor in winning elections. True, the PM is not the head of state, but since the death of Queen Elizabeth II our cultural currency has tanked. Naysayers will draw attention to the endurance of the UK’s “soft power”. Was it not the King’s penning of a ceremonial letter – perhaps a prudent choice of communication, Charles not possessing what one would call an unblemished track record concerning his conduct on phone
by Bruno Lykiardopoluos, Year 13
category – David Miliband calls us a “middle power”, JD Vance “some random country”. Yet such views ignore the UK’s enduring influence in military strength, finance, diplo- macy, technology, and culture.
Economically, the UK remains a hub for foreign investment
Firstly, Britain retains NATO’s second-strongest military, backed by a £59.8 billion budget, which is rising to 2.5% then 3% of GDP. The Royal Navy has expanded with two aircraft carriers, AUKUS has bolstered alliances with the US and Australia, and we are a nuclear power with a permanent UN Security Council veto. And, whatever the fate of the Chagos Islands, Diego Garcia military base remains firmly Britannic. Economically, the UK remains a hub for foreign investment. London is a global financial centre, and our regulatory freedom from the Euroblob has drawn major investment – Microsoft’s £2.5 billion AI commitment and Nvidia’s new Cambridge hub serve as proof of the fact. Moreover, Boris Johnson’s vision of the UK as “the Saudi Arabia of wind” is also well on course; the Dogger Bank wind farm, the world’s largest, soon to power six million homes.
calls – that satiated President Donald Trump and cata- pulted the UK back to the forefront of global politics? Whilst the ploy managed to
Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II our cultural currency has tanked
outmanoeuvre the threat of tariff, the club that the President wields with the subtlety of a caveman,
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