fundamental to the UK's place in the world but also greatly enhances the weight which our other attributes give us within the
international community.
5. There can be little doubt that the UK today, like France, is not only well-placed to exert influence, as a member of the Community, NATO, the UN Security Council and many of the other key international groupings, but also well-endowed to do so. Our national assets are considerable. Some are the result of history,
such as our language and our direct experience of working all over the world. Some are very much the creation of this Government, primarily our powerful economic performance in recent years. The British economy is in its eighth successive year of sustained
growth. Years of economic decline have been reversed. This has earned us respect in the international community. It has also, and this is very important in international affairs, done much to restore our self-respect. People no longer try to analyse the
"British disease". They try to emulate the "British miracle".
success
6. Another asset which this Government has worked to nurture is our
contribution to the security of the West, both as a nuclear power
and a key part of NATO's conventional forces. Not only does this
contribution protect our own national interests, it also gives us an
authoritative voice on key areas of international affairs, in particular on security and arms control issues.
7.
I would not want to conclude this necessarily selective
catalogue of our national assets without mentioning what I believe
to be a key to success for any nation: a wealth of human resources.
Our business community in particular is full of men and women who
enjoy the benefits of both the UK's long international experience as
a major trading power and the freedom to develop their skills in the
open market which this Government has worked hard to develop.
Much has also been made of our
This is not the place to
simply an Anglo-American
8. I have already mentioned Europe. "special relationship" with the USA.
analyse that relationship. It is not
phenomena. Europe and the United States remain tied to each other
by common values and common interests of fundamental importance.
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