Dear John,

Donald Trump's latest move - filing a complaint with the US Federal Election Commission accusing the Labour Party of "blatant foreign interference" in the US Presidential election - is not something Labour should be pandering to…or tying themselves up in knots about.

The truth is, it’s just a desperate play from a desperate man. Remember, for him, this election is existential. With multiple criminal indictments hanging over his head, losing could mean spending the rest of his life in a jail or, at best, in courtrooms fighting to stay out of one. A man in that position will try anything, however ridiculous.

Because the polls are on a knife-edge, Trump is lashing out at every perceived threat, no matter how minor. He knows that even a small advantage counts in a close campaign, and he's trying to intimidate anyone and everyone who might get in his way. Classic narcissist bully-boy behaviour.

Incidentally, there’s more than a whiff of hypocrisy in Trump’s grievance. He claims that a group of Labour-supporting British volunteers showing solidarity with Kamala Harris is an affront to US electoral integrity. Yet, when Nigel Farage is actively supporting HIS campaign and appearing at HIS rallies, he remains silent. Staggering double standards.

The aggressive bullying by a presidential candidate is not the surprise here. Neither is the staggering hypocrisy. The real surprise is that Labour spokespeople are giving these accusations the time of day. This is a mistake.

They should remember that appeasement is rarely a successful strategy when dealing with bullies, especially one fighting for their very survival. They should stand up to him. They should firmly reject his baseless accusations and carry on regardless. In supporting Harris against Trump, they are standing up for democracy against the very real threat of global authoritarianism.

The specific accusations levelled by Trump are a hollow distraction but there is something fundamental at stake here. It isn’t just to do with the Labour Party, or British politics, or the US election. It's about whether democratic institutions worldwide have the resolve to stand firm in the face of unprecedented pressure from increasingly confident authoritarians.

Trump is a man who would happily subvert the democratic rights of millions to save his own skin. He has friends around the world - some of them in this country - who would do the same to stroke their own ego or make a fast buck. Those of us who believe in democracy, whoever we are and wherever we’re from, must stand together and have each other’s backs. Labour activists - and the rest of us - should never shy away from that.

All the best,

Mark Kieran

CEO, Open Britain
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