Harriet Harman: Address The Elephant in The Room.

Labour Peer Harriet worked for two Labour prime ministers: Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. She now sits in the House of Lords and was speaking to Sky's Beth Rigby. She recalled how George W. Bush unleashed tariffs on steel imports. Back then, she remembers Tony Blair disagreeing with Bush, even though they had a growing bromance. Blair had the guts to tell Bush to his face that imposing tariffs was against World Trade Organisation rules.

Ms. Harman addressed Sir Keir's pussyfooting around Donald Trump. She said the prime minister needs to be straight with Trump," addressing the elephant in the room," as she put it. Sir Keir said that a trade war would help no one, as is seen in the escalating tariff war between Trump and Xi of China. The tit for tat will only end up hurting the economies of both countries. Consumers notice the hike in prices, and the poorest suffer. But that doesn't matter for exhibitionists like Trump and Xi. Typical male mentality of who is the biggest silverback in the jungle.

Trump has decided to defer the worst of his tariffs for the next 90 days. Financial markets reacted in kind. However, the ridiculous tariff war/trade war continues between China and the US.

Someone once said that "true friends tell each other the truth". According to Harriet Harman, that was the case between Bush and Blair. So, is Sir Keir afraid to "call a spade a spade" with Mr. Trump? It may not be that Starmer is afraid of Trump, but with Mr. Starmer's trained barrister's mind, he is taking things cautiously. That can look like someone is afraid of something or someone. Time and again, Sir Keir has called for a "calm mind" and "nothing is off the table". That could be interpreted as Sir Keir making excuses, or he may be weighing things up. Sir Keir wants a good relationship with the US President, just as past prime ministers have done with US presidents. No doubt, we assume Mr. Trump wants good relations with the UK. However, when Sir Keir says "nothing is off the table," it could also mean a potential trade war with the US.

If Sir Keir kicked off a trade war with the US, it wouldn't be the first time the US and the UK, despite the shared heritage we have, have been at odds. I seem to recall you colonials in history dressed up as Native Americans and climbed aboard a British ship in Boston harbour. Where you emptied British tea exports into the water. That was an act of rebellion against Britain, which at that time was the occupying power. Where the cry was "No tax without representation". Where the British were imposing taxes on Americans, while no American MPs sat in the British parliament. Who could then, once the bill was presented, have voted for or against it. Of course, this is what kicked off the American War of Independence. So, I won't give you a history lesson on this. If you want to look into it, be you American, British, or anyone else, info is available online. Or if books are your thing, history books will help you.

Are we even 100 days into Trump's presidency yet? No, I don't think so. Already, Trump has signed more things into law than any of his predecessors. If Biden had to work like that, I think his head would have been spinning. One of his aids would have taken him for a lie down in a quiet, dark room, somewhere. Hate Trump or love him, the man doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk.

For the next four years, both domestically and abroad, people will have to put up with a man who is unpredictable. A man who does things on a whim, a man who destroys the old order. And while many welcome this, for others, it is a time of uncertainty and instability.