Disrespecting The Dead

I can't imagine what it must be like for the millions of sane, right-thinking Americans living in Trump's Truman Show version of their country right now. I wrote last night of the cohort of mad, bad, old 'strong men', of whom Donald Trump is the 'daddy' and archetype. Mere hours ago, the president of the most powerful nation in the world decided it would be perfectly acceptable to oversee the repatriation of the bodies of six US soldiers returning from their deaths in Iran wearing a white USA baseball cap from his own campaign merchandising store to the ceremony. Even Fox News couldn't countenance being responsible for broadcasting images or footage of this insult, preferring instead to use stock footage from his first term of office. When tasked as to why they did this, however, they asserted that it had been inadvertently done, rather than admit that even they were outraged by their president's comportment on such a solemn occasion, or more likely that they could see that an outraged American public of both political colours would quickly turn on both them and the president they blindly support.

Meanwhile, over here in the relatively calm shallows of UK politics, the Labour government is quietly trying to keep a clear head on the matter of our withering 'special relationship' with the US at the hands of The Donald, by making overtures to our nearest and largest allies and trading bloc; Europe and the EU, rather than genuflecting madly to the madman in the White House. As The Observer editorial piece this Sunday pointed out, when the US attacked Iran, Starmer turned his eyes not to America, but to Europe, declining to assist the US in its belligerence in the process. Trump's project of regime change in Iran is already failing: the incumbent regime has already replaced the Ayatollah and demonstrated that they themselves, the mad, bad, old 'strong men' heading The Revolutionary Guard that the majority of Iranians themselves would rather see ousted from power. But Trump's adventure in the region - which he views as a 'performance' - will serve only to damage an already cowed population fatally. Meanwhile, we have to follow Starmer's quiet lead and entertain rekindling close ties politically and economically with our closest allies: the EU. We no longer can rely on America's support in this febrile world...