It looks like the UK is being removed from the EU's Galileo global satellite positioning system (HERE) meaning we will miss out on bidding for valuable future contracts. I wonder if anyone working at one of the suppliers voted to leave the EU? Wouldn't it be ironic?
Apparently the defence secretary Gavin Williamson is "deeply disappointed" and Greg Clark, the business secretary released a statement:
The UK has a world-leading space sector that has contributed a significant amount of specialist expertise to the Galileo programme. The government has been clear that we want our critical role in this important project, which will help strengthen European security, to continue as we develop our deep and special partnership with the EU.
This could only happen with complete UK involvement in all aspects of Galileo, including the key secure elements which the UK has unique specialisms in and have helped to design and implement.
The BBC reported it last June (HERE) and linked to The White Paper on Brexit published in February 2017, which said this:
In addition, the UK has played a major part in developing the main EU space programmes, Galileo and Copernicus, which have supported the rapid growth of the UK space sector and contributed directly to our prosperity and security.
As we exit the EU, we would welcome agreement to continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research and technology initiatives.
But now having apparently been locked out of the Galileo programme and preparing to buy our blue passports from a Franco Dutch company it is being reported that the MoD is looking to buy up to 500 armoured vehicles from a German consortium in a £2 billion contract (HERE). So much for them needing us more than we need them, eh?
What are we actually going to sell in these new trade deals? We can't even win our own contracts.
There is no doubt in the referendum that Leave's message was better that Remain's and it will one day be seen as a masterstroke how a bunch of right wing, Eton educated toffs and idiots, who have never been inside a factory, persuaded millions of workers they would somehow be better off putting up barriers between themselves and their main customers, friends and suppliers in return for an illusion (in Margaret Thatcher's words) called sovereignty that they will never see or feel.
It will be seen as the greatest betrayal of the working class in our long history.
