Why it's clear Farage and Badenoch would make UK subservient to Trump's America
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has shown that standing up to Donald Trump can be a vote winner
“No one starts a war – or rather, no one in his sense ought to do so – without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by the war and how he intends to conduct it.” So wrote the famous Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz, author of the 1832 book On War, which gave rise to the phrase “the fog of war”.
As Donald Trump’s war of choice against Iran continues, he has clearly missed this essential reading. Similarly, at Westminster, the fog has scrambled the brains of the Conservative and Reform parties, persuading these right-wing armchair warriors to ignore the national interest, and instead pursue political opportunism at the expense of what is right for Britain.
Notions of a rules-based international order are rejected as they dig themselves ever deeper into Trump’s pocket, exposing the hypocrisy of their cheap patriotism. They may profess the importance of sovereignty but seem willing to turn this country into America’s 51st state in all but name. Like Brexit, this would be a betrayal of Britain.
Starmer defending UK’s interests
Reform leader Nigel Farage is a committed Trump fan who once said he “admired” Vladimir Putin “as a political operator”. No surprise there, but why is Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also offering up our country on a plate to Trump?
In contrast, Keir Starmer is defending Britain’s interests, acting in a measured and cautious way, while focussing on defensive action and seeking to uphold international law. He has refused to be intimidated by Trump’s threats or the blood-curling outpourings of inhumanity that regularly emanate from the troubled and toxic soul of Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary for War.
The Conservatives and Reform are ignoring the national mood. The war in Iran is not popular in either Britain or the United States, even among Trump’s Maga supporters. Most people despise Iran’s brutal fascist theocracy and would like to see its demise, but Starmer is right to say that “regime change can’t be achieved from the sky”.
READ MORE: UK Government will 'get ahead' of price rises caused by Middle East conflict as inflation rise looms
Questions remain about the timing of the war. Was it driven by the fanaticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the religious ultra-nationalists in his Cabinet, or the impulsive behaviour of a US President who may be hoping that foreign adventures – which could have catastrophic long-term consequences for the Middle East and the global economy – will provide a useful distraction from his domestic woes?
And what do the Trump administration’s criticisms of the UK Government say about the so-called “Special Relationship” between Britain and US? Boris Johnson reportedly viewed the term as sounding too “needy and weak” from the UK’s point of view – and Trump appears to agree.
READ MORE: Iran War: I'm no fan of Keir Starmer but he's right to reject demands of pro-Trump Tories and Reform
‘A war without a strategy’
Starmer was wise to be measured in his responses, given multiple uncertainties. Writing in the New Yorker, journalist Susan B Glasser asked, “can the US win a war of its choosing when it cannot explain why it chose to fight or what exactly victory would mean?” And an assessment published in The Economist was brutal, saying “this is a war without a strategy”.
There was no consultation with Nato, the United Nations’ Security Council or key allies like the UK. Yet Trump still believes that Starmer should have supported him “without question or hesitation”.
Fealty to the United States is losing its appeal. The world is slowly opening its eyes to all the chaos and crisis and the need for the European Union, Nato, the UN and other global and regional groupings to provide legitimate long-term alternatives to this new form of US hegemony under Trump. If the Democrats regain control of the US House of Representatives in the midterm elections in November, that could provide some respite.
The surrender of Britain’s long-term interests by Farage and Badenoch to the US is not surprising, it is right-wing populism in action. The mocking and undermining of Britain by the US is no accident and fits a pattern of abuse meted out by the President, his Cabinet and Big Tech colleagues to keep Britain isolated and more easily controlled.
Carney’s morale-boosting stance on Trump
If this is a Special Relationship, Britain needs a rethink. Trump hates and fears the EU and is determined to wreck Britain’s relations with Brussels.
It is time to move on and expose those on the green benches at Westminster who are willing to play fast and loose with Britain’s future. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has shown that standing up to Trump is popular and can boost the mood and morale of voters.
But it mustn’t stop there. The world can’t be run for the sole benefit of the US where proud countries pay homage to the ‘Great Leader’ or risk being publicly humiliated.
Rethinking the future raises the question of what our relationship with the United States should be. Trump – whose attitude towards Britain, especially in these difficult times, needs to be taken seriously – is actually pushing us away from the US and towards Europe. Reducing the massive gravitational pull that the US has exerted on the UK for decades will allow us to join new international ‘coalitions of the willing’.
This may be a step too far for some, such as Tony Blair. However, the war in Iraq provides awkward history for the former Prime Minister, who is now advising the “Board of Peace” – created by Trump to rebuild Gaza, but seen as a ruse to replace the UN, which the US President despises. When advising on international affairs, Blair should be careful about criticising Starmer.
Let’s hope the fog of war lifts soon from the minds of Badenoch and Farage at Westminster, the White House, and all those with short memories.
Henry McLeish is a former First Minister of Scotland
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