This chilling phrase came from the IRA in attempting to assassinate Margaret Thatcher in the 1984 Brighton hotel bombing.

It also applies to Iran and America today. The brutal regime in Iran seems to be able to absorb endless devastating attacks. Can America really withstand the one time lucky strike which results in a large number of American casualties?

It has been a tough time for the US president…

Trump has the potential to double down on his foray into the Middle East. The war will be over in weeks he says yet adds confusion to his war aims by planning further mass bombing raids with thousands of soldiers deployed for potential on the ground fighting. Whatever the cruelty of the Iranian regime and its ability to in flict harm on its own people, you can hardly blame it for being reluctant to negotiate with a president who walked away in the middle of talks on nuclear arms and now only proceeds through sticks and no carrots.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu is prepared for a long war believing Iran continues to pose an existential threat to Israel. Iran poses no such threat to America as Trump’s own military leadership confirmed to him. His approval ratings amongst voters for this self-inflicted war has dropped to 36%. The mid-terms are looking grim for Republicans. One lucky attack by Iran on American soldiers with multiple casualties will probably make Trump buckle. It would be game over for his presidency.

You can see why the Iranian regime, crushed militarily except for mysteriously hidden drones and missiles, currently seems confident in holding on…

So what are the consequences of all this for the UK? The only silver lining to this terrible conflict is Starmer standing up to Trump and proving the inevitable logic of the UK in some form embracing the European Union driven by Trump’s threat to leave NATO and the war in Ukraine. For Putin, Trump is a gift that keeps giving.

The long term consequences of this global mayhem is that the UK and continental Europe will never be fully able to rely on America again for its defence whoever is president. This war may be over in a few weeks but its fall-out will be long lasting whether it be in terms of the economy, military alliances or the balance of global power.

Against this backdrop, the UK has local and regional elections in May where the Labour Party is forecast to fare incredibly badly with some colleagues and the media whipping up a scenario of Starmer being replaced as leader. This is no time to change prime minister. It would seem parochial and self-indulgent at best with no electoral advantage for Labour. There should be more unity in British politics in these times of peril.

Finally, to finish on a positive note since it is Easter, how exhilarating to watch the launch of Nasa’s Artemis II mission towards the moon. It is this sort of event which makes America Great…