“It has to grow wings”: Interview with Lord Howell
Posted by AlexT - 11/08/09 at 05:08 pmLord Howell, former chairman of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs in the UK Parliament discusses the continued relevance of the Commonwealth to British Foreign Policy.
What do you think are the Commonwealth’s core strengths?
In a word the Commonwealth is a network. We live in an age of global information networks of a fantastic kind. The world is no longer organised in empires and blocs. And we are part of this network and so are the other 53 Commonwealth members.
It is multi-faith and trans-continental, unlike many other blocs. It embraces rich and poor in an equal relationship and of course there is a fantastic cement of common culture and common understanding and values. All of these things make the Commonwealth the ideal model for the 21st century.
How would you like to see the Commonwealth evolve in the 21st century?
It has to grow wings. It’s under funded. It’s underappreciated by many of its members, including the UK. It has got to be a much bolder organisation that recognises its innate strengths. When I say grow wings I don’t see why it shouldn’t have a more vigorous foreign policy aspect, the EU after all has a foreign minister, and an active foreign policy. The Commonwealth could have a similar kind of involvement. The Commonwealth could take a far stronger role in the whole development pattern of the globe. The Commonwealth is basically ready to take off it’s just not being supported the way it should at present. It’s got to raise its game.
I think it could have associate members as well as new ordinary members. Some of the giants of the world are waiting on the sidelines, not to join, I am thinking of Japan for instance (14% of the World’s GNP) but they would be very happy to be observers and associate with the Commonwealth. It’s an enormous opportunity which we have to exploit.
What role do you think the commonwealth should play in British foreign policy?
A much more central role. The British foreign policy system has been paralysed for the last 30 or 40 years by the belief that somehow we are being squeezed out of Europe the wonderful continentals are doing things and we have to get in on their game?. This is a complete misunderstanding of the way the world is working. Power has shifted to Asia, to the booming Asian economies and may soon shift to Africa as well. That is where our commonwealth links take us and therefore while we remain very active members of the European union we should strengthen our foreign policy links with the Commonwealth because together we can do great things- not only economically but in terms of peace and stability, peacekeeping, and international global stability.
Category : Economic Development, The Commonwealth's Relevance
Tags: Britain, economic, Lord Howell
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August 14th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Lord Howell’s comments are quite correct in every respect. While this is not a forum to discuss the EU, the recent European elections have shown just what the British People really think of the “Wonderful Continentals”. Unhelpful and foolish worries about our Colonial Past have left Britain neglectful of the Commonwealth and it’s about time that changed.
But that’s by the by. The Commonwealth does indeed need to be taken a lot more seriously by member states. The Economic muscle of both Western member states and of rapidly developing members further East and South has enough collective clout to influence a collective foreign policy…
Again, these comments show that the Commonwealth really has to decide what kind of organisation it wishes to be in the 21st century. It’s clear that the current paradigm isn’t working – why else would this consultation be taking place? But the 2009 CHOGM needs to ask some serious questions of itself. Does it wish to be a force for collective foreign action, with peacekeepers, mandates, boycotts? In contrast to other Supra-national entities there is no voting imbalance (vetos etc.) and the Commonwealth could certainly be a force for fair trade and aid distribution. It is not a force for ilolation or introversion like the EU, nor does it have ulterior national motives like USAid. That’s something to think about.
As for observer states, it’s a very good idea. I am currently writing from the Republic of Kazakhstan, where there is a similar debate occuring about the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States. It is currently even more of an irrelevence than our Commonwealth is alleged to be, and it contains some strong burgeoning economies (Kazakhstan is but one example). Associate members would be a new and interesting addition to the Commonwealth fold.
Yes, the Commonwealth is ready to take off. We hear this from every corner. The POTENTIAL is there, but the Commonwealth must, indeed, grow wings, teeth, or indeed anything else which will render it a more effective (or even more visible) entity.
August 17th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
The British Empire was all about trade and as Lord Howell suggests, utilising the Commonwealth which grew out of the Empire would benefit all member states.
Free trade is recognised as being in the interests of third world countries and if the Commonwealth could be seen to be doing something positive for those member countries that abide by human rights and anti-corruption guidelines, it really would grow wings.
Having access to the markets of South Africa, Canada, Australia and the UK without the cost of duty would be a real boon to many countries.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Most certainly. There has been talk in some quarters of creating a ‘world currency’ as a further lubricant to Free Trade and were this process to be begun in the Commonwealth it would certainly give member states a fair chance at competing. The imbalance between the value of national currencies is one stumbling block for the existing fair trade model. Universal parity, at least for international transactions, might help.
August 23rd, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Among the most damaging and humiliating conditions which followed WWII was our dependance on the US. In exchange for aid we were (IIRC) required to end our customs union and monetary union in favour of Bretton Woods, a paper money system which failed in 1971 and is now well on its way to bringing every country in it to ruin.
I live in Canada. Like most of HM sixteen remaining possessions we are a small country with large neighbours. We are heavily dependant on trade. The influence of US trade is as strong for us as the influence of European trade is for the UK.
Given the choice between uncontrolled deflation and hyper-inflation, the US and UK have apparently chosen the latter. It won’t help.
A Great Deflation — the natural result of monetary incontinence — will mop up quite a lot of the existing paper, so long as the Bank of Canada is closed and stops making more. There is enough gold and silver in Canada to remonetise, and it seems quite foolish now selling limited natural resources like oil and gas in exhange for foreign paper money which is rapidly approaching the natural trade value of recyclable paper.
I expect every country in the Commonwealth would be better off using a hard currency instead of this paper crap the US put us on in the 1950s. We haven’t seen a pennyweight of sterling in a penny since Henry VIII.
August 23rd, 2009 at 7:47 pm
All very well for Canada. Britain’s profligate Labour government sold off practically all our gold reserves about a decade ago. At the lowest possible rate.
I hate to say it, but the modern currency system is what it is. the dependence of Commonwealth states on the USA has to be changed, but the state of world trade at the moment is that money is no longer an indicator of actual value. Everyone bought into this, it will not be so easy to get out.
September 28th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Lord Howell has written a very interesting opinion piece on this topic in the Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/6228081/We-need-to-completely-rethink-our-foreign-policy.html
November 18th, 2009 at 10:54 am
I entirely agree with Lord Howell. When the commonwealth was formed, it was intended as a way for both Britain and its former colonies to remain great powers, and not fade into being weak. In the early 60′s there was still a hope that a decent military alliance and commonwealth trade agreement would help. However, it has essentially become a NGO or a charity that you never hear anything of. Britain and the other major commonwealth members should Invest more in it and make it relevant and powerful again.Unfortunatly, I predict that Britian will not make any effort to do this, will remain in the european union, slowly being lead towards a federal europe and grow ever weaker. I would be glad to be proved wrong.
December 16th, 2011 at 10:10 am
Well, two years from the last post and events seem to be taking an interesting turn.
The Commonwealth remains a criminally neglected organisation. Lord Howell’s comment were sensible as they were prescient. There are real opportunities afoot, but will our PM and FS exploit them to everyone’s advantage within the Commonwealth?