Tory diplomacy belongs with Palmerston!

British history has seen many examples of British politicians lacking diplomatic skills at crucial moments, often leading to unnecessary conflict as, for example, the wars in 1899, 1914 and 2003 testify. The deployment, however, of four Royal Navy armed patrol vessels with the "power to halt, inspect and impound all EU fishing boats" in UK waters must rank alongside the most idiotic of Britain`s blunders (Navy ships may be sent to protect UK waters, 12/12/20). At a time when the Brexit talks are on a knife-edge and when a deal, which can minimise future economic disaster, is still possible, trust between the politicians is of the essence. Military threats of this nature, reminiscent of the gunboat diplomacy favoured by the likes of Palmerston, can only do even more damage to the country`s reputation as a reliable and trustworthy partner, and sadly, this time, there is no chance of the House of Lords condemning the action, as it did in 1850! In those days, of course, free trade was valued, not only for its economic benefits, but for its role in keeping the peace between nations, and the latter became one of the main arguments forwarded by Cobden and Bright in the movement to repeal the Corn Laws. There is probably little possibility in 2021 of errors of the magnitude of the 1904 Dogger Bank incident taking place, when British trawlers were mistaken by the Russian Baltic Fleet for ships belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy, and fired upon, but with the present government in charge, you just wouldn`t bet against it! With "Palmerstonian nationalism" taking precedent over peaceful diplomacy, anything is possible!