"An unprecedented second state visit for a US president. An extra-large guard of honour. The UK rolled out not only the red carpet, royal welcome and golden carriage but also the superlatives for Donald Trump's visit. Sir Keir Starmer's hyperbole on the memorandum of understanding on tech made his guest look almost understated: the prime minister boasted that the transatlantic partnership paved the way for new technologies to amplify human potential, solve problems, cure diseases, make us richer and freer."
"Yet there was an inverse relationship between the pomp and ceremony of this trip and its real import, between the grand declarations of amity and the actual state of transatlantic ties. The US president soaked up the sycophancy and was obliging enough to hymn the priceless relationship. But while Mr Trump grumbled that Vladimir Putin had really let me down, he showed no inclination for tougher action against Russia."
"US tariffs on British steel have not budged. The promised $150bn of investment by US tech firms in the next decade looks less impressive in the context of their global investment in infrastructure; Microsoft alone has pledged to spend $120bn on datacentres in the next year. As Nick Clegg, the former deputy prime minister and ex-Meta executive, accurately observed, the UK is a vassal state technologically. The government is relying on servicing American artificial intelligence firms rather than bolstering domestic innovation."
The UK staged an unprecedented second state visit for a US president with lavish ceremonial honours and superlatives for Donald Trump. Sir Keir Starmer hailed a memorandum of understanding on tech as enabling new technologies to amplify human potential, solve problems, cure diseases, and increase prosperity and freedom. Practical transatlantic cooperation proved more limited than the rhetoric. Mr Trump expressed disappointment with Vladimir Putin yet showed no inclination for tougher action against Russia. US tariffs on British steel remain unchanged. The pledged $150bn of US tech investment over a decade appears modest against global commitments; the UK relies heavily on servicing American AI firms rather than building domestic innovation.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]