As Politics Home reported in an email yesterday:
It is “totally unserious” to suggest that the UK must choose between siding with Europe or the United States in its approach to the war in Ukraine, Keir Starmer has said.
Other reports suggest that whoever wrote this paragraph got the sentiment that Starmer was trying to project to Parliament right.
The trouble is, Starmer makes himself look a complete fool by making such a claim. Anyone, and in fact almost everyone, can now see that Trump is not our ally anymore.
Trump has not only flipped sides during the course of a war, shifting US support from the position of his predecessors with regard to Ukraine, to now supporting Russia's position, and its aggression towards that state.
There is nothing subtle about this process. It is there for everyone to see.
It is also clear that Trump's pro-Russian stance is not just with regard to Ukraine. He has literally closed down every single security process in operation in the USA that might prevent Russia interference with US elections. Simultaneously, he has cancelled the entire USAID programme, which eliminates most of American soft power in the world. He has also closed down US anti-corruption programmes as if he wants to give a green light to Russian oligarchs that the US is now open to them to launder their funds.
Simultaneously, his tariff war against the European Union makes it clear that he not only wishes to transfer responsibility for supporting Ukraine to European states, but he also wishes to undermine their capacity to provide that assistance.
At the same time, Trump is blatantly seeking to undermine the effectiveness of the US constitution, the rule of law in the USA, and the rights of Congress to challenge the actions he takes as president. He is very obviously staging a coup in plain sight.
Perhaps as seriously, real people in the USA are suffering as a consequence. One quarter of all Americans are likely to lose some or all of their medical support and right now, millions of women in America will be facing increased medical risk as a consequence of Trump‘s administration removing information from federal websites on how conditions that only women can suffer from should be treated so that US medical practitioners are being left without any up-to-date guidance on the proper treatments to prescribe, making it almost impossible for them to do so in the litigious US medical system. I make the point deliberately. Trump is not only at war externally with almost everybody but Russia, he is also at war with his own people.
In this context, when it is glaringly obvious that Trump is not only not our ally, but he's very clearly setting out to undermine the political, economic and social security of the UK, he can only be described as an enemy of our best interests. For Keir Starmer to pretend otherwise is, to be frank, stupid. It is hard to find another word. In that context, for his ministers to go on the radio and say that Trump remains someone that they can trust makes them look ludicrous. Nobody in their right mind should trust Trump.
So, what is Starmer playing at? Is it that, as ever, he cannot give up on the Labour habit of triangulation, established by Tony Blair, as a result of which Labour plays off all the parties to a potential policy, seeking appeasement with everyone whilst trying to find a line of least resistance even when that path is utterly inappropriate, as a present. I think this is most likely.
It is, however, also possible that Starmer is way out of his depth at present, and is working on autopilot, delivering platitudes because as yet he has no idea what else to do.
What I am sure of is that Starmer's current position is going to rebound on him. Trump is not changing or withdrawing. Of that I think we can be sure. As a result, Starmer is going to look ever more incompetent as his current comments rebound on him.
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It now seems likely that Trump will lift sanctions on Russia. How will the rest of the world react? Rationally, we should sanction America too, but it’s hard to envisage that happening. Either way, the implications for world order are profound.
Agreed
Basically we have two oligarchical led countries coming together based on the ‘strong man’ hypothesis.
The problem for Trump though is that America is a more open country than Russia – for the moment at least.
Great article, I think you could make this into a video as Americans need to hear this
I’m trying to persuade myself that Starmer is trying to buy some time. Openly antagonising Trump will undoubtedly mean retaliation by Trump – tariffs + who knows what else. I’m hoping that behind the scenes action is being taken to stop sharing intelligence with America, to set EU up to manage post NATO, identify what retaliatory action we can take if or more likely when Trump starts attacking us.
I guess we’ll find out pretty soon.
He’s a fool if the thinks he can buy time. It did not work for Mexico and Canada. It won’t for anyone else.
No steer Keir will keep floundering trying to be a bridge with King Don.
The UK economy is starting to tank, a recession looms.
It’s clear that US policy is mafia based aiming to shake down the rest of the world.
The trouble that King Don and his crew have not worked out is that cutting $800bn from Medicaid, sacking thousands of veterans and so on will produce very annoyed voters who will not forget.
The trouble is that the US cannot wait until the mid term elections to stop the rot.
Thank you, Richard.
These articles may be of interest: https://unherd.com/newsroom/starmers-dc-visit-confirms-britains-subordination/ and https://bylinetimes.com/2025/03/03/uk-defence-spending-european-union/. I have worked with BT’s Richard Barfield. This book, too: https://vassalstate.co.uk/.
It’s going to be a long haul, but it won’t be Starmer and the other recipients of US money and puppets of US funded Blair and Mandelson.
Please let me remind readers that, as late as the Monday before the 2019 election, Corbyn met Barnier to discuss a Norway deal, including a suggestion on City supervision from me. Starmerites and others who used Brexit as a means of undermining Corbyn should be reminded of that and asked to reflect.
Thanks
When Starmer is saying the US is an ally. I believe that he is confirming a desire or aspiration for the future. A hope. He is not offering a serious description of our current situation. Relations are shaky, in other words the status of the previous relationship is broken. I felt that this relationship broke a long time ago.
I think he is deluded
The connections between Starmer & the Washington establishment (under Obama) have been well described in various books. The current situation has either confused him or he is in denial (De Nile? where the crocs are) . Perhaps he hopes that something is salvageable (it isn’t). This presents a political opportunity – because DeForm are pro-Trump but what is unfolding is not pretty wrt the people in the USA. As for Trump closing down US monitoring systems – I guess that he hopes that one of his off-spring will “inherit” the crown. Hints have been made & I have zero doubt that an oligarch-ruled system would suit both Ruzzia and the USA-oblast. Which leaves Europe and the UK.
Last observation: Ruzzia has done badly in its war, due to a combo of corruption and incompetance. The two tend to be a feature of authoritarian/oligarchic systems – there is reason to expect that the USA will, likewise become as bad & as corrupt as Russia. Also it is a matter of record, most of the interesting tech stuff was developed by gov suported R&D – but that ain’t going to happen – no more gov, no more support.
One last comment: universal soldier – that is all down to who we – the people – allow to run society. If it is authoritarian then people have no choice. Soliders, war, military – all political choices.
Rachel Maddow has a report this morning on the scale of protests growing in the US – right across the country. https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
And the segment above that is about an unprecedented interest in people running for office – at every level – in the US.
So they are positives.
On the downside, Trump and his cronies continue to largely ignore any legal judgement against them – as with USAID, where they were ordered to restart programmes but have not done so. And Ari Melber (also MSNBC) had a report last week about these moves being deliberate to ensure these cases get to the supreme court quickly. It would seem that the belief and Trump and his advisers is that the court will rule that given Trump is supposedly try to ‘save the country’ they will say he can therefore not do anything illegal – rather as he claimed in a TruthSocial post recently. This isn’t so far fetched as one might think, given they already granted immunity from prosecution to the President.
Of course, if that does happen – and Trump can count on at least four justices to support that position – it’s effectively the end of the rule of law in the US. But it is exactly what’s happened in Hungary and what Putin’s been able to do in Russia (and China, of course, most recently with the supreme court in Hong Kong) – so we know what playbook Trump is operating to.
So, barring incredible opposition – and at least some Republican politicians growing a spine – we may well see the US become an totalitarian state by the end of the year. I’m not sure many US citizens voted for that, but sadly enough did to make it so.
One final point. I don’t suppose that many Trump supporting US citizens read this blog. But a word anyway. However old you are, through your life you’ve been able to go to a bar of barbeque, or any other social or work related situation and moan and groan about your governments. And you’ve been able to do that without consequence – as we mainly do in the UK. So note, 2025 may be the last year you’ll be doing that. And you can forget protections under the constitution. Russia has a constitution but it has consistently changed and amended to allow the punishment of anyone Putin decrees should be punished.
An example. In the US, as in the UK, we can moan about whether we support the war in Ukraine, Zelenskyy, or Trump, or think Starmer’s an idiot for thinking he can play both sides in his dealings with the US and Europe, and so on. Do that in Russia and you end up in prison, or, to avoid that you can ‘volunteer’ to go to the front line in Ukraine and fight, where you’ll almost certainly be dead or severely maimed within 12 days.
That, or something very similar, my US friends, is the fate that awaits you. And boy, when it does will you be pissed that you lost the democracy you had.
Much to agree with
Thanks
Would you say we have many allies and like minded people in the US, just not in the government?
And the MAGA crowd / money men have threatened politicians standing in their way of deselection and/or massive campaign funding against those causing trouble.
Both the Republicans and Democrats support similar neoliberal economics/politics or worse so making things better for the masses by redistribution / restructuring is not on the table.
The Greens…Jill Stein is a hope but what chance?
The 3 piers of US democracy – President, Legislature and Supreme Court are all compromised.
Will (if we have another) Democrat government stack the supreme court and overturn unlimited political funding?
Will the military step in?
The majority of Americans (and westerners) have been hoodwinked by years of neoliberal economics / politics.
We should be on our guard when the House of Commons are ‘united’ – as they were yesterday – Tories saying Starmer ‘hasn’t put a foot wrong’.
It seemed obvious from yesterday onwards – the only way for Starmer was down – the fantasy of bringing everyone together Ukraine Europe US …- putting British peacekeeping boots on the ground right on Russia’s border, with US providing air cover backstop etc etc .
He’s also falling for the Putin/Trump ‘big power’ international order by ignoring the UN – who might in some circumstances do peacekeeping – which certainly NATO cant do vis Russia.
Within hours Trump had pulled the rug from under Starmer’s feet summarily withdrawing arms supply to Ukraine.
But Ukraine lost this war years ago – when ‘the West’ neglected to engage with a defeated Soviet Union and looted their state assets = colluding with oligarchs etc etc – see Richard Sakwa etc.
There will have to be some kind of sub optimal peace deal – not helped by 2 years of saying Ukraine must win.
As Richard says – Starmer will look incompetent – but so will most of our leading politicians and defence ‘experts’…
Much to agree with
The job of the opposition is to oppose
On a personal note (not me – some other poor devil):
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/03/ice-german-tourist-detained-immigration
This is how the USA treats citizens of an “ally” with all the right paper work. My advice to those reading this blog.. don’t visit the USA under any circumstances. I have no doubt that this could evolve into a hostage situation a la Iran/Russia.
The USA is now an enemy state.
I’m starting to think that US has to sort itself out — with a civil war if necessary. If it doesn’t, much global sadness will ensue.
One unknown is what blue states will do. Do they hold the power to make a difference?
Hard to tell when the Democrats are saying nothing, as Robert Reich is pointing out.
Following on from what Robert Reich says today, I understand their reluctance -I would not like to be in Trumps’ crosswires at the moment – but from here it is disappointing that none of the ex-Presidents are calling out loudly and incessantly the illegality of what Trump is doing.
Agreed
Politics and diplomacy is about doing what’s right for the citizens you represent. Since when is making an enemy of the world’s number one superpower doing what’s right for the people of the U.K. You clearly would prefer to live in an ideological bubble. This probably explains why you are a blogger and not doing something more meaningful.
I find this quite amusing.
First, it assumes the USA under Trump is the number one superpower.
Second, it is a little odd to be accused of doing nothing meaninful when I retired as Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School kast Friday.
But, why let facts get in the way of trolling?
Starmer has no choice but to be diplomatic, he is Prime Minister and will have to deal with a world which includes Trump for the next four years.
So given the nature of Trump Starmer’s public pronouncements need to continue to extol the historical relationship between the two countries. I would hope though that – again because of the nature of Trump – his planning assumes there is no relationship, or at least nothing useful that flows from it.
We will see.
Why do we need a relationship with a fascist intent on undermining the UK?
I do not understand your position. Starmer will live to regret his current position. Sometimes speaking the truth is necessary. Trump is niot seeking peace. That has to be called out.
Sounds like what Neville Chamberlain would have argued. He went off to shake hands with a “border-redrawing” fascist and came home with a useless bit of paper.
I wonder what Starmer will say when Trump redraws the border with Canada and calls it North Michigan or East Alaska? Have a cosy fireside chat about it when Trump visits Balmoral?
What a pity Janey Godley is no longer with us.
https://janeygodley.com/2016/06/28/welcomed-trump-scotland/
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fAulPWvWkus
(Beware, contains true statements in weedgie which some fascists may find offensive)
Do not forget that Chamberlain’s treaty gave the UK time to re-arm. We need that time now too. Delaying the inevitable as much as possible can be the right thing to do.
What part is Lord Peter Mandelson and his shadow UK/US special relationship Blairite government playing in directing Keir Starmer ? What do these Trump Russo-MAGA political realliances mean for the US support of the post Brexit EU aligned status of Northern Ireland ? Are Mandelson’s still heavily UK state funded ‘community’ Loyalist gangsters being groomed, yet again, on X, by Musk and his Boys, to create that ‘inevitable’ UK wide civil war Musk boasted of during last summer’s riots ? We are all in now uncharted political territory.
I admit this an issue I have not thought about.
I will have to do so.
The USA has not been a friend of the UK, nor the rest of the world since 1945. See Matt Kennard’s book “The Racket” (2nd ed). https://amzn.eu/d/2wxg5ak
Reviewed by The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/22/the-racket-rogue-reporter-masters-universe-matt-kennard-review