Living on a small island can make you adopt insular attitudes towards what’s happening in the rest of the world. War in Europe, extreme weather disasters, superpower dominance…not my problem.
The EU has an important role in opposing Russian expansionist aggression, and pushing back against Trump’s protectionist import tariffs. It is a shame that the UK is no longer part of that union of European nations.
The ‘special relationship’ between the USA and the UK means very little, it certainly is no guarantee of preferential treatment in global trade.
Populism, far right successes, the use of the military to enforce political agendas are worrying trends in world politics. But without strong opposition that trend will continue and dictatorships will thrive. Dictatorships can be created with the backing of armies, by political dominance or by the indifference of the voting public.
In Europe there are some signs of hope with the success of broadly socialist parties with liberal democracy at their foundations. But the dangers of countries finding allies to support their contravention of international laws and measure their success by holding the economic upper hand at the expense of poorer countries is unsettling.
We can’t just pull up the drawbridge and hope for the best.
odespinner 