Wednesday 1 February 2017

Do these people want the UK to fail?

I am bemused by the criticism of Teresa May and her government for criticising Donald Trump's travel ban from selected countries, a policy that his predecessor had also used. Yes, the way the travel ban was implemented created hard cases which were difficult to defend. Boris Johnson called the ban "divisive and wrong" and moved to ensure British citizens with dual nationality were not affected. But still the hand wringers wail and lament. What further action would these people, who really are behaving like students keen to join any demo, suggest was taken? Sever diplomatic relations with the US?

I believe there is no chance that a government including Labour or the LibDems would deliberately offend the United States by going further than May and colleagues have. Even one led by Corbyn. The realpolitik of the situation would make that an act of gross self harm. So the supposedly serious politicians who are winding themselves up into a childish hissy fit are pressing for something they wouldn't actually do themselves, which is totally unprincipled.

Either that or I am wrong and they would. Which would leave Britain essentially friendless in the world. Maybe this is what they actually want. They want Britain to fail, because the country is not developing as they would wish. They presumably don't want a trade deal with the US, because they want us to have to go back cap in hand to the EU and say we didn't really mean all this Brexit stuff. They don't care that would put us in a far worse situation than any cliff they think we are heading for.

When they couple this with calling Brexit an act of self harm then we know they either don't know what they are saying or - even worse - they do but they incapable of behaving like grown ups.

US immigration policy is for the US to decide. Britain is trying to get itself into the position where it can also decide its immigration policy. As for the people screaming themselves red in the face? What a totally unedifying spectacle.

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