Hard one this. A lot of nonsense being talked on both sides of the debate, and I don’t agree with the general immigration ban. But there is an argument in favour of order security, despite what the so-called liberal elite think (a term I think is meaningless btw).
A post-Brexit Britain will need muscular friends, but hopefully won’t be willing to compromise on our long history of liberal democracy. I also worry that being too close to Trump could be disadvantageous in the eventual post-Trump era.
I don’t envy Theresa May her position. Where does Britain’s national interest end up being best served here? I certainly don’t think we should aim for enmity with the new US administration. But we should speak our mind as friend to friend.
Charles Moore’s Telegraph Notebook made a fair point yesterday, in that the normal democratic processes, checks and balances still exist in the US, and many of Mr Trump’s Cabinet seem to be at least slightly less right wing. The Democrats’ delay in confirming them should be unacceptable. We have to believe that, in the end, the checks and balances will operate.
So, what do I actually think? Hard one. Still let him have the State Visit, not an address to Parliament, and use the visit to demonstrate the best of tolerance and true democracy.