Oh Canada!

Well done Canada for (largely) giving Trump the bum’s rush. I say ‘largely’ because all the results are not yet in as I write and Mark Carney may have to form a minority government. All the same, it is a remarkable turnaround and all thanks to Trump’s antics. Canada may have a price to pay as one imagines Trump’s ego will force him into some retributive gestures, chiefly through ramping up tariffs. But if Carney is true to his word, then we will see a far more resolute government in Ottawa. This should be a signal to the rest of the world, and one could entertain the hope that the populist march has begun to exhaust itself. Well, I would like to think so, anyway. Will the Canadian result put any backbone into our own rudderless leader? Given the close ties we have with the US, particularly in intelligence, I suspect Starmer will continue with an Atlanticist approach. Oh, and they control our ‘independent’ nuclear deterrent too. And yes, much of our economy is owned by US interests. And on the flipside we’re worried in case the Daily Mail et al accuse us of cosying up to Europe. What way to turn? Best stay in the middle of the road and get run over.