Despite having been allies for over a century, the U.K. and U.S. don’t always see eye to eye. It’s the little things really.
The wisdom of the Vietnam war. The correct way to spell the word color. Whether a zucchini is really a courgette or indeed if such distinctions matter. And of course there’s always the whole metric thing.
We don’t watch U.S. cooking shows in the U.K. much. Mostly because we don’t know how much is in a cup of flour.
What with cups coming in all different shapes and sizes and all.
Still, when it comes to the things that matter, the big-ticket stuff, the bonds of friendship and shared cultural heritage and what not, both sides are usually reading from the same playbook.
Which is what made today’s pronouncements so shocking.
Malice in Blunderland
It all began with an e-petition.
Such petitions are a mainstay of British politics. Get enough signatures — 100,000 or more to be precise — and the U.K. government is legally obligated to consider debating the issue at hand. The petition in question – related to U.K Prime Minister Theresa May’s decision to invite President Donald Trump to a state visit sometime later this year.
Such an invitation is rare.
Despite the fact that Queen Elizabeth II has met every sitting President’s of the USA (bar Johnson,) since Dwight Eisenhower, only three — Richard Nixon, George W. Bush, and Barrack Obama — have been granted the honor of a state visit.
Bells And Whistles
The State follows a more or less predictable itinerary.
A Guard of Honour is assembled for the visiting party to inspect followed by a procession back to Buckingham Palace. The procession takes place in a golden carriage that is flanked by mounted soldiers from the Household Cavalry. Gun salutes fired from Green Park and the Tower of London help to enhance the sense of other-worldliness, pomp, and ceremony.
Later that evening a banquet in honor of the visitor is held where the Queen proposes a toast to the visiting Head of State, who is then expected to proposes a toast to Her Majesty in return.
Trump would lap up the attention like a dog laps water after a five-hour game of catch the frisbee.
Fly In The Appointment
The petition to prevent the visit hit 1.85 million signatures a milestone that was itself compounded by the fact that the Speaker of the House John Bercow had already indicated that Trump was not welcome to speak at Parliament due to its:
“Opposition to racism and to sexism and support for equality and an independent judiciary”
Ouch.
The debate began in raucous style as one might expect.
Paul Flynn, a member of the petitions committee said it would be it would be “terribly wrong” to go ahead with the visit. He noted that Trump had managed to:
“Cause problems in every political area in which he has become involved in” and had been ” behaving like a petulant child”.
Members of the House of a more conservative slant were dismissive of such claims, arguing that members of the more left-leaning opposition party should:
“Get over it.”
Tory MP Nigel Evans offered a particularly vociferous defense. He claimed that Trump was being criticized for implementing policies he had promised during his election campaign and that critics who condemned him for being racist were:
“Attacking the American people who voted for him.”
Or perhaps supporting those who did not?
Fait Accompli
To be clear, the U.K.’s relationship with the U.S. president transcends personality and policy clashes. The old adage remains in place; respect the office, not the person occupying it.
A Trump visit is inevitable. As are the mass protests he will be met with.
The decision to roll out the red carpet for him is no doubt a calculated one. Trump is just so very fucking needy that teasing concessions from him via flattery alone might now be official British policy.
It might be everyone’s policy.
One look at the gold carriage and Trump might bring the U.S. back into the commonwealth, gift us Alaska, or sign an executive order apologizing for having been so rude to George III during the Revolutionary war.
It simply has to be a State visit.
At least as far as the political establishment is concerned it does, which is why the closing statement came as no surprise to anyone.
.@AlanDuncanMP "No other country is able to offer a State Visit in quite the same way as we do. It is distinctively British" pic.twitter.com/7wD1fpGQyJ
— Foreign Office ?? (@foreignoffice) February 20, 2017
.@AlanDuncanMP "In an uncertain and increasingly dangerous world, the ability to work closely with key countries is of critical importance" pic.twitter.com/Z0xqMUdlLm
— Foreign Office ?? (@foreignoffice) February 20, 2017
.@AlanDuncanMP "in light of US’s pivotal role, it is right that we use all tools at our disposal to build common ground w/ President Trump" pic.twitter.com/PYCH6vU9HR
— Foreign Office ?? (@foreignoffice) February 20, 2017
Yeah, good luck with that.
Liberal America will be there. Reporting the protests that greet Trump during his visit to London.
They are going to be tremendous.
Watch Parliament denounce Trump over and over in a very British way.
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
