Comments by "Curious Crow" (@CuriousCrow-mp4cx) on "AnnaLiese Dodds resigns from the Cabinet" video.

  1. Prevention is better than cure. I've just been taking a peek at how 1 factor will impact the UK's future - access to rare earths that are needed for our future technological trajectory. They're needed not only for defence, but for Healthcare, and other critical infrastructures. And guess what? We don't have any, and most of the resources are abroad. And yes, we can send some functionary to knock on the door and say, "Hello, would you mind selling us some of your rare earths? But there's nothing much to stop then treating you like a double glazing salesman, and slamming the door in your face. After all, we're also competing with the US and China for the sane resources. So how to we manage to get in with people who aren't short of other suitors? The International Aid budget funds our soft power, which translates, if done correctly, to building connections, making contacts, and opening doors. It moves relationships from the polite but distant, to friendly and smooths the path to further and more mutually beneficial relationships. And it can open doors to influential people. It's a pay to play world now, and that tiny budget is sure to not to cover everywhere it's going to be needed in the following decades. And it will be needed, because we're just another country on our own. We have to try harder to make an impact, or get elbowed aside. I mean, we can supposedly afford to subsidise UK banks by almost £40 billion a year, but we can't fund global outreach? Our priorities are perhaps skewed? Badly? And if you want to check that figure, check out the journal Foreign Affairs, the April 2024 edition, and an article entitled "Don't Bet On A British Revival" byMatthias Matthijs and Mark Blyth, that discusses the UK fiscal space, or "wriggle room", if you will. Very interesting reading.
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