I totally agree with this. Which is why I would want to integrate with Ireland and set up what I call the Irish crescent. Which would be an economic grouping which will manufacture for Britain basically. From Derry in the North all the way along the Irish east coast to Cork. Bringing in Belfast and Dublin. So you have the manufacturing centers of Derry and Cork, with a big city/financial center in Dublin and a industrial port in Belfast. So things are then great in a trade network from Ireland to Britain, then out into the world.
Britain has been spending 0.7% of GDP on foreign aid, which we have mostly wasted giving it to India and China. However I would use that money on foreign direct investment in West Africa and South America, ally with somewhere like Angola which has a lot of oil and gas, but needs the knowledge to make it profitable. The British have all the knowledge from the North sea. Then there are minerals from DR Congo as well and Namibia. So there is a lot of stuff you can do in west Africa and South America, where there isn't a major power like the US or Japan or Indian to directly compete with.
Its all about avoiding other major world powers as much as possible for me. Until we have the Irish economy integrated, have a good brown water navy and powerful air defence network we can't be trying to take on France/Turkey/Spain/India/Japan, even if we could win in a war at sea, it would be too risky, if we lose we are done. Once the three things I mentioned are in place we can then afford to take more risk because whatever happens we have a secure geography at home and a brown water navy to enforce trade around Britain.
