Steve Dale

“Why do some British people dislike Donald Trump?” Nate White, an eloquent and witty English writer, gave this magnificent answer: Trump lacks certain qualities that the British traditionally value. He has no nobility, no charm, no composure, no gravitas, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour, and no grace — qualities with which, strangely enough, his predecessor, Mr Obama, was abundantly blessed. Although Trump may be ridiculous, he has never said anything ironic, amusing, or even remotely funny — not once, ever. I do not mean this rhetorically. I mean it literally: never. To the British, a lack of humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it is a fact. He does not even seem to understand what a joke is. To him, a joke is a crude remark, an illiterate insult, an act of casual cruelty. Trump is like a troll: he never laughs or enjoys himself; he merely squeals with delight or derision. And the most frightening thing is that he does not merely utter crude and stupid insults: he actually means them. His mind is nothing more than a robotic algorithm of petty prejudices and instinctive malice. There is no irony in him, no complexity, no subtlety, no depth. Everything is superficial. What we see is a man without an inner world, without a soul. In Britain, we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are courageous underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither courageous nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite. He is not even merely a spoiled rich boy or a greedy fat cat. He is more like a giant white slug, a privileged Jabba the Hutt. And, worse still, he is a bully. When he finds himself among other bullies, he suddenly becomes a whining lackey. He punches down — something a gentleman should never, could never, and must never do — and every blow he delivers is below the belt. He particularly enjoys attacking the vulnerable or the voiceless, and he kicks them when they are down. That is why the fact that a substantial minority — perhaps a third — of Americans watch what he does, listen to what he says, and then think, “Yes, he seems like my kind of guy,” is a source of bewilderment and profound distress to the British. After all, it is impossible to read a single tweet of his or hear him utter a sentence or two without staring into the abyss. He turns shallowness into an art form. He is the Picasso of pettiness, the Shakespeare of shit. His flaws are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on to infinity. There have always been stupid people in the world, and villains have never been in short supply either. But rarely has stupidity been so evil, or evil so stupid. He makes Nixon seem trustworthy and George W. Bush seem intelligent. If Frankenstein had decided to create a monster composed entirely of human flaws, he would have created Trump, and the remorseful Dr Frankenstein would have cried out in despair, “My God, what have I created?” If an idiot were a television show, Trump would be the entire set.

“EUROPE WILL NOT STAND BY AND WATCH” GIORGIA MELONI: “Russia has launched a new autumn campaign against Ukraine. Unable to advance on the battlefield, Moscow has begun increasingly targeting the civilian population: power plants, residential buildings, hospitals, even buses carrying people to work, as in that horrifying massacre in Kramatorsk. This is a strategy through which Russia seeks to subjugate Ukraine through terror, cold, and darkness, simply because it has failed to subjugate it on the battlefield. The facts contradict Kremlin propaganda and those who spread it here: at the beginning of the year, Russia captured very little territory, and in September it lost much of what it had captured. This situation did not fall from the sky: it was achieved thanks to Ukraine’s courage and Western support, including that of Italy. This is the only effective tool to bring Russia to the negotiating table. I respect and understand the heated debate on this issue, even within this chamber, because no one here wants war. We all want peace. The difference lies in how we want to achieve it. As I see it, supporting Ukraine is not an alternative to peace; it is what makes peace possible. (Applause) Because if the aggressor seeks the capitulation of its opponent, why would it negotiate? But capitulation is not peace. It is conquest. If Ukraine stops defending itself tomorrow, as many suggest, we will not have peace. We will be discussing the occupation of a European nation and the return of Soviet imperialism. (Applause) Personally, I do not miss those times. I do not miss the Russian tanks that crushed the uprisings in Prague and Budapest. I do not miss the Berlin Wall. (Applause) And no one will convince me that the capitulation of those who defend their freedom can be called ‘peace.’ The peace we want and are working toward, even at the cost of concessions, is a just peace, because only a just peace can last. Only a just peace can safeguard Europe and our interests. Therefore, the government's position remains unchanged: support for Ukraine, with particular attention to the civilian population, pressure on Moscow, and Euro-Atlantic unity remain the pillars of our actions. In this context, we must address Donald Trump's diesel deal with Russia. This is a choice that I consider very risky. Naturally, we all share the need to contain fuel prices, which place a heavy burden on families, including those in Italy. But we must understand that rising prices are primarily linked to the war in Iran, not Ukraine. The legitimization of Moscow, whose bombs continue to fall on Ukrainian cities, new profits to finance the war, the weakening of sanctions — these are all elements we cannot ignore and which contradict what Western countries, including the United States, have done to force Putin to the negotiating table. (Applause) An energy ceasefire is another matter, one that Italy supports, and we are grateful to President Zelenskyy for Ukraine's immediate readiness to accept it. Now we expect Russia to stop attacking Ukraine's power grid. Ultimately, at such a difficult moment, when so many variables are getting out of control, there is at least one thing that depends on us: Europe will not stand by and watch, because the terms of peace affect our continent and our security.” Rome, Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies. Speech dated October 14, 2026.