While the focus has been on Russian interference in British politics, we should not forget the
interventions of the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
As soon as the General Election campaign began Donald Trump returned to his running
commentary on British politics to again attack Labour’s leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Speaking to Nigel Farage of all people on LBC, he said “Corbyn would be so bad for your
country, he’d be so bad, he’d take you on such a bad way. He’d take you into such bad places.”
This comes in addition to his regular attacks on our Labour, and Muslim, Mayor of London Sadiq
Khan.
Both Jeremy and Sadiq can of course take these attacks as a badge of honour.
Labour stands for everything Trump can’t stand – peace, international respect for human rights,
action to tackle the climate emergency, plus support for equality, tolerance and diversity.
Furthermore, by demanding a pact between the Tory and Brexit parties it is clear that Trump
wants a so-called ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the US firmly rooted in the politics of
the far-right. This is consistent with his international alignments with the likes of the far-right
Bolsonaro in Brazil amongst many others.
John McDonnell rightly called it “Trump’s alliance” of “Farage & Johnson following Trump’s
orders” after Farage stood down candidates against the Tories.
As for the NATO Conference itself in London, which Trump and others like Erdogan are
attending, one needs to ask what is the point of NATO? It is after all 30 years on from the fall of
the Berlin Wall ending the Cold War, the campaign it was designed to win by containing the
threat from the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact alliance.
More recently, we have just witnessed the cancellation of the Intermediate Range Nuclear
Forces (INF) Treaty of 1987 between Moscow and Washington. More may follow with the end of
the Strategic weapons treaty START 2 due to run out in 2021, with no realistic replacement in
sight.
Unfortunately, a New Cold War is emerging and we have yet to adjust to the old one ending. As
the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, one of two major architects of the above
agreements, has warned that the current tension between Russia and the West is putting the
world in “colossal danger”. He raised severe concerns about the threat from nuclear weapons and called for all countries to declare that nuclear weapons should be destroyed.
The good news for progressives and Labour members though is that during this election
campaign we can tell Trump clearly that his interference is not welcomed at the national
demonstration in Central London when the Queen will be hosting a reception of NATO leaders at
Buckingham Palace on the 3rd of December.
We should also remember that this is within a context when the government’s latest review of
spending showed them keen to spend £2.6 billion next year on Defence to maintain its NATO
contribution at Trump’s insistence. This is almost as much as their intended spend on schools,
health and policing.
It also shows where their real priorities lie in appeasing the Trump administration – as does the
priority they are giving to a sweetheart free-trade deal with the US, even if it means putting the
NHS up for sale, plus a race to the bottom on workers’ rights and environmental protections.
If you want an anti-War Prime Minister committed to peace and international justice, rather than
slavishly following Trump’s hard-right, war-mongering agenda. you can only vote for the Labour
Party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership on the 12th of December.
As Jeremy himself has said, it’s time that we stopped outsourcing our foreign policy and security
to the increasingly erratic Trump administration. Who knows what he is going to be saying on
twitter while in London!
So let’s make this happen, as part of our programme for real change, both here and around the
world. Join the demonstration and vote Labour!
Lets not forget, Donald Trumps antics while he is here may well be our Trump Card!
This article was published on the 30th of November in the weekend edition of the Morning Star.