New Zealand

Saturday March 1, 2025

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer strategically employs the British monarchy to gain favour with Trump, while Canada faces challenges under his administration.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday March 1, 2025

Posted to the Toronto Star.

Recruiting Canada’s King For UK’s Strategic Flattery

June 4, 2012

In the nuanced world of international diplomacy, flattery has emerged as a key strategy for world leaders aiming to win favour with U.S. President Donald Trump. Recent developments involving the British monarchy, as well as Trump’s interactions with Australia and Canada, underscore the prominence of this diplomatic dance.

News: King Charles issues personal invite for Trump to visit Britain for state visit

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent invitation to Trump for a state visit, personally extended by King Charles III, exemplifies this approach. The British monarchy, with its historical gravitas and ceremonial splendour, serves as an effective means to capture Trump’s attention. For a president who appreciates grandeur and spectacle, the invitation is both a stroke to his ego and a diplomatic gesture. However, this timing is awkward for King Charles, who finds himself a pawn in a broader geopolitical play, potentially neglecting Canada, another Commonwealth realm.

September 30, 2022

Since his re-election, Trump has displayed a peculiar fixation on Canada, with rhetoric suggesting annexation and plans for severe economic measures, including a 25% tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum. This leaves Canada facing the threat of an economic conflict with its largest trading partner, while seemingly sidelined by its closest Commonwealth allies.

In stark contrast, Australia has adeptly managed its relationship with Trump, emphasizing shared defence interests and economic ties, such as those rooted in the AUKUS agreement. Even when Trump appeared unfamiliar with the AUKUS acronym, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other leaders downplayed the incident, reinforcing the broader, positive relationship. This showcases a strategic use of flattery and reassurance to maintain favour with the U.S.

Analysis: For Trump, Australia is nothing like Canada

December 16, 2019

Early in the week, French President Emmanuel Macron demonstrated similar tact with body language, flowery expressions of loyalty, and addressing Trump as “Dear Donald.” Such gestures highlight the lengths to which leaders will go to secure Trump’s favour.

For Canada, the situation raises a pressing question: If the British monarchy cannot utilize its historical ties to advocate for Canada during times of crisis, what benefit does this relationship provide? With the Canadian Liberals poised to choose their next leader on March 9, perhaps a new Prime Minister will seek to leverage the monarchy’s influence to counteract Trump’s economic threats. Until then, Canadians watch the fawning interactions between the U.S., the UK, and other Commonwealth countries, left to navigate Trump’s rhetoric and threats largely on their own. If King Charles can be persuaded to act on Canada’s behalf, it may rejuvenate the perceived value of these historic ties.

The Diplomacy Dance

It’s fascinating and frustrating how flattery seems to be the key to dealing with Trump. He seems to take any lack of deference as a personal insult to the United States. Take Zelenskyy, for instance—watching him get treated like a child while fighting off an invasion is just disgraceful.

On the flip side, Keir Starmer managed to charm Trump with a letter from King Charles, sidestepping those dreaded tariffs. It’s like watching a masterclass in diplomatic flattery. Meanwhile, here in Canada, we’re enduring Trump’s taunts and staring down the barrel of higher tariffs than even China. Given that King Charles is our King too, maybe it’s time we play that royal card in this high-stakes game Trump is playing with everyone.

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– The Graeme Gallery

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Friday January 20, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday January 20, 2023

Jacinda Ardern enjoys ‘good night’s sleep’ after decision to quit

August 30, 2022

Jacinda Ardern said today that she had no regrets about standing down as New Zealand’s prime minister, after an announcement that shocked both her supporters and critics.

A day after revealing she would not stand for re-election because she had no more “in the tank”, she said she was feeling a range of emotions from sadness to a “sense of relief”.

Ardern, who will leave office within weeks, said she would not openly back any of the likely candidates to replace her. Her governing Labour Party is trailing in the polls and predicted to lose the next election due in October.

Speaking outside an airport in the North Island city of Napier, where the Labour Party caucus had gathered for a retreat, Ardern, 42, said she had “slept well for the first time in a long time”.

In response to questions by reporters, she rejected suggestions by some commentators that experiences of misogyny had played a role in her decision.

June 28, 2021

Ardern said she had a “message for women in leadership and girls who are considering leadership in the future” that “you can have a family and be in these roles”, adding “you can lead in your own style”.

Ardern was the youngest female head of government when she became prime minister in 2017 at 37. She achieved a global profile as she led the country through its worst terrorist attack, a deadly volcanic eruption and the Covid-19 pandemic. She won a landslide second term in 2020 but her popularity waned as she battled declining trust in government, a worsening economic situation and a resurgent conservative opposition.

“You cannot and should not do the job unless you have a full tank, plus a bit in reserve for those unplanned and unexpected challenges,” she said. “I no longer have enough in the tank to do the job justice.”

Trying to head off speculation about hidden motives for her decision, she added: “The only interesting angle you will find is that after going on six years of some big challenges, that I am human. Politicians are human. We give all that we can, for as long as we can, and then it’s time. And for me, it’s time.” (The Times) 

September 10, 2022

Meanwhile in a survey made public in Canada recently, fifty-four per cent of those polled said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should step down as the leader of the Liberal Party in 2023, though just 27 per cent said they believe he’ll do so. (Global News)