For every amount of indignation “surrendering our territory for no reason” that can be stoked, India has stoked quite the opposite feeling of anti colonial indignation at the previous status quo, now leading to their day of triumph, for It’s come to this win for India after a long campaign by them sponsoring the fight for this outcome.

We own it in eyes of UN. We don’t have to yield to UN court judgement’s, but we do need to be aware how the system is gamed to hurt our soft power, our influence, security and trade arrangements. That’s the nub of it IMO. India has been shredding our soft power in the region, hitting our trade in the region, by parading us as the colonial bogeyman – that is the main driver for both the last and present governments taking this change route. Don’t criticise this deal without an acknowledgement how India was using the status quo very effectively against us. If you were in power you could weigh it all up in similar way yourself.

Taking US nuclear subs, and heavy bomber aircraft, it’s important base for USA, for their interests in the Middle East – but let’s be honest not very much for UK anymore, the US has successfully gazzumped UK interests in The Middle East from what was a heyday – Anglo-Persian Oil Company later named BP for example. The base is in Indian waters and their security issue ultimately, in this Changed World, and how India wants to now boss the region. Its an important world trade route through these waters in the coming years, hence some Chinese interest, though not as much as made out, compared to South China waters.

The smartest thing UK should do is hand island with base over to US and India to own and manage, as Lord Dannatt suggested, but we can’t as they don’t want that. You can’t hand something on to someone who refuses to take it. One of the reasons they won’t is immediately obvious – this can be called a controversial UK negotiation, but actually US and India were in the room negotiating it – they get all the control, without the burden of responsibility.

Holding this hot chestnut down our breeches is something we got entangled into back in the sixties, Labour and Tory governments of the 60’s and 70’s tangled us in – to the point we actually carried out ethnic cleansing on behalf of the US. We were baited into this entanglement largely by the promise of discount on US military technology, including nuclear. And all that is still very much part of this new Chagos deal – continued UK military interoperability with the US is part of the signature on this deal.

Hence deal meister Trump loves the deal, as rightly should, two US administrations have written it for us. At least the Indians now have what they want, can’t keep using Chagos against us, it’s closed off in that sense. At least, that’s the point of doing it.

Moon Rabbit