We are witnessing a shift in the geopolitical system not seen since the end of the Second World War - the United States of America is no longer the guarantor of European security.
And this is a lesson we should have learned a long time ago.
The United States pursues its own interests - for a while, our interests coincided. During the Cold War, they overlapped. During the first and second world war, they eventually overlapped too.
But then Trump's clash with Zelensky happened.
Jacob Rees-Mogg said Trump's clash with Zelensky could be the defining moment in 21st century politics
GB NEWS
This could be the defining moment in 21st century politics. But it reminds us of one thing of which our political leaders have been in denial for too long - the special relationship is a one way street.
The Americans do not believe in the special relationship - it has been a strategic tool for them to rally our support. It operates only one way and that is always in their favour.
Donald Trump told Zelensky he is 'gambling with World War 3' in a fiery exchangeREUTERSThe events of last week are a reminder - the Americans are not always our friends but we need them as allies.
The two, as Lady Grantham notably pointed out, are not the same.
And although President Trump is an Anglophile, and this must be capitalised on while it lasts before a sentimental Bidenesque pseudo-Irishman returns to the presidency, ultimately he will do what is best for America. Alliances are not the priority.
Lord Palmerston embodied this point when he said, in 1848, “Therefore I say that it is a narrow policy to suppose that this country or that is to be marked out as the eternal ally or the perpetual enemy of England. We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.”
The good news is that this sufficiently disrupted the consensus enough to force European powers to get serious. Sir Keir Starmer was right to increase defence spending, but we must go much further.
The age of European overreliance on the United States in which we opt for the cosy life of the welfare state over economic growth and co-dependence over self-sufficiency is well and truly over.
It is time for the UK to follow the lead of Donald Trump and follow our eternal and perpetual interests.
