What did I tell you?

We should be playing Bullshit Bingo. After my little rant this morning about the 'independent nuclear deterrent' and Hillary Clinton's strategic intervention into the UK's budget decisions, out comes Mekon William Hague, and I could have written the script myself.

"The UK will remain, within the context of Nato, a military power of the first rank".

"Although we will have to make some adjustments and changes and no doubt reductions, I think America can be assured that we will still remain a very important ally and still pack a very important punch," Hague told the Council on Foreign Relations.

Speaking on Friday in Brussels, William Hague said the UK would remain within the context of Nato and would continue to have an independent nuclear deterrent, formidable intelligence agencies and flexible and highly deployable forces.

This is pathetic. This is Rocky claiming still to have it. It's the addict who claims to be able to give up any time. He's in denial. As a country, Britain's in denial. It's not a military power of the first rank at all. The US in in the first rank. China's in the second. Probably Russia, India and Israel next. Britain's well down the list.

The difference between Hague and myself is that I think that's a good thing. Let's be like the Scandinavians. Instead of demanding respect because you've got nuclear weapons, like a school bully, how about claiming the moral high ground by disarming the nukes, devoting the forces to peacekeeping, and promising to make amends for the British Empire. Thanks for WW2 and all that, but you've still got a lot to live down. Being the snide kid tagging along with the Fat American playground bully isn't principled, it's desperate.