BBC News - Tories to reverse UK's 'shrinking' clout says Hague‏

"The Conservatives have pledged to reverse what they say is the UK's "shrinking" influence in the world.
Shadow foreign secretary William Hague said the UK's economic and diplomatic clout had fallen under Labour and the UK risked "retreating into its shell".
In a speech in London, he promised "close" ties with the US if the Tories win power, and tougher action on Iran.
Earlier Mr Hague said he would not seek an "instant confrontation" with the EU despite concerns about its direction.
In an interview with the Financial Times, he said the Conservatives had made "a strategic decision" not to start an immediate row over Europe because its priority would be dealing with the UK's budget deficit.
"We have enough on our hands without an instant confrontation with the EU," he told the paper. "

Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. Like we'll become another small country with an ego far greater than our influence deserves.

And we'll be closer to the US but further from Europe. Highly original thinking that. I mean, hasn't every government promised to be closer to the US but 'frank' when necessary? Hasn't every Tory foreign policy in recent history promised to move us away from those horrible Europeans we're so unlucky to be stuck next to?

I like Europe. I like the people. I don't like the bureaucracy of the institutions, but I prefer it to the American approach.
I just don't see how we can ever really trust a nation that doesn't play football over a continent that does

we'll be relegated to sitting alongside racists and nutters, great plan

"Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said the Tories have been isolated in their response to the recession, in contrast to the leading role that the UK has played in bodies like the G20 in tackling the financial crisis"
That's largely true, without wanting to get into party political arguments (and failing - or rather only succeeding because there's no-one to argue with).