Open letter Mrs May, and Mr Corbin.

Dear Prime Minster, and Leader of the Opposition.

I sincerely hope you both get the chance to read this. I am an ordinary Uk resident. Not a professor, or highly academic individual. I have worked in the UK military, and also in the private sector. I am 42 yrs old.

In my life time I have seen times of conflict on UK and foreign soil, UK military unable to wear uniform for fear of  PIRA attack, and civilians at risk of regular bombings. I have also seen the fall of the Berlin wall, the rise of the Stormont assembly, with political discourse the tool employed, rather than bomb or bullet. I myself deployed to Iraq in 2009. That said, peaceful diplomacy and discourse has lead much of the last twenty years when one looks at the UK, and the US.

Now we see a different scenario. One that perhaps requires a little bluntness, I hope you will both indulge me in that regard.

Politics is, I'm sure you'd both agree, often an area where one cannot openly say what one thinks. Diplomacy is measured, responses weighed and actions that have consequences thought through. This is why I applaud The PM on her recent very speedy visit to meet the "American president" Note I say "The President". Perhaps i should say "his office" Because I like many others am aware Britain and America need each other as nations, but current events now put the UK and specifically the PM in a very difficult place.

Furthermore, and very intentionally as a separate thing, I would also applaud the speed at which the PM visited "Donald Trump". This man is loose cannon and I strongly suspect that a pre emptive intervention on behalf of NATO was required by the UK before he could make good on the comments he has made regarding NATO being "obsolete" and sign some sort of executive order,  constitutional or otherwise.

That "Donald Trump" now holds the power and resources of the office of the President of the United States of America is one of the greatest challenges that British government, UN, Nato and other world leaders have faced in decades. But this I think you both know.

What to do about it?

I applaud the PM's early efforts in attempting to mitigate the damage this man could do to NATO by a stroke of a fountain pen. But I now implore the UK government, and both sides of the House of Commons, across all party divides and agendas, to put aside political obfuscation. Put aside any thought of dealing with Donald trump as a rational human being. But also, do not take him for a fool. He blind sided UK diplomacy on the border ban easily enough.

As I write this the European council President Donal Tusk has suggested that "The new American demonstration " has made "worrying declarations".

Parliament carries a standing in the UK as an example of everything Donald Trump derides. The discussion of ideas and policy. Representation of the people, and even, when challenged by the judiciary, the acceptance of rule of law. The simple and telling fact that the Acting Attorney General has been removed from post after disagreeing with the legality of an executive order should in my view be just a fair warning that Mr Trump's administration with stomach no dissenting voices.

Mrs May, can you imagine parliament or yourself in capacity as PM sumarily removing the 8 judges who ruled against the governments position on Brexit? No. yet this is what Donald Trump has done with the power vested in him by the office of the President of the United States of America.

The "Man" is corrupting the "Office", and in so doing may be instrumental in the destruction of his own and other countries, at the cost of many lives. Narcissistic fascism knows no limits. It will use power to gain what it can and consume all that it wishes.

It is Fascism. no more. no less. The common values we British hold with America are NOT represented by Donald trump or his administration. He has, to put it bluntly, highjacked the machinery of democracy, and if left unchecked, will systematically dismantle each piece of that machine until none are left who can oppose his world view. Truth is derided as false news, and lies blatantly ignored, or backed up with assertions of "alternative facts"

Please please do not align us with this man. IF you value and recognise the "special relationship" that the UK has with America, realise that this relations ship is between the peoples of each country...not the leaders. Donald Trump is not, and does not speak for an "America" that the UK should have any relationship with, let alone a special one.

To Mr Corbyn, I say well done as ever on standing up for the principles of democracy, and process. Specifically with regards to the Brexit issue. However brexit today is a very different proposition from brexit not 8 days past. I strongly urge a free vote in the commons on this issue. Remove the three line whip. Let conscience and judgement drive the process at this time. A referendum result is all very well, but to leave ourselves as a nation somewhat isolated from Europe with Russia, China and now America all unknown qualities, would be very unwise.

To you both I say, whilst I don't envy your choices, I wish you both the best of luck in guiding the  parliamentary process of the United Kingdom and upholding the very values that underpin the freedoms of ordinary UK and US citizens like myself.

In fighting terror, one must be vigilant. and in this case I do not think its an overstatement to say that the biggest threat to peace in our time now sits not in some small dusty desert hole in Iran, Iraq, or any of the 7 nations on a spurious list, but in the white house.

Yours sincerely

Sarah Ellis
Uk resident.