Quick, but not quick enough
Sir Keir Starmer has won well deserved plaudits for his handling of the Trump/Ukraine crisis, he is moving quickly to offset the enormous damage that is being caused to the Western world but not quickly enough.
Trump has now suspended military aid to Ukraine, while the Russians are desperately trying to win as much territory as possible, knowing full well that Trump will give it to them on a silver platter and tell Ukraine to lump it or like it.
Yet Starmer is still telling us it is a false choice to pretend that we need to decide between America and Europe. In a sense it is easy to understand what he means, destroying all those bridges that we have spent almost 100 years building across the Atlantic is a painful choice.
But he is facing a madman who really believes that by moving fast and destroying things he is being clever. That by siding with a murderous dictator against his allies he is strengthening his position, that Putin can be trusted and that Europe is his real enemy.
There is no dealing with such a man, he is putting huge tariffs on his closest and largest trading partners and is so dim he thinks this will raise money for tax cuts.
He is beyond the pale, like Hitler after Munich he can no longer be trusted, ever.
Yet Sir Keir still stands up in the house. of Commons and tells us all that Donald Trump's commitment to achieving peace in Ukraine is "sincere".
It is only “sincere” in the sense that he sincerely intends to betray Ukraine, force a shameful victory for Russia on the world, a victory they were incapable of achieving themselves. Trump will also continue to try to destroy the EU, which may soon get really hacked off with the UK trying to be a mate to both sides.
There is only one realpolitik policy for the UK, Europe, Europe and more Europe.
Hearing Farage defend Trump and lambast Ukraine is enough to know where that Moscow supported policy of Brexit has led us.
Sir Keir needs to move very quickly and throw out a lot of assumptions, plans and ambitions.
He has done well so far but is already behind the curve.
From Jonty Bloom Media Ltd
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
I suspect Starmer's view is that he shouldn't alienate Trump unnecessarily and thus far, it isn't necessary. Britain's economic, military and intelligence interests are closely intertwined with the US and a rift would cause the British state a lot of problems. I don't think there are any easy answers on this one.
The Nobel Prize organisers should state that this carry on isn’t the way to the Nobel Peace Prize …