So, we can breathe again. For a few days at least.
But it’s more likely than not that we will be back up at the top of this hill again in a fortnight.
And if Trump’s behaviour over the tariffs is repeated, he’ll up the ante with even more offensive language and we’ll go from deadline to deadline.
To see the leader of the free world openly threatening genocide (“A civilisation will die tonight”) and war crimes attacking civilian infrastructure was horrifying.
The bit that made me gulp was when the White House denied that he was planning to use nuclear weapons. I lived through a fair chunk of the Cold War. I was too young for the existential terror of the Cuban Missile Crisis but I never felt that we were likely to experience the Four Minute Warning imminently however frightening the Protect and Survive videos were.
I’m wondering if the Lib Dems should develop what we are saying in response to a President who is threatening the unthinkable. Ed Davey could never be accused of being timid on Trump but our response to his expletive laden rant on Easter Sunday was two days late and issued at pretty much the same time as the Labour Government announced it would do as we were asking.
UPDATE: I have had my wrist slapped for the above for missing Ed’s comment put out on social media on Sunday evening so it is only fair to add it in here.
Should we be calling for the US Ambassador to be dragged in to Downing Street and given an absolute carpetting? Should we not be calling for the UK Government to introduce a whole list of sanctions, in concert with our European partners, if Trump goes any further? The US is a rogue state now and should be treated like one.
We should certainly renew our calls for the King’s State visit to the States at the end of this month to be at the very least postponed. It would not be a good look for our head of state to be receiving hospitality at potentially the same time as Trump is threatening or even committing war crimes?
Given that Vice President Vance has been out and about openly supporting the odious Orban’s re-election effort, is it not time for the UK to remind the US Cabinet that the 25th Amendment exists and members of Congress that impeachment is a thing?
The Iranian regime is vile and that country needs to be on a path to democracy, but Trump’s arrogant and dangerous actions are not helping. He needs to be stopped and the only way to achieve that is to up the ante in standing up to him. Let’s not repeat the pattern of a crisis every few days. We should act now to try and prevent it.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social
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10 Comments
Wise comments
“I was too young for the existential terror of the Cuban Missile Crisis”
I wasn’t. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Missile_Crisis
And even earlier – the Hungarian uprising
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956
I agree with your thinking
I too remember the Cuban Missile Crisis. I went to bed thinking the cinema next door would be a smoking ruin the next morning. I was 12, so my political thinking was not developed!
I largely agree with Caron’s analysis. I have thought for a long time (even before Trump) that being so dependent on the USA for defence and trade was not in our best interests and Trump’s 2nd presidency makes it even more urgent to look elswhere for trade links and to stand up to Trump and not brown-nose him a la Starmer. Mark Carney’s idea of a group of middle sized states giving mutual support and free trade with each other seems a pretty good bet right now.
It is only when the USA starts to feel isolated and has lost much of its trade that its citizens may begin to turn their backs on the neocons and other lunatics that form Trump’s support base.
@ Nonconformistradical. Me too.
Was working at LPO at the time of the Cuban crisis and well remember Jo Grimond being asked what he would do if nuclear war broke out.
Jo’s response, “I will return to my constituency”, provoked a lot of black humour and laughter despite everything.
The ‘elephant in the room’ is Israel.. The initial Pakistan proposal accepted by Trump was inclusive of the action in Lebanon (The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, instructed Israeli troops to continue fighting there, contradicting an earlier statement from the Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif).
There seems a clamour to break relations with the USA but almost nothing about the real villain, Israel..
We should remember the UK is wholly dependent upon the US to run its government and much of its economy. The vast majority of the UK government’s IT (including HMRC’s systems) are now wholly on systems operated by US companies that are subject to the US Cloud Act (ie. The Whitehouse can compel US companies to grant them access to “customer” data and block access, as it has done in the past). We are in this situation as a direct result of actions initiated by Thatcher and continued under subsequent governments. £28+ bn pa would make a significant difference to the health of the UK IT industry and the UK domestic economy.
Impressive comments by Callum Miller today.
“Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesperson met Israeli president accused of inciting genocide”
The article unfortunately only gives a few soundbite style comments from Callum. The really troubling thing, is from this evenings radio interviews, the hardliners in Israel are sounding very like the hardliners in Iran and seem to want to continue the war – I’m sure the Pakistani PM would not have mentioned Lebanon if it wasn’t part of the agreement, likewise Trump in his first media comments (before he was updated by the Israeli’’s)…
Very important points Caron – and also expats. The Party MUST demonstrate greater clarity and consistency given the wildly illegal and inhumane actions of the US and Israel. The timidity and wavering we’ve seen from the Lib Dem leadership in the face of Trump and Netanyahu’s bullying and wanton destruction is making many Lib Dems (myself included) question our party membership.
I agree wholeheartedly. Ed Davey needs to ramp up our opposition to mad man Trump
Two days late in responding is not good. We need to be speaking out loudly in our opposition to Trump. I was never sure if a visit by King Charles was wise and at the very least we should be saying it needs postponing due to the President. Hurt his inflated ego where it hurt’s most