"Has any visiting leader ever seen so little of Britain or the British as Donald Trump is doing this week? The absurdly unrepresentative version of the country offered up to the US president on his second state visit on Wednesday was a Windsor parody, a Potemkin version of this country, glistening with protocol and polish, amid a lavish reenactment of the British monarchy's invented traditions. Just about the only thing that was authentic was the rain."
"But here's the unalterable and underlying thing. None of that really matters. What matters is that Trump is the most powerful leader in the world. Despite all the Trumpian shocks, the US and Britain remain allies. Business can and should be done between them. So the opportunity for face-time with Trump, in circumstances designed to soften him up with flattery and engage him over this country's own priorities, is to be seized. Not to do this would be perverse."
The Windsor events presented a highly curated, unrepresentative version of Britain, ornate with ritual but lacking authenticity; only the rain felt genuine. The central political calculation rests on power rather than symbolism: Trump remains the most powerful global leader and the US–UK alliance endures. Practical engagement and commercial diplomacy with the United States are necessary despite moral misgivings and popular unease. Keir Starmer might have delayed or leveraged the invitation for greater concessions, yet the decision to host a second state visit is framed as raison d'état—a pragmatic reward for bad behaviour that serves national interest, especially in Trump's second term.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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