Defending our Freedoms

Obviously the world is more dangerous and we've got to keep up our guard.

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These durable strengths allow Britain to defend our interests and promote our values across the globe.

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As a country, we have been in the vanguard of freedom’s advance, a friend to the growth of democracy, an advocate of the rule of law, a defender of the oppressed and a robust protector of our people’s security.

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But, under this Government, Britain’s ability to defend its interests and secure valuable freedoms has been undermined. Our Armed Forces, the vital muscle which allows us to punch above our weight, have been allowed to weaken. And our relations with the European Union have been mismanaged in a way which threatens not just British interests, but the capacity of the continent to adapt flexibly to the

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A Conservative Government will strengthen our Armed Forces within NATO by spending £2.7 billion more than Labour on the front line by 2007-08.

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Those serving in our Armed Forces are vitally important to us, so we must take care of the people most important to them. A Conservative Government will support service families. They deserve decent homes, good schools for their children, and the chance to spend as much time as possible with their families.

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We will make the Army stronger. A Conservative Government will preserve the regiments Labour would abolish and improve the supply and procurement of weaponry.

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We should support our Armed Forces and our foreign policy should serve the British national interest

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We will save warships Mr Blair would scrap. A Conservative Government will support European co-operation on defence but we strongly believe that such co-operation should take place within the framework of NATO.

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If a Conservative Government ever has to take the country to war, we will tell the British people why. Mr Blair misrepresented intelligence to make the case for war in Iraq, and failed to plan for the aftermath of Saddam Hussein’s downfall. It is nevertheless the case that a democratic Iraq would be a powerful beacon of hope in a troubled part of the world. So we believe that Britain must remain committed to rebuilding Iraq and allowing democracy to take hold. And a Conservative Government will work to achieve peace in the Middle East based on the principle of Israel secure within its borders and a viable Palestinian state.

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In a reformed Europe, the restrictive employment laws of the Social Chapter will have to give way to more flexible working. We will ensure that Britain once again leads the fight for a deregulated Europe by negotiating the restoration of our opt-out from the Social Chapter.

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The common policies on agriculture and fisheries are unsustainable, damaging to free trade and conservation, and waste huge sums of money. The CAP needs further and deeper reform. And, because fisheries would be better administered at the national level, we will negotiate to restore national and local control over British fishing grounds. We are determined to ensure national control in this area.

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We will also build on the success of enlargement, making Europe more diverse by working to bring in more nations, including Turkey.

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We value Britain’s membership of the European Union, but our horizons extend much further. A key element of British foreign policy under a Conservative Government will be fighting world poverty. We will support further action on debt relief and will work to meet the UN target of spending 0.7 per cent of national income on overseas aid by 2013. We believe that British aid programmes are among the best in the world, so we will negotiate to increase British national control over our international aid spending.

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Above all, we recognise that there is a vital thread that links open markets, free trade, property rights, the rule of law, democracy, economic development and social progress. We will use our global influence to champion these principles in the interests of the developing world.

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Britain and the World

  • No to the Euro and EU Constitution
  • More and better aid to tackle global poverty
  • Stronger Armed Forces
  • Keeping NATO at the heart of our foreign policy

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The 'more and better aid' line is taken directly from the current MakePovertyHistory campaign. To me it looks like little more than a nod in the right direction to demonstrate some sort of appreciation of development issues.

Karan Chadda