By hosting Donald Trump in France, Macron has made a fool of the UK – we truly have become 'Little Englanders'

Like or loathe his politics, President Emmanuel Macron has done something that puts the UK to shame today. He has welcomed Donald Trump to France for Bastille Day.

In a sweeping 24 hour visit, the US President will be taken to Napoleon’s tomb, as well as a Michelin-star restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, before joining in celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of US involvement in the First World War.

All of this, aside from winning over the US President, will make the UK look pathetic indeed, for not hosting him. Such a prospect looks ever more impossible, given the amount of hysteria that has ensued ever since Theresa May first extended an invitation.

What’s interesting is that most of the anger appears to come from “liberals”; the same people who love to lecture others on the importance of global ties. “Britain’s open for business!” many chanted before the EU referendum, berating anyone who disagreed as “Little Englanders”.

And yet it is exactly these individuals who are determined to destroy links with the US – on everyone else’s behalf. This became especially obvious last week when rumours of a state visit surfaced on the web, and thousands promised to protest on Facebook. It is said that these could be the biggest protests in UK history.

As a result, The White House has now postponed Trump’s trip to 2018, as the President simply doesn’t want to visit while there is the potential for mass outrage. And who can blame him? Especially when leaders like Macron are only too happy to play nice.

Unfortunately, the intense reaction over Trump shows no signs of going away, and seems to get worse the longer the trip is put off – no thanks to parliamentarians, like Jeremy Corbyn and Tim Farron, who initially suggested a Trump ban. This was foolish, as it has only inspired vast levels of public anger, meaning the President may not bother with the UK at all.

Far from advancing the UK’s reputation as a caring, humanitarian place, our upset has only made us look vain and hypocritical, especially as we have played host to Bashar al-Assad, Vladimir Putin and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (a country that beheads criminals) and other unsavoury leaders, with little fuss.

The outrage over Trump is ultimately kamikaze, as the UK can only lose from ostracising the world’s most powerful man (one of the few leaders who looked positively on us post-Brexit) – a fact that has not been lost on President Macron. At least the French leader appreciates that it is not possible to take the high ground, nor put forward any alternative values, if you won’t stand on the same ground at all. The UK will only sabotage its political strength through self-imposed isolationism.

The uproar about Trump’s visit merely confirms that we have become the “stamp our feet” nation. There is such little regard these days for democracy, or engaging in politics in a refined manner, as opposed to large, chaotic spectacles on the streets.

What’s worst is the arrogance of protesters, who think they have the mandate to sabotage diplomatic efforts on the rest of the country’s behalf. It’s outrageous when plenty of the population has a more circumspect approach to politics.

Dare I say protesters could take a lesson from Jeremy Corbyn on the matter of international relations. Speaking about the Northern Ireland peace process, he said: “You have to bring about a peace process by talking to people that you don’t agree with. If you just talk amongst your friends, you’re not going to get a peace process”.

This is advice that actually transcends politics, as there is rarely a situation in life that cannot be helped through solid, face-to-face communication – however much you disagree with an opponent.

Even psychological experiments show that proximity has a powerful authoritative effect, which means that just looking someone in the eye can be persuasive.

Throwing a tantrum, on the other hand, is absolutely futile, particularly in the case of Trump. Far from harming the President, our efforts to block him will only reflect on the UK itself; a nation outsiders will simply deem as “Little England”.