France and UK to work together

A new chapter is about to added to a long and checkered history of animosity and co-operation today. France and the United Kingdom have on and off been foes and friends for centuries, but the French President Nicolas Sarkozy and PM David Cameron today will sign two treaties affirming that those long years of hostile rivalry are hopefully behind us forever. Under the terms of the accords signed at Lancaster House the two countries will increase military co-operation and establish a "combined joint expeditionary force',  shared usage of aircraft carriers, as well as set up centres for the testing of new nuclear weapons technology.

The BBC quotes a Downing Street spokesman as saying:

"This summit marks a deepening of the UK-France bilateral relationship. Ours is now a strategic partnership tackling together the biggest challenges facing our two countries."

Seen in this vein, these treaties make a lot of sense. Both the UK and France desire to remain major powers on the world stage, something that is becoming increasingly difficult with the rise of new powers like China, Brazil and India. At the same time, the necessity of budget cuts on both sides of the Channel mean that there are fewer Pounds and Euros flowing into defence coffers. An article on the Guardian website refers to the Entente Cordiale but correctly notes that today's treaties do not arise from fear of a shared enemy, but are "product[s] of hard-headed pragmatism, designed to maximise each nation's military capabilites while saving money."

So here we are, Britain and France have finally decided that what they have in common, in terms of shared values, views of the world and hopes for the future, is more important than their cultural differences. After the dire news of the last weeks with the scrapping and cutting of so much military hardware and personnel, the future's horizon is looking a little brighter for Britain's place in world.

Yet even so - and I hate to end on a sour note - the UK should never become wholly dependent on the goodwill of any nation, not matter how friendly, for the defence of its shores. It's fitting to remember Harold Macmillan's words from the 50s and the plans for an independent British nuclear deterent: 

 "The independent contribution ... gives us a better position in the world, it gives us a better position with respect to the United States. It puts us where we ought to be, in the position of a Great Power. The fact that we have it makes the United States pay a greater regard to our point of view, and that is of great importance."

Substitute 'France' for 'United States' and you'll see what I mean. Only if the UK maintains its own military capabilities will France lift a finger to defend it should ever that need arise. Britain should not, therefore, become a docile demesne, but remain committed to its own defence, while sharing what can be shared.