The news this morning that a petition of nearly 1M people is to be ignored by Theresa and her ‘top’ team is not a great surprise. After all she is playing to a much more important audience in her mind. Its an action reminiscent of Blairs unwillingness to accept that 2M in Hyde Park were ahead of the curve he was on, not behind it. Those who signed the petition are not of one mind, nor necessarily suggesting one particular course of action. Some simply want a debate to take place, others want a visit that is not a state visit and some want to send a message to say that no visit is welcome. Failing to respond to any of those views or a myriad of different perspectives in between when ones Government is of an insignificant majority indicates either arrogance or that a more vital point of view is in her sights. No doubt Donald Trump would quickly revise his view of Theresa if she did open up the debate. However when people like Alistair Burt are suggesting that the Foreign Office which he once ran “should be devising a strategy – what to do when President Trump is putting the United Kingdom in an embarrassing position – and I think you smack back quite hard in the first instance” and that US officials “should help the UK to try and find a reason for why this visit should not go ahead in the short term […] otherwise there will be some lasting damage each way” and Sarah Wollaston is writing articles entitled “Trump is trading on prejudice – and if May is a true friend she’ll tell him” it is time for Mrs May to wind her neck in and show she can listen to those of us who are deeply concerned about the last weeks activity in the Whitehouse.