FT.com: Little Englanders are of little use to America - by Philip Stephens

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Little Englanders are of little use to America - by Philip Stephens

What many in Mr Cameron’s party refuse to accept (his own views remain obscure) is that bilateral ties with the US cannot be separated from the broader transatlantic relationship embracing the rest of Europe. As often as not the Tories will claim that favoured status in Washington assures Britain of clout in Paris, Berlin or Brussels. What the Eurosceptics – and these days that means most of the Conservative party – refuse to accept is that the obverse is also true. Britain’s status in the US depends on whether it can shape events elsewhere in Europe.Nothing resembling a special relationship would survive Britain’s detachment from Europe