Munich all over again
After 14 bleak years of Conservative rule in the United Kingdom, I was glad to see the Tory Party finally booted out of power last year. While I wouldn’t have them back for anything, their flabby replacement has been disappointing thus far. The current Labour government under “Labour Light” prime minister Keir Starmer isn’t all that much better.
So it was hardly surprising when Starmer’s government said that Donald Trump has changed the global conversation around Ukraine “for the better.” As world leaders marked the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale rape of Ukraine on Monday, Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said that Trump had opened the door to talks that could bring lasting peace.
Yes, they actually said that, and no, I’m sure they despise the guy as much as I do. So what’s going on?
I think they are kissing Trump’s ass to get what they want. Starmer is slated for a White House visit this week, and he knows if he wants to get anything useful done then he’s going to have to stroke Trump’s ego. So Starmer’s people did not comment on Trump’s farcical and asinine lie that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a dictator and that Ukraine was responsible for its own invasion. Even the likes of Boris Johnson attacked Trump for that.
While I fully understand why Starmer is doing this I think it’s a huge mistake. Trump’s comments have done nothing but harm. He is gaslighting the world when he makes the preposterous claim that Ukraine, Putin’s VICTIM, is somehow to blame for the fact that Putin attacked Ukraine, murdered its people, destroyed its cities and raped its women. Ukraine is doing what any sovereign nation would do. They are desperately defending themselves.
Whatever short term concessions Starmer can get out of Trump, there is absolutely no justification for this outrageous bullshit. It would be far better if the European nations got together and made a united front against Trump. it would be far better if they made it clear to him that we are all mad as hell and are not going to stand for this any more.
By uncritically welcoming Trump, Starmer is effectively saying that Trump should keep on doing what he’s doing, which is to tell outrageous lies and turn America into a fascist state modelled after Nazi Germany. In its extreme selfishness, Britain isn’t doing America any favours, let alone itself. Sooner or later Starmer is either going to have to become a Nazi himself, or he’s going to speak truth to corrupt power. He’ll be better off and far more respected if he starts speaking the truth RIGHT NOW.
In fairness, Starmer did tell the Ukrainian president and European leaders that Kyiv “holds all the cards in this war,” a direct contradiction of Trump’s remarks last week that Moscow was in the position of strength. Starmer also repeated calls for Ukraine to have a seat at the table for any peace talks, and for a US “backstop” to any agreement.
Nevertheless, Starmer is now suggesting that Trump’s pathetic tantrums about Ukraine and love letters to Putin are somehow helpful. They are not. There is no way to frame Trump’s behaviour in a positive light, and any attempts to do so are pathetic and obviously insincere in light of other remarks.
I’m deeply disappointed in Keir Starmer, and I hope he doesn’t corrupt other nations by setting this disgraceful example of craven appeasement. Starmer must stand up to Trump’s lie that Europe’s commitment to Ukraine is anything less than one hundred percent. Otherwise it’s Munich 1938 all over again.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.