Jason Moore21/01/2017 00:00
TW
4

A sentence by Donald Trump appears to be on the front pages of newspapers across the globe: "I am going to put America first," Trump said in his inauguration speech on Friday evening. These few words appear to have sent shock waves across the world and may go a long way to explaining why Trump was elected in the first place. What is the problem with a president or a prime minister saying that he or she is going to put their country first? In fact, I sincerely hope that all leaders put the nation they govern in pole position.

Trump’s rhetoric may belong to a forgotten era but it strikes a chord with an electorate wanting change rather than much of the same again. Trump’s election and the Brexit vote are clear indicators that a different courses are wanted. In fact, it is not really change at all: they want a return to a bygone era. Put America First, and "We want our country back" were the rallying calls of Trump and Brexit and they galvanised the electorate in both countries. "Buy American" is like a throwback to the British government campaigns of the 1960s and 1970s but it is still relevant today. I was rather shocked to discover that most of the souvenirs on sale at the Buckingham Palace gift shop were made everywhere apart from Britain. Now, you can dismiss this state of affairs as a sign of the times or you could ask why Can’t a country like Britain produce a Buckingham Palace tea towel or soft toy?

This is why I believe that the British government should take notice of some of Trump’s rhetoric and at the same time help revive industry in the UK post-Brexit. Britain was a nation that was once the powerhouse of shipbuilding. These days the ships are made abroad but they fly the British flag. Over the last six months we haven’t seen a revolution, we have seen a call to a return to the past.