Patrick Harkness: Northern Ireland’s place in UK allows us to dare mighty things to change the world

This is because most remarkable achievements tend to be delivered in larger economies, regardless of the identities of the people involved.Smaller economies pursue fewer projects and so their appetite for large, ambitious, and high-risk activities has to be reduced.

To ‘dare mighty things’, as Teddy Roosevelt said, it helps to have the economies of scale behind you.

And it is only by daring mighty things that we can create transformational progress, for everyone, regardless of where they live.

It was as part of the UK that we split the atom, invented antibiotics, and landed on Mars. The critical mass of the larger underlying system gave us the tools we needed to make the world a better place.

A better world needs better security, and this is also best delivered in bulk.

A smaller economy can donate money, but it is only as part of the UK that we can maintain medical research facilities in Africa, or provide the hardware required to repel the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

After typhoon Haiyan, Royal Navy ships, with desalination plants, provided support as the UK flew in forklifts, helicopters, and cleanup equipment.

There are perhaps three or four countries that can put a field hospital anywhere in the world, this time next month. Northern Ireland, as part of the UK, is one of them, and to walk away from these capabilities would be a disservice to those less fortunate than ourselves.

This precious mix needs sustainability, too. Lots of countries have ambitions to reduce their carbon emissions and single-use plastics, and these are valuable local contributions to a global problem. But, as part of the UK, we can do so much more.

Did you know that Northern Ireland protects 4.3 million square kilometres of the global ocean – an area half the size of Brazil – through our UK blue belt programme?

Did you know that we, as part of the UK, used our global presence to detect the ozone hole, which led to worldwide action on CFCs and, now, a healthier atmosphere for everyone?

Did you know that this is one of the very few nations which track space debris, seeking to preserve not just our planet but the space beyond?

This, and more, is why I support our place in the United Kingdom. It is not a matter of zero-sum identity politics, songs and flags, or borders on maps. It is a recognition that, when you are part of something bigger, you have more opportunities to make a difference. You can leverage the collective efforts of 70 million people. That leverage is what creates the critical mass, the global reach. The extra mile that could not be completed any other way.

Of course, many will say, why not try 500 million, in the EU. It is an argument that holds water, but it is not exactly the same thing. The EU supports healthcare mutual-recognition, but it does not run national health services. It runs research funding competitions, but it does not run universities. Leaving aside the fact that we have associated to healthcare and research programmes anyway, the organisations and infrastructure that do the work, on the ground, remain the responsibility of individual states. That’s why what we have here is so valuable, and why we should not seek to reduce the breadth and depth of our own capabilities. The future depends on them.

The UK is not perfect, but the fundamentals are good. They work. Why take a risk to change a flag, when – right here – we can dare mighty things to change the world.

l Patrick Harkness is associated to healthcare and research programmes at the Together UK Foundation, a not-for-profit, non-party political organisation, formed to prosecute the benefits of the Union of the United Kingdom. Visit www.togetherukfoundation.com