He (Mr. Watkinson) questioned whether the Opposition’s Censure motion was on the Government or on the whole NATO Alliance. He and the Government believed the NATO Alliance was and must remain the core to our defence strategy.
If he were to accept the provisions of the motion and some of the arguments put forward by Opposition members, he would have to go to the Defence Minister’s meeting and propose a complete reversal of present NATO policy—(Opposition cries of “Why not?”)—“The consequence would be that I should have done the maximum to weaken the Alliance.”