It’s probably better
for the UK to have a trade deal with the US than not, even if the deal isn’t as
good as some of its proponents like to claim. Still, there’s something of an
achievement in finalising a deal of any sort with Trump, so Sir Starmer is
probably right to feel at least a little pleased at getting the thing formally signed
yesterday.
Given Trump’s propensity
to change his mind without even waiting to drop a hat, there is an obvious
question mark about how long the deal will last before Trump decides that he
wants more. From a Trumpian perspective, any deal concluded quickly probably
doesn’t extract as many concessions as he might get by reneging on it later. Assuming
that he will honour his word would be very silly, and even Sir Starmer is surely
bright enough to understand that.
What should
particularly concern Sir Starmer were Trump’s own words about why he was doing a
special deal for the UK: “The UK is very well protected, you know why?
Because I like them. That’s their ultimate protection.” History shows that Trump
always looks after his friends right up to the point where he decides they’re
not his friends after all. As his former ‘first buddy’, Elon Musk is only too
well aware. There seems to be a prevailing belief amongst the echelons of the
English Establishment that Trump is so besotted with the English Royal Family
that he has a soft spot for the UK. One of the reasons why they find it so easy
to believe that is that it fits their own preconception of English
exceptionalism. The more sceptical amongst us might just conclude that, however
much he likes the odd royal (and some of them are very odd), when push comes to
shove he likes money even more.
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