As Donald Trump sours the 'Special Relationship', UK must look to Europe
Everyone in the UK needs to realise that Donald Trump is creating a very different geopolitical reality to the one we’ve become used to
Of all the diplomatic communications in all of human history, it’s hard to think of another more stupendously bizarre than Donald Trump’s message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America,” wrote the world’s most powerful man, adding: “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
Trump is inviting the world to speculate that he is now thinking of war for a most petulant reason – even if only, for the time being, a trade war. He is currently threatening to impose a 10 per cent tariff on “on any and all goods” sent from the UK and other countries to the US from February 1 and a 25 per cent one from June 1, unless a deal is reached for the US to buy Greenland.
It appears unclear whether or not these would stack on top of existing tariffs, but a new rate of 25 per cent would be devastating for Scottish businesses, particularly the whisky industry.
Talking Trump down
In response, Keir Starmer rightly called for "calm discussion between allies" to resolve the situation and played down concerns that Trump might invade Greenland.
However, the Prime Minister also stressed “the use of tariffs in this way is completely wrong” and the crisis was a "moment for the whole country to pull together", suggesting he fears the situation may escalate.
With thousands of Scottish and British jobs at stake – and indeed the health of the global economy – Starmer must do everything he can to talk Trump down. However, we all need to realise we are facing the emergence of a very different geopolitical reality that necessarily requires the UK to move closer to its allies in the rest of Europe.
Trump’s America is by no means an enemy of this country, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to regard it as a friend. This is no ‘Special Relationship’.
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