Donald Trump has told the Davos economic forum “without us, most countries would not even work”, but for the first time in decades, many western leaders have come to the opposite conclusion: they will function better without the US.
Individually and collectively, they have decided “to live in truth” – the phrase used by the Czech dissident Vaclav Havel and referenced by the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, in his widely praised speech at Davos on Tuesday. They will no longer pretend the US is a reliable ally, or even that the old western alliance exists.
They are, what do you mean? But changing the US President is up to US citizens. Likewise reversing the Brexit is up to the British citizens first.
Sadly that last part isn’t up to the Brits. At this moment none of the political parties in the UK that even remotely have a chance of being in power, are even considering adding rejoining to their programmes. Doesn’t help that Labour strafed further to the right under Starmer to pander to “undecided” centrist voters who claim to be undecided but ultimately vote right wing come every election - even though the last election could’ve literally been won by a taxidermied horse.
And that’s with the general sentiment being some 75-80% of the country regretting Brexit and wanting at least the single market back, but with a big chunk wanting back the EU membership, even in its diminished form (prior to Brexit the UK enjoyed a privileged position where a number of rules and requirements didn’t apply, any plan of rejoining would mean the UK would become a generic member state with no extra privileges). But it’s hard to do so when no party with an actual voter base is willing to even say so, let alone start acting on it.
Nobody else but the British citizens can change British political parties.