Donny & Jezza are non-identical twins
Better to try than trade insults and threaten holocaust
magine for a moment Jeremy Corbyn was President of the US.
He wouldn’t prop himself up in bed tweeting like a maniac and he’s not sexist but otherwise there’s surprisingly little he’d do differently to Donald Trump.
Corbyn would most likely hold a conciliatory summit with Kim Jongun, as he’s a passionate believer in talking peace not making war.
And he might well have imposed metal tariffs on the EU to fulfil a promise to the unemployed Pennsylvanian steelworkers who voted for him to get their jobs back.
Trump and Corbyn have more in common than either cares to admit. They were both dismissed by a sniffy Establishment because they rose on a tide of populism.
They seemed emotionally illequipped for high office, and came to their roles with zero experience of political leadership. Yet Jeremy Corbyn silenced critics within Labour – of which there were many – by vaporising Theresa May’s majority last year. Trump has nudged the world a few more inches away from nuclear Armageddon. And now there’s a growing suspicion the sneerers – of which I was one – got it wrong by underestimating them.
During the election, Trump’s supporters took him seriously but not literally, while his Washington detractors took him literally but not seriously. We now know to treat him both literally and seriously.
Trump was blasted for compliments to a tyrant who starves to death 120,000 political prisoners in concentration camps, despatches relatives with VX nerve agent, and executes generals with a round of anti-aircraft fire if they fall asleep while he’s talking. But Trump is more businessman than diplomat, and if he scents a deal he’s not too fussy who he deals with.
Britain hardly occupies the moral high ground on this score. We say we’ll never negotiate with terrorists and then we negotiate with them – the IRA, EOKA in Cyprus, Irgun in Israel, the Mau Mau in Kenya. We’d doubtless talk to Islamic State if common ground could be found. Trump may not achieve the total denuclearisation of North Korea, but better to try than trade insults and threaten holocaust.
Over lunch last week with former Washington ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer, one of our most astute diplomats, Trump took up much of our conversation. Chris thought he might even get a second term.
He added: “He doesn’t know much and he doesn’t read much and he smashes things up. But his instincts about international relations may not be so stupid after all.”
There you have it. Trump and Corbyn, different politicians from the same mould. Can’t see Jeremy building a wall with Mexico though.
His delightful wife Laura comes from there.