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indeed trying to solve at least one or two of the problems that "overviews" etc have proved a luxury one has not been able to afford. But may-be that overview would have been helpful in getting a context, a framework within which efforts to solve one of the problems could be set. Most importantly it may encourage a degree of realism to temper the emotion on these issues. I note that some of the organs of the media who specialise in preaching about Britain needing to face up to economic reality produce instant unreal comment upon the issues I am discussing tonight.
I shall not, tonight, detail what I would have written in my White Paper (if I had got around to it) on Britain's remaining dependent territories. However, I would like to touch upon a few points by way of illustration:
Some facts about our involvement are in themselves interesting. Did you know that in the Turks and Caicos [where is it some may shout] we spend in aid £1 million pa on budgetary aid and £1 million capital and technical aid for 6,000 people. It comes out (assuming a family of 2 parents and 2 children)at over £1,200 pa per family. Or that we have more than 1,000 troops, 6
Harriers deployed from NATO - at an annual cost of £7 million pa in the justifiable defence of Belize.
The point of these two sets of completely different figures is not that one should draw the conclusion that we should not
spend the money, or fulfill our commitments on the contrary. But in both cases one should ask the question is this
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