COVID-19 has shown that “national security” in the widest sense of that term needs to be re-examined and an appropriate policy drawn up. However selling off the national infrastructure is not the issue. Railway lines and power stations cannot be packed up and carted offshore by hostile corporations or foreign governments. Short of military submission a nation state is sovereign in its own territory and can do whatever is necessary to ensure its security. Infrastructure assets can be seized and in times of national emergency the British workforce of that infrastructure is unlikely to down tools in support of the hostile foreign entity.
No, the national security concerns are to do with supply. A detailed study will need to be done but the kind of “assets” that need to be secured can be glimpsed by asking the question “what might bring the country to its knees if we had to go without for say 3 months?” Not cars, not avocados, not even toilet paper (though I would make the case for the soft variety!). It is basic food stuffs; wheat, potatoes, fruit, vegetables, salad and meat. It is energy; oil and gas. It is medical supplies; equipment, consumables, drugs and vaccine. Casting the net wider, it is the supply of raw materials and components for the continuation of activities that form a substantial part of the economy (historically vital but less so now because of our largely service based economy).
These are the assets that need to be secured and to do so is not as difficult as it has been regarded historically. Scientific and technological advances should make it possible for even these crowded islands to produce enough basic foodstuffs to feed the population. The “greening” of our economy almost incidentally brings with it energy security . The case for self sufficiency in medical supplies has more than been made and will be demanded by voters. The supply of raw materials and components is more problematic but appropriate policies in this area would help create a much needed true long term international strategy.
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