The shocking US election result will create a new world order – and launch a fresh wave of Trump wannabes
One thing I'm hoping for right now, is that more people in politics want to be like Trump. It's clear that the woke agenda, climate change hysteria, 75 genders and socialism for the new millenia is not what the people want
I hope for Trump wannabees popping up all over the world and taking us back to a time when governments worked for the people, and not the other way around (Of course I'm also hoping that's what Trump will be doing in his four years)
So yes, it was a little shocking that the cackling banshee got whooped in a fair fight, but shocking in a good way
American voters have done a terrible and unforgivable thing this week. We should not flinch from saying they have turned away from the shared ethos and rules that have shaped the world, generally for the better, since 1945.
I don't know about 1945, maybe the 90's? The shared ethos of big government and top down control, rampant mass illegal immigration, ballooning welfare states, socialist economics, foreign wars, net zero and anthropogenic climate change, high taxes, and gender tomfoolery
Yes, the Americans unforgiveably and terribly voted against all that
Other democracies, including Britain, need to understand what is at stake. The challenges facing the international order are only the start of it.
It reads like, 'Reasons to vote Trump 101'
If we want to avoid being overwhelmed by similar forces, leaving us even more vulnerable to hostile autocracies such as Russia, we need to be proactive, not passive, about them. Without that, we may find ourselves governed from Clacton-a-Lago.
I see what you did there. Funny. But really, you don't need to sell us on this, he's already won. Unless you're shoe-horning Farage in there so the UK will vote in Reform in 2029?
For Britain, which has clung for so long to illusion and to lazy imitation of the US, this is a moment of particularly difficult choices at all levels. Keir Starmer, his popularity already slipping, will nevertheless lose more than he gains by acting, as he did in the Commons today, as though Trump offers continuity. The Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, was right to challenge him over Ukraine and a possible trade war. Starmer needs to face these facts, not duck them.
Assuming Starmer needs to challenge Trump over policy issues, and that may will be the case, there are ways for adults in positions of responsibility on the world stage, to go about it. One word - diplomacy.
Throwing your toys out of the pram like Ed Davey, will achieve nothing. Many members of the Starmer Governemnt have already embarassed themselves beyond repair by previously gobbing off about Trump on public platforms. Not that I like to agree with Two Tier Freebies, but extending the olive branch to Trump on day one, was exactly the right thing to do
First build the diplomatic relationship, then bring your challenges about whatever bugs you, be it giving billions of taxpayer money to Zelinsky, tarrifs on cheap tat from China, or allowing fat beardy blokes in the womens shitters
But there is something far larger involved for Britain. This country clings to the belief that it enjoys a special relationship with the US
Yet where, after 5 November 2024, is the commonality? What do our largely secular societies truly have in common with a nation whose religiosity drives it to outlaw women’s reproductive rights and, in some cases, to see Trump as a leader sent by God to save the US from socialism?
Well first you need to ask yourself if any of that is true, or if it is in fact, a complete pile of steaming, festering bullshit with hairy bollocks?
Womens reproductive rights have not been outlawed. If we're talking about abortion, and I think we are, the Supreme Court decided that was not a matter for federal government and sent it back to the staes, who can now make their own rules on it
As for Trump being sent from God, I've not heard that one myself, but I'm sure there are a very small number of people in America who believe that, just like we have our home grown religious nutters here.
Why not ask the real questions? What does America now have in common with a country with a socialist government, who house illegal immigrants in hotels, who intend to bankrupt this small country with ridiculous net zero, who just increased taxes to pay for NHS diversity co-ordinators, who have two tier justice that favours dangerous criminals with more melanin, and makes you register your pet chicken with a government agency?
Maybe it's America who should be re-evaluating the special relationship?
Since Trump’s re-election threatens most Europeans, perhaps Britain should move closer to Europe? It is a legitimate question, and not to be dismissed merely because Brexit makes it difficult, though it does.
The only Europeans that Trumps election threatens, are those who spend their lives huddled in their safe spaces, wearing two masks and crying until their pink hair dye runs. And that's just the men
Maybe the correct thing to do is move closer to any country with a democratically elected government, and look for ways co-operation could mutually benefit us all. That would include both the US and all the European countries, but unfortunately not the EU itself, as they are not democratically elected
There is one small possible consolation from Trump’s lamentable re-election: the event is so shocking that it may finally help to nudge the British into seeing Americans as different and ourselves as we really are, no longer reliant on the crutch of the supposed special relationship
We can be who we really are, while also co-operating with other democratic nations. A 'special relationship' does not strip us of our identity
I don't think the British need nudging to see America as different; we can already see that, and also be friends with Americans, but you never know, Trumps lamentable re-election may nudge the British to see that we no longer have to put up with the absolute shower of political shite we've been voting for since 1997. Maybe we will finally be nudged to vote for an alternative?
Martin Kettle is a Guardian columnist
No shit!
