Please don’t become the next Neville Chamberlain.
You’ll notice I didn’t open this letter with ‘To Theresa’ or ‘Dear Mrs May’. That’s because the time for formalities is over. Sometimes, you just have to be blunt and upfront about things. Like starting a letter with my point. Or withdrawing an invitation that you no longer believe should be offered.
Theresa May, you are on the fast track to becoming history’s next Neville Chamberlain. After a life of living through the British school system, after being taught about World War Two and the Holocaust over and over throughout my years of history lessons, there is just one thing I know about Neville Chamberlain; he was the man who appeased Hitler.
We are taught all the horrendous things that Adolf Hitler did, before, during, and after his rise to power. We are taught that this should never have happened, but it did, because there were people who were supported him, and people who stood aside and let it happen. We wonder why the people did this, and we are shown the example of Chamberlain – who thought it would all go away.
In case you are unclear, this is what you are doing now. Standing by while a fascist tyrant does as he pleases, shaking hands and declaring victory when you have literally done nothing. Believing that ‘it doesn’t affect us’. It does, and even if it didn’t, that is not sufficient grounds for standing by.
Remember all those anti-bullying campaigns that schools across the country put on? You are the child in the background, off to one side, watching but not intervening, labelled ‘Bystander’ in bold lettering. You are culpable, just as the bully is, because you are doing nothing. Worse, you are holding hands, smiling, inviting him over, supporting him. This is not ok.
Theresa May, if you’ve got this far into my letter, I applaud you, because that means you’re listening. I highly doubt that you will ever read this, and if you do, you probably will just brush it aside and have stopped reading by this point. Because you know already what I’m going to say, this is just ‘another one of those complaints’, ‘another one of those petitions’, you think that I’m just one person, you think that there’s no point, you think you know better. But please, if you’ve made it this far, keep going. And maybe just think a little deeper about the points I’m raising here. This is a long one. But don’t just brush me aside.
I’m not fully convinced you know the full story. Because just from a few minutes online, looking at news reports and websites that have credible histories and links (not ‘fake news’), I can see that what the new President is doing is actually terrifying. Genuinely scary – not just concerning, or worrisome, or ‘oh, dear, that’s not very nice, is it Donald?’ Actually horrifying.
This man is lying. Yes, ‘alternative facts’ seems like a joke, but it’s not. The comparisons to ‘1984’ may seem outlandish, but are worryingly close to reality. He and his administration are actively perpetuating untruths as propaganda in an attempt to brainwash US citizens. To be honest, for his loyal supporters, he probably doesn’t need to, and for his serious opponents, they’re not going to believe it. But there are people out there that might see a comment from Spicer about an attack from Iran, or the President’s tweet that that country is now ‘on notice’ following a missile test, and be drawn into thinking these events justify the USA going to war again. Despite the fact that this was not an attack from Iran on a US ship, nor did the missile test actually break the nuclear missile treaty Obama signed with Iran. In other words, the administration is lying, actively lying, to provoke conflict. And here you are, inviting him to tea with the Queen.
As if the Muslim ban wasn’t enough. I assume you have been briefed by now, I assume you are aware that even when the time limit on that executive order is up, the refugees allowed in can be screened on a religious basis, specifically so that ‘religious minorities’ can have priority entry to the US. A religious minority in a Muslim-majority country is code for Christian. Yes, they won’t all be, but we know who this administration is going to let in first.
As if DAPL, and Keystone, and the censorship of the National Parks and NASA, weren’t enough. He is actively building pipelines that will destroy nature and sacred land and water, he is actively preventing official accounts from getting important information out to the public, he is denying and hiding the real issues with climate change. He clearly does not care about either the environment or his own citizens.
As if his various conflicts of interest, potentially affecting DAPL and the Muslim ban, among other issues, wasn’t enough. There are calls to impeach him, and I fully understand and support why. He is not being unbiased or fair, he is acting on his own interests over those of his citizens and the refugees looking to the USA for the help they so desperately need.
As if his attitudes in the campaign, and his government appointments, weren’t enough. The amount of white supremacy, racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia, Islamophobia, and pretty much any other horrible or dangerous belief system you can name in his government is frankly horrifying. This is not freedom or safety or even democracy – this is scary, and it is real, and it has to be stopped, or people will die.
People have died. Already. A Navy SEAL has just been killed because the unqualified President ordered a military operation on a target that there was not nearly enough intelligence about. There are refugees being turned away from safety in the US, or arrested at its airports, just because they were born in the country that they are fleeing for their lives from.
As if the new President’s attitude towards women wasn’t enough. You’ve heard his comments, you’ve seen the things he’s said and done, you’ve no doubt read about the lawsuits and accusations against him. He is misogynistic and vile, and is not a suitable candidate for government, let alone the most powerful political position in the world.
As if his unveiled racism wasn’t enough. As if the wall, being built out of racist fear, at a high cost to the US people, with empty promises of reimbursement, and with no proof that it’s actually going to have any impact at all, wasn’t enough. As if his supporters shouting ‘Heil Hitler, Heil Trump’ wasn’t enough. As if the hundreds of parallels throughout the campaign and this first few days of him in power with Germany in the 1930s and onwards wasn’t enough.
There are many, many things wrong with this man in his belief systems and actions that should disqualify him from being eligible for this position. And that’s aside from the fact that he has literally no experience serving in office or in the military – he is now in charge of the government and armed forces, with no political experience at all. He is fundamentally unqualified. He is dangerously unqualified. And yet here we are.
Theresa May, Neville Chamberlain is famous for appeasing Hitler, for having a meeting and then declaring it was all going to be alright, because Hitler was going to cooperate, and nothing bad was going to happen. Theresa May, fascist dictators break promises. And Trump hasn’t even committed to anything for us yet.
I know why you want to be all smiles with him. I know you just want what’s best for our country, that the USA is an important trade link that we’re going to need now we’re abandoning Europe. I know you think holding hands and inviting him on a visit to the UK so soon will make him like you, will make him want to trade with us, will make Britain safe once it leaves the EU. But, Theresa May, please just think about this a second. No.
What’s best for our country, as has already been said over and over by individuals far more qualified than I, is the EU, or failing that, at least the single market. You have flat out said no to both, even though the Leave campaign seemed to promise we would stay in the single market. Now, I’m not here to talk about Brexit, but it is relevant, and we both know it is, so sit tight. Here we go.
A referendum was called. The campaigns on both sides were messy and based on propaganda rather than actual facts and calmly-delivered information. The Remain campaign was weak. The Leave campaign outright lied. There need to be repercussions for that. Lying in this way, with an impact that huge, should not be allowed. (And yet, it was, and there is also now a man across the Pond doing the same thing with every tweet.)
The result came in. It was shocking, and worrying. People didn’t know what would happen next. No one did; there was no plan. Some had voted in protest – they were shocked at the win, and shocked further by the plummeting pound. People started Googling ‘what is the EU?’ Some people regretted their vote instantly. Others took a little longer. Redo that referendum again now, or even a couple of weeks after the first referendum, and we know the result would have been different.
The demographics are important here. Young people, whom this decision will affect most, wanted in. Older people, who will not live to see the long-term impact of this, wanted out. The difference between Remain and Leave was 1.27 million votes – a petition calling for the presidential invitation to be withdrawn or downgraded currently has 1.83 million signatures. That’s over half a million more. If you think agreeing to a petition which 1 in 36 people in the UK signed (far higher than usual for a petition) is ‘populist’, why do you see the slim Leave majority as something that cannot be challenged?
Scotland wanted in. Northern Ireland wanted in. London wanted in. Wales said out, despite the fact that they get the most funding from the EU – something tells me people didn’t quite understand what they were voting for here. You are well aware, I’m sure, that had the EU and Scottish Referendums been swapped around in time, we would now most likely be one nation down in our United Kingdom.
There was an upsurge in xenophobic, racist, Islamophobic violence following the results of the Referendum. Racists were emboldened – something that is now mirrored times a hundred in the USA. There was an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ violence here, too – again, something happening in the US as well. There are patterns here, of populism and outburst and violence. An online petition with close to 2 million signatures is not populism – going through with an action that will have huge political, economic, and social repercussions on a difference of 1.27 million votes is.
There are mirrors here. What happened here is happening there, only bigger and scarier. And we are not standing for it. There were demonstrations on seven continents in response to the Inauguration. Yes, you read that right – seven. There were scientists and penguins in Antarctica marching against the new President. Since then, there have been more demonstrations organised and planned protesting various policies and positions. This is a problem that has united the world, that has brought together such intersecting issues as racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, the environment, censorship, religious prejudice, the military, the economy, science, art, politics, literature, celebrity, and more. This is massive. This is serious. And we are trying to do something about it. Even if you’re not.
Listen to your people, Theresa May. They are protesting the man you were photographed holding hands with. They are highlighting issues important to them, that they want you to recognise and address. This is a democracy – listen to them. Listen to the protests, read the signs, debate the petitions, and take it all on board. This is not just a handful of people that decided they disagree politically with the new President of a country that is not theirs; this is a huge movement willing to mobilise on short notice, this is an international movement because it affects the international community, this is a movement built on solid ideological grounds, this is your electorate talking to you, hoping they will be heard. Think deeper. Pay attention. They are talking to you.
The world is in agreement – this new guy in charge is neither suitable nor safe for the job. Barack Obama has effectively passed the mantle of ‘Leader of the Free World’ onto Angela Merkel, and perhaps that means you should take a step back and see what you’re doing differently to her. While you congratulated the new President on his win, she stood firm and reminded him that cooperation would only be possible if his actions reflected the values of the people she stands for. While you cower behind a Referendum that probably should not have been called, certainly should have had different campaigns, and definitely would have a different outcome if called again now, only a few months later, think about the true meaning of democracy. Unlike in the USA, the majority of our MPs are actually qualified to do their jobs, and they should be allowed to say no, to explain that actually, this was badly handled, and to say that to go through with it would be wrong, and that certainly to fraternise with someone as repulsive and volatile as the new leader of the US in order to make this work is just not going to cut it.
Yes, I know that ‘just because you don’t like it’ doesn’t change anything. Just because I don’t like the result of the Referendum doesn’t change anything. Just because I don’t like that man doesn’t change anything. But this isn’t just a mere matter of dislike. This is terror for people’s lives, repulsion from his words and actions, hatred of the values he preaches and implies, and anxiety for what this will mean for the rest of the globe.
I began this letter talking about Neville Chamberlain. I did that, Theresa May, because you know most of what I’ve said already (if not all – and, to be honest, it’s your job to know all that, so I’d be worried if you didn’t). I mentioned Neville Chamberlain because clearly the protests and the petitions and the awful things he’s said and done have had no impact on you. So perhaps appealing to your concept of yourself might.
Neville Chamberlain is remembered for appeasing Hitler. As it stands, you will be remembered for being the one who took the UK out of the EU, and the one who appeased Trump. You know these two things are linked. And you know in future history lessons there will be children writing essays comparing Donald and Adolf. So know that there will also be comparisons drawn between May and Chamberlain, that Britain under the Conservatives will be remembered as appeasers, ones who do not want to act, who refuse in the face of facts and better judgement. But we do want to act – that is what the protesters are telling you. You just don’t want to listen.
I think I’ve made my point. You can change your mind, Theresa May, there’s no time like the present. And it’s not like you haven’t got good reason to.
You still have time to cancel or downgrade the invitation. You still have time to renegotiate Britain’s position in Europe, to remain in the single market. Think of the students and other voters protesting, the young people scared for their future, the danger you are courting here. Drop the pretence – Trump is not a friend of the UK, he is the enemy. And inviting him for tea with the Queen is not going to change that.
I just wrote over two and a half thousand words trying to make this plain to you. I hope at least some of it has sunk in.
Please, Theresa May. Do not be Neville Chamberlain.
I can't easily cite directly within the text to here, but here's a list of links anyway, in case you're interested, Theresa May.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/chamberlain-and-h...
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-38795479
http://metro.co.uk/2017/01/29/these-people-are-all-affected-by-donald-tr...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/29/donald-trumps-muslim-majority...
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/01/trump-muslim-ban-happe...
http://www.bullying.co.uk/advice-for-schools/ in case you don’t.
http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/media/1050/bystanders_and_bullyi...
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jan/27/theresa-may-donald-trum... Read this one, please, Theresa May.
http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/22/media/alternative-facts-donald-trump/
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/orwells-1984-and-trumps-america
https://theintercept.com/2017/02/02/press-secretary-sean-spicer-falsely-...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-tweet-iran...
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/01/is-president-trumps...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-approves-ex... http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/01/24/trump_s_green_lighting... https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/24/keystone-dakota-acce...
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/National-Parks-Employee-Defies-Tru...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2017/01/25/american-meteorological...
https://www.palmerreport.com/news/nasa-launches-unofficial-twitter-accou...
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trumps-stock-in-dakota-access-oil-pip...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timdaiss/2016/11/26/trump-owns-stake-in-hotl...
http://fortune.com/2017/01/27/donald-trump-muslim-immigration-ban-conflict/
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/01/trump-conflicts-imm...
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38069298
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/01/politics/jason-chaffetz-trump-administrati...
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-is-stocking-his-administration-with-whit...
https://mic.com/articles/160759/here-s-how-many-of-trump-s-cabinet-appoi...
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/07/opinion/is-donald-trumps-cabinet-anti...
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/07/mike-pences-top-seven-homophobic-mome...
https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/11/18/trump-picks-sessions-for-a...
http://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-officials-trump-ordered-raid-...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/donald-trump-wall-mexico...
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37243269
http://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2017/01/26/wall-wont-sto...
https://usuncut.com/politics/high-school-students-give-nazi-salute-shout...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-president-...
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jan/16/a-uk-trade-deal-with-tr...
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/open-britain-video-single-market-n...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-theresa-may-governm...
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-idUSKBN13A0OE
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/06/24/the-british...
http://fortune.com/2016/06/24/brexit-google-trends/
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2016/06/how-did-different-...
https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2016/jun/24/the-areas-and-demo...
http://www.bbc.com/news/politics/eu_referendum/results
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/171928/
http://metro.co.uk/2017/01/30/petition-to-stop-donald-trumps-state-visit...
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36616028
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jun/25/view-wales-town-showered...
https://assemblyblog.wales/2016/10/07/brexit-in-wales-eu-funding-researc...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/brexit-hate-crimes-racism-eu-...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/oct/08/homophobic-attacks-doubl...
http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/1/20/14335430/womens-march-a...
https://www.good.is/articles/womens-march-global-turnout Some beautiful pictures in this one, Theresa May.
http://time.com/4648570/scientists-washington-donald-trump-march-climate...
https://www.bustle.com/p/5-upcoming-marches-protests-that-need-your-help...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protests_against_Donald_Trump#Protests_dur...
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/angela-merkel-donald-trump-democracy...
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/opinion/election-night-2...
