IT is going to be a seismic year on the world stage.
Mainly because the dull rut we are all in is about to change. Hugely.
GettyDonald Trump has promised to shake things up — and he means to[/caption]
PAKeir Starmer’s stance on aligning with the EU could prove costly for the UK[/caption]
On the 20th of this month, Donald Trump will be sworn back into office as President of the United States.
It follows one of the greatest political comebacks in history, and his landslide election victory in November.
Trump has promised to shake things up — and he means to.
He is coming back to office not just with a mandate but with a mission. The first priority of that mission is to “Make America Great Again”.
By that he means a lot of things. He wants a better deal for American workers.
He wants America to stop being taken advantage of by rivals and enemies. He wants the country to have a secure border.
And he wants it to have the world’s best military in order to deter America’s enemies.
All of it is connected, but if Trump achieves even a portion of this it is not only America but the world that will be a better place.
For the past four years the Biden administration flattered and even supported America’s enemies.
Cheap goods from China and other countries undercut American labour.
Millions of illegal migrants flowed across the southern border. Russia invaded Ukraine and the Iranian revolutionary government set fire to the Middle East.
All of that can now change. Keeping America as his priority, Trump can also improve the world — including the UK — for the better.
He wants America to stop being taken advantage of by rivals and enemies. He wants the country to have a secure border
In some ways his most pressing task is to secure the border. For that he needs to finish the border wall he started in his first term.
But he also has to find a way to deport millions of illegal migrants who should not be in America.
It is an incredibly hard task, though he has appointed a fine team to do it.
But the real change will be if he manages even a portion of that promise.
Because if he does, other countries, including this one, might realise that there is no reason why illegal migrants have to only move one way.
As boats of illegal migrants continued to land on our shores this Christmas, why doesn’t anyone in Westminster seem to take the Trump approach?
As crossings have reached a record high, why should people break all of our laws and customs and just stay here?
If Trump can turn illegals around, why can’t we? The world should be watching closely.
On one of his other big challenges — inflation, wages and the cost of living — Trump’s main tool is also clear.
He has promised to use tariffs as a weapon once again. Making sure that American workers are properly re- warded and that business is once again attracted to America, he will impose tariffs on countries that are challenging America.
That could present an opportunity for this country or it could lead to a big mistake by our Labour Government.
Keir Starmer and co have already signalled that in a trade war between the US and the EU, Britain would side with the EU.
It would be a big mistake to do so.
The EU is stagnant. America has the opportunity to boom.
If the UK wants to enjoy the side benefits of that boom then we need to tie ourselves to America.
The UK could finally conclude a post-Brexit trade deal with the US.
That deal was started in the first Trump presidency and there is huge enthusiasm for it from Trump.
But if this country tries to tack toward the EU, we will lose on both fronts.
Neither in nor out of either club. And under this Government it is likely we will plummet if we try that balancing act.
As for the world stage, Starmer and various European leaders are stuck in a weird position.
They talk as though they are in control of the world, when they are really anything but.
Depleted military
When Starmer calls on the Russian, Ukrainian, Israeli or Syrian governments to do a particular thing, the world does not listen.
It effectively says, or thinks: “Who do you think you are?” What force does Starmer think he has to deter Vladimir Putin or Hamas?”
While EU leaders fret about Putin’s ambitions, Trump can actually do something to stop them
At the same time, as consecutive British governments have depleted our own military, they talk as though they have the largest fighting forces in the world. But we don’t. And our diplomatic sway is seriously on the wane.
While EU leaders worry, Trump has the power to stop Putin’s ambitionsAP
But America? That is a different matter. While EU leaders fret about Putin’s ambitions, Trump can actually do something to stop them.
Same with the Iranian leadership. Westminster likes to think it can play a brilliant diplomatic game in the region. But it can’t and it doesn’t.
Trump, on the other hand, can throttle the Mullahs financially and force them to withdraw militarily.
If he does this, many of the fires that have set alight across the region and across the world can be put out.
As I say, 2025 will be a huge year. I just hope our Government is wise enough to reap some of the benefits of it.
GettyTaking Dry January one day at a time – cheers to a fresh start[/caption]
LIKE a lot of Brits, I am trying to work out whether to do Dry January. It is early days, but I’ve held off the booze so far.
The problem is that what with weather and taxes, January is bleak enough already.
And anything you can look forward to seems like it won’t be enjoyable unless you have a drink.
Friends inviting you to the pub at the weekend turns into something to slightly dread.
That said, if you have to have a drink to find your friends or yourself interesting then you’ve probably got the wrong friends.
Still, I’m planning to take it one day at a time.
In fact, after the Christmas/New Year binge I’m quite looking forward to the break.
Elbowing her ego is major quest for Lily
GettyLily Allen has said she has an ambition in 2025. She wants to be ‘less of a narcissist’[/caption]
Dave BenettWoke nepo baby Lily with actor dad Keith and film executive mum Alison[/caption]
WHATEVER your own New Year’s resolutions, spare a thought for Lily Allen.
The woke nepo baby has said she has an ambition in 2025. She wants to be “less of a narcissist”.
She also admits that she has been too “wrapped up in myself and victimhood”.
I could have told her that years ago. Still, as the rest of us try to lose a few pounds, spare a thought for Lily.
She has one hell of a struggle in front of her.
Time to tackle terror threat
EPARecent attacks in Germany and the US, above, show that Islamist extremism has not gone away[/caption]
BEFORE Christmas, a Saudi-born refugee ploughed a car through a crowded festive market in Magdeburg, Germany.
The attack – the motive for which is still not understood – killed five people and injured around 200 more.
It followed similar attacks in Nice, Stockholm and many other cities.
This New Year it was the turn of New Orleans to be visited by this same type of terror.
On New Year’s Day, 42-year old Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a pick-up truck into a crowd of revellers in the American city.
He killed 15 people and injured at least 35 more. American authorities say the suspect had an IS flag.
Politicians and pundits are already arguing over the nature of the attack.
But there are several things everyone should agree on.
No safe haven
The first is that Islamist extremism has not gone away. After 9/11, 7/7 and other major atrocities, a lot of attention moved away from this threat.
But it remains the major security threat in this country, among many others. The second is that the Islamist desire to attack “weak” targets is a major vulnerability.
Anyone in the West will notice that our major cities have for years had an increasing number of “bollards” put up.
This is because many major cities have long expected jihadists to exploit this weakness.
No city or country can fully protect itself from such an act. Mounting the kerb in a fast-moving car and driving it at civilians is an act of terror almost impossible to stop.
And yet that doesn’t mean we have to be fatalistic about it. There are ways to stop this.
The most crucial is to take apart the ideology that encourages this madness. To have no safe haven for supporters and recruiters of terror.
There is a long list of such people in America, as in Britain.
Time to do something about them.
Duped by pie in the sky
BBC/UNPIXSOn the face of it, everything was cutesy. Too cutesy. Paddington Bear welcomed in the New Year, with a lecture about how diverse and welcoming London is[/caption]
GettyWhile London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s view of the capital as an endlessly tolerant global city played out in the skies, the streets were a different matter as death and violence marred the night[/caption]
IT felt icky watching the London fireworks this New Year’s Eve.
Not just seeing a lot of money literally going up in smoke, but because the difference between the way our capital was portrayed and how it actually is was so jarring.
On the face of it, everything was cutesy. Too cutesy. Paddington Bear welcomed in the New Year, with a lecture about how in London you are allowed to be “different” and everyone fits in.
While London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s view of the capital as an endlessly tolerant global city played out in the skies, the streets were a different matter.
A man was soon fighting for his life on Oxford Street. It came after a machete fight in the famous shopping district.
I remember a time when a machete fight in London wasn’t a common thing. If it happened, it would lead to national soul-searching and questions in Parliament.
But knife fights in our capital are now the norm. So normal that the fact Oxford Street was cordoned off in the early hours of the New Year is already yesterday’s news.
Lots of people like the treacly view of London held by Sadiq Khan, above. Especially other politicians.
Perhaps they can ignore the reality of the cities and society they are creating. Sadly, the rest of us cannot.
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