Faced with Trump and Farage, Britain’s natural ally is Europe | William Keegan
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The Labour party’s determination to stick to Brexit simply condemns the UK to fight a lone hand against the far-right forces ranged against it. The sight of other world leaders toadying up to the US president-elect – the criminal Donald Trump – and his henchman Elon Musk is distasteful enough, but in the world of realpolitik they probably feel they have no option.
![[William Keegan]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2017/10/09/William-Keegan,-L.png?width=180&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The great American journalist HL Mencken did not live to see the fulfilment of his 1920 prophecy that “one day the White House will be occupied by a downright fool and complete narcissistic moron” but he is no doubt turning in his grave. However, the rest of us have to live with this. And even before the inauguration, the ramifications of the recent presidential election result are being felt far and wide.
The threat of the erection of a tariff wall has already contributed to the rising economic troubles of the US’s northern neighbour, Canada, where Prime Minister Trudeau has suffered the sudden resignation of his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland. With higher tariffs in the offing, Freeland did not wish to endanger a programme of budgetary stability by bowing to Trudeau’s plan for what she regarded as ill-justified vote-buying fiscal concessions.
Meanwhile, all over Europe the threat of a tariff war is causing a fundamental rethink of economic strategy. The Norwegians, long sceptical about joining the full EU, are now apparently having second thoughts. There is even speculation that the Swiss might be thinking about this, although I shall believe that when I see it.
