Donald Trump’s visit and the rhetoric of destabilisation

Like many others I have been angered and distressed by Donald Trump’s visit to the UK, his attempted interference in our government and the predictable reactions of the pro-Brexit politicians and media. The wonderful protests against his visit cannot entirely compensate for the destabilising effect of his behaviour and words. But I am fairly certain this is the intention.

As a linguist, I believe that the constant backtracking and wrongfooting – undermining Theresa May one day and appearing to support her the next; the apparent tolerance for the protests (even for the baby blimp) followed by a vicious personal attack on Sadiq Khan – is entirely deliberate. These are the tactics Trump has employed throughout his presidency, for example in his ambiguous attitude to the Kremlin and his teasing about meeting the North Korean leader.

It’s the rhetoric of destablisation for its own sake, a favourite tactic employed by “alt-right” and nationalistic groups across Europe for some time now. The idea is to confuse your opponents and force them onto the defensive, distracting the audience from the real issues at stake through personal attacks, wrongfooting and provocation. (Worse, there’s often a genuine enjoyment of instability for its own sake.) Consciousness of this tactic is growing, though, for example in Germany where books and articles have recently been published discussing how we can best counter such language.

Whether it’s done for ideological or market-related reasons hardly matters. The instability it causes is a godsend to those who would like to see our democratic traditions and our ability to think clearly about politics overthrown. We need to call this out where we can.
Dr Emily Richards
Salisbury, Wiltshire

• I wonder if those who used to condemn “political correctness” now realise that they were rejecting good manners, diplomacy and tact, virtues singularly absent from current political discourse, not just in Trump’s vile outbursts and the loathsome tweets of the “alt-right” but also some deeply offensive slogans paraded in London on Friday. What happened to “When they go low, we go high”?
Ruth Eversley
Paulton, Somerset

• The wonderful screaming orange baby blimp reminds me of a chap called Trumpty Dumpty. He thought a wall was important. As I recall, it didn’t turn out too well for him.
Carol Green
Oxford

• Was it just coincidence that the editorial labelled “Trump in Britain” was followed by another labelled “Alien life” (14 July)?
Graham Russell
Market Drayton, Shropshire

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