Giant flags of Nato’s 32 members hang in the Mall, part of the 75th anniversary celebrations for the most successful military alliance in history, as its cheerleaders unfailingly note. The display should recognise that some members are more equal than others. The dozen-odd countries that still fail to spend their promised 2 per cent of GDP on defence should have modest pennants only. The Stars and Stripes should be by far the biggest flag, reflecting US military clout. But the Biden administration’s dithering and distraction, and the looming prospect of a Trump presidency, also make Old Glory look tattered.
Other flags are out of place too. Hungary’s green-white-red tricolour should be flapping rather closer to the Russian embassy in Kensington Gardens, reflecting Budapest’s unhelpful (to
