Pole Positions

Poetically soon after the death of George H.W. Bush, American withdrawal from Syria acknowledges that the world now has two poles for the first time since the end of the Cold War.

One pole is still the United States. The other is Iran, Russia and China. With Russia still comes India, whose closest military ally did not change with the collapse of the Soviet Union. With China most certainly comes Pakistan. And so on.

China, please note, took an interest in Syria because Uyghurs were going there to fight for the so-called Islamic State, and then going back to Xinjiang on its behalf. Going there, that is, on the passports of Turkey. A member of NATO.

Post-Brexit Britain needs trade deals with the BRICS countries even while remaining thoroughly critical of all five of their present governments.

Within that, we need the integration into the Belt and Road Initiative of all four parts of the United Kingdom, of all nine English regions, of all of the Crown Dependencies, and of all of the British Overseas Territories. In some way, all 99 lieutenancy areas, including County Durham, need to be so integrated.

We need withdrawal from NATO, which commits us to the defence of Turkish Islamists and of Eastern European neo-Nazis while charging us two per cent of our Gross Domestic Product for the privilege.

We need bilateral peace treaties with all other European countries, including Russia. We need bilateral peace treaties with the United States and with Canada. We need peace treaties with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and with the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.

And we must be open in principle to trade deals with the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, but strictly on the understanding that the National Health Service and food safety standards are among the things that are simply not negotiable.

Another hung Parliament is coming, and our people need to hold the balance of power in it. I will stand for this parliamentary seat of North West Durham, if I can raise the £10,000 necessary to mount a serious campaign. Please email davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Very many thanks.