The world right now is stumbling around or sitting with its head in its hands, not knowing quite what to think. That’s the effect D J Trump’s election as American President has had on the world. Here are a few rallying-points that might make the pain more bearable.
- We’ve been here before. Trump has spent four years in the White House already, and we all survived. Besides which, US presidents in their second term of office tend to act more freely, without the threat of losing next time out. Richard Nixon comes to mind.
- Trump has claimed he’d end the war in Ukraine inside twenty-four hours. He won’t do it that quickly, of course, but there is a high chance that he will end it, with some territory currently Ukrainian being ceded to Putin. And speaking of the Russian despot, he simply doesn’t have the personnel or power to do a Hitler – invade and conquer country after country. We were sold the domino effect in Vietnam and it proved a lie there.
- US citizens who were never engaged politically have now become politicized. There are of course the Trump fans, who woul do just about anything their leader told them. But there are an awful lot of US citizens who see what is under threat, see the dangers posed by Trump, and who feel so strongly they will work night and day to mitigate the worst effects of a Trump presidency.
- The American economy will do well under Trump.Already stocks on Wall Street have risen sharply. That doesn’t mean prosperity will seep down to those most in need, but a prospering economy makes a state feel good. Great numbers feel no benefits from the South’ s huge surplus, but it does open up new possibilities for all.
- Hundreds of thousands of babies in their mother’s womb may breathe a little easier.(That’s a metaphor of sorts – of course babies in wombs don’t breathe.) I appreciate that a lot of people see this as a woman’s own business, that she should have control over her body. But she hasn’t the freedom to use her body to poison her partner, for example, or to shoot D J Trump, tempting though it might be. But shouldn’t the person with whom she conceived the baby have some say, or do men not matter? And finally, no matter what way we dress it up or what we call it, abortion involves taking what is or at least would become a human being, ripping it apart and disposing of the severed parts. Trump may not in fact provide any assistance to these defenceless beings, but his election at least opens the possibility that millions won’t end in the medical trash-can.
Good points Jude. The Russia-Ukraine war has to end some time. I know Putin is a tyrant but he is Russia’s tyrant and it is up to them to do something about him if they are not happy. Ukraine will lose part of their territory but a lot of people living there would prefer to be ruled by Mother Russia. Trump is an awful human being, sorry, I will rephrase that, judge not lest ye be judged and all that. Trump is a human being who says and does awful things. He will make the rich richer and he is beholding to the aforementioned Vladimir for reasons which are unclear at the minute. He and his grasping children will fill their coffers but the American people have spoken (I think.)
Bravo Jude, from one who has been in the deepest of gloom since Wednesday morning. Points 2 and 5 in particular resonate, and maybe every cloud is trimmed with silver.
2024 has been the most miserable of years, and if we can’t blame Trump for facilitating that genocide, who can we blame?
Another role of the dice, and please let it bring peace.
You get the politicians you pay for, or in Trump’s case the voters will be paying for the politicians they get, they will know that soon enough to their cost. We get the poliicians we voted for and in the case of Michelle O’Neill we have a person who promised if elected to to her duty for the whole divided community. Many people, myself included, find it highly distasteful for a republican leader to attend a Britsh remembrance event, but this isn’t the USA or Britain where politicians consistently lie through their teeth. She could easily have opted out of this or asked the Deputy First Minister to do it, after all that’s why we have joint first ministers, isn’t it? Michelle O’Neill is doing what she said she would do when elected, by not attempting to wriggle out of a difficult situation she is showing great strength of character and genuine honesty, a very rare trait in the sickening world of politics and a strong message to her many detractors and feeblle minded political opponents. The victims of British brutality will be remembered long after the perpetrators have left our shores. How many politicians will be remembered for sticking to their promises and making hard choices? Precious few I would think.