Keir Starmer-oid is a first-class burk. Donald Trump has just thrown
Vladimir Putin a lifeline and sold the Ukrainians down the river. Trump has
thrown a bucket of shit over most European leaders who supported the Ukraine
and has humiliated them.
Although Trump has pulled the plug on the Ukraine and aligned himself closer to Putin and Russia and accused the Ukraine of provoking the war with Russia, Starmer doesn't accuse him of betrayal or being a Kremlin asset or propagandist, but says that he's changed the global conversation on the war in the Ukraine and presented an opportunity to end the war with Russia. Starmer has brushed aside tensions between Europe and the U.S. claiming that he trusts Donald Trump and wants Britain's "special relationship" with the U.S. to go from "Strength to Strength."
Keir Starmer's position is a classic case of what the psychologist Leo Festinger, called 'Cognitive Dissonance'. Festinger studied a flying saucer cult called the "Seekers" who believed that they would be rescued from earth- which according to a prophecy was facing a world ending flood- by a flying saucer, on an appointed date. When the flying saucer didn't arrive and the prophecy failed, they strengthened their beliefs in the face of contradictory evidence. They adjusted their beliefs to alleviate discomfort caused by conflicting information.
The British prime minister would now have us believe that Trump's capitulation to Vladimir Putin has presented an opportunity to end the war in the Ukraine when it's likely to have emboldened the Russians by making NATO and Europe look weak and vacillating. Britain's perception of itself as a world leader, exceeds its pocket book and power.
Since leaving the E.U., Britain has become isolated in Europe and its global influence has become greatly diminished and the Americans know this. This is why Starmer has to suck up to the Americans and the unhinged Donald Trump. NATO looks as effective as a chocolate fireguard and Trump has left Europe's leaders in total disarray. Starmer's "special relationship" with the U.S. is laughable.
Leaving aside for the moment the wider geopolitics of the Russian Ukraine war, your take on Starmer is spot on. Perhaps it might be dubbed realpolitik, pragmatism or triangulation. However such raw expediency often gives politics its sordid reputation. In the last analysis political operations seem to be nothing but venal self serving post hoc rationalisation, as supposedly long held principles are suddenly cast aside by the necessity to cleave to power. Power for power's sake.
ReplyDeleteSuch is the intellectual rationalisation for these baffling gyrations that they are indeed often hilarious examples of bullshit.
Flying saucer cult indeed. Also in keeping with Cargo Cult anthropology (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult), then we wonder why people are so cynical about politics.
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