Getting Lost On The Way To The Frontline; Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to attend protest in Trafalgar Square against President Donald Trump, the real political battle is being fought out in Peterborough’s by-election as the Brexit Party seem poised to claim their first Westminster seat, Trafalgar Square is a meaningless distraction

Dear All

I don’t do demos, they are counter-productive and a waste of time politically; your targeted audience already knows your opinion of them, and the idea of being involved in a mob isn’t appealing in the slightest.

I don't do demos!

Another important thing about demos is that some people turn up not to protest but to cause trouble, basically violence on the streets. You can see this if you view the ‘yellow vest’ protests in France, people take the opportunity of chaos to commit crime. Then they use the crowds to disappear, a tactic used by the far left, the far right and the State. Yes, even the State gets in on the act in some countries acting in a dark and sinister way.

Donald Trump’s State Visit will be a success; these events are pre-planned and generally go off without a hitch. One thing the UK is good at is State events, we can expect to see lots of coverage of the visit and of the Queen with Donald Trump. These visits are more than just a meet and greet, they are symbols of how strong the US and UK alliance is.

If you think back to when Trump wasn’t President, he had a run in with Alex Salmond because he wouldn’t support the release of the Lockerbie Bomber. The SNP had taken the opportunity to write a document for him to sign, if he had, he wouldn’t have been President of the US. The idea of getting Trump to sign it was a seriously stupid idea by the SNP. It is therefore no surprise that the SNP under Nicola Sturgeon wishes to carry on the feud, Sturgeon publicly backed Hillary Clinton.

An error of judgment in a sea of errors of judgments, but this one was so badly handled, it left the SNP unable to count on the US as an ally or even make them remain neutral at least to the public. The idea of SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford bumping his gums anti-Trump protests in Trafalgar Square is laughable. Outside the political bubble, rank and file Londoners don’t even know who he is and his credibility as a speaker is in my opinion so low, you won’t hear anything meaningful out of his gob.

Thousands of activists are expected in central London as the US president meetsPrime Minister Theresa May, but the policing operation will mean they cannot demonstrate outside the entrance to Downing Street. The security around the President will be very tight, no one is getting to climb the railings or even get near the President.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will also address the anti-Trump protests in Trafalgar Square, he already declined an opportunity to attend the state banquet at Buckingham Palace on Monday evening.

Should Jeremy Corbyn have gone?

The answer is yes, Jeremy Corbyn has put himself forward to be Prime Minister in the next Westminster election, if he wins, then he will have to work with President Trump assuming Trump gets re-elected in 2020. Attending the state banquet is something that the leader of the opposition should do, not for himself, but for his party and the wider public. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t do well when it comes to foreign affairs, but he should have people telling him what is needed and expected.

Across the UK, there are supposed to be protests in Birmingham, Stoke, Sheffield, Chester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leicester, Oxford and Exeter are also planned. These protests will be so small that you will probably miss them unless they have banners. It seems the ‘right on comrade’ mob will be sharpening their socialist credentials, basically middle class university students pretending to be working class.

One thing that President Trump loves is having a dig at Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan, Khan says Trump isn’t welcome, the reply by Trump:

“SadiqKhan, who by all accounts has done a terrible job as Mayor of London, has been foolishly “nasty” to the visiting President of the United States, by far the most important ally of the United Kingdom. He is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me.”

Trolling can be such fun.

I would urge people not to go and do the demo route, because although you might be sincere in your actions, there are plenty people who aren’t.

What will the protests around the UK accomplish?

Nothing!

Finally, Jeremy Corbyn would be better served by attending the Peterborough by-election which is happening at the moment, caused the dismissal of the previous MP.  Former Labour MP Fiona Onasanya was removed from her position as MP on May 1 after she was convicted of perverting the course of justice. Another reason for attending this event full time is that The Brexit Party did well in the European Elections. In the European elections Peterborough voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Brexit party, securing 16,106 votes - more than twice that of runners up Labour.

That is the front line in politics not larking about in Trafalgar Square.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University