On Monday, cries of equality echoed through the British House of Commons as the MPs rallied behind the Speaker of the House, John Bercrow, in regards to Donald Trump’s visit. Bercow elevated the status of the British Parliament declaring, “To speak in both houses is not an automatic right, but it is an earned honor.” For the first time in 200 years the U.K. shut the door on the U.S. and, sadly, I don’t think “The Donald” will come back knocking.
To the Labor Party and much of the house, Trump’s sexist remarks and his controversial travel ban had cost him his voice in parliament. Days after Bercow’s affirmation, political pundits and speakers climbed aboard the bandwagon, damning the new administration and putting Prime Minister Theresa May in hot water.

However, as anti-Trump protests go abroad for the first time and members of parliament marinate in their self-righteousness, the diplomacy of two of the world’s most influential nations quickly dissolves. Although parliament showed great disapproval of Trump’s travel ban, I recall not too long ago that the U.K. orchestrated a travel ban of their own. Using a similar platform rhetoric, Nigel Farage guiltlessly exploited the fears of an uneducated working class to coordinate arguably one of the largest political setbacks in history. The consequences of the decision are still hardly quantifiable, questioning the cornerstone of democracy itself. The Brexit campaign slogan “take back control” had the same impact as “Make America Great Again.” It was a sentiment of nationalism.

Even when looking past the hypocrisy, one can’t help but feel disappointed with the logic of the House of Commons. The battle cry was truly noble in its inception, but it was a massive misstep towards its intended goal. If the punishment for Trump’s actions was revoking his parliamentary pass, then I believe you’ve just created another division the world doesn’t need. What would have been more effective was allowing Trump to speak, having a true referendum of ideas and (if he does pollute parliament with hate rhetoric) embarrassing him. This was the U.K.’s opportunity to take the baton as the new beacon the world must follow, but it was sullied by childish judgement.

This reminded me of a scene from my favorite movie that I believe sums up the situation to a T. Regina George’s fall from grace culminated on one fateful Monday, when the only pants that fit her were sweatpants. This was a grave conflict of interest among the rest of the plastics since their prior agreement stated that sweatpants were only to be worn on Fridays. After she wasn’t allowed to sit with them as a result, Regina went rogue, changing the entire dynamic of the plastics and essentially the whole high school.

Never in my life have I seen the behaviors of international politicians resemble that of a narcissistic North Shore mean girl. If Regina George taught me anything, we now know what comes next from Trump and what the entire world stands to lose. The British parliament look eerily similar to the plastics, and halting forward progress to fight this self-righteous crusade is far from fetch.

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