Congratulations to Mr Trump on such a successful campaign.
We know who won the election in the USA.
But who lost?
Hillary Clinton clearly. Apart from all the other reasons, maybe as a republic the USA doesn’t like dynasties and didn’t want twice-President
Bill pulling strings behind the scenes as First Gentleman.
Then of course
Why?
Pollsters and political pundits in national newspapers/magazines are used by the establishment to “nudge” voters along a certain path.They know all about the psychological pressure exercised by constant advertising.
If we are constantly told establishment candidate X is winning, the hope is that people will think voting Y is a wasted vote – might as well just agree with the majority who are voting X.
This strategy didn’t work with Americans.
Comment: This type of psychological pressure is blatant in all the “poor support” for Irish unity polls and Scottish independence which appear at regular intervals.
They serve “to remind” us all that only a tiny minority want Irish unification and nationalists/republicans are secret closet Unionist supporters. They serve to inform us that support for scottish independence is stagnating.
How much longer will the strategy work with the Irish and the Scots?
What about the USA?
Rumours abound of a major defection.
And Ireland?
Like Scotland, Ireland is stuck in the middle of the UK-USA “Special relationship” – which may develop into something like this
Remember: in the 1930s Mr Trump’s mother had to emigrate from her island home of
Lewis in the Scottish Western Isles because of UK economic policies.
On the other hand, St Patricks Day in the White House might be fun
as Our Gerry is a long-standing friend.
PS Enda’s already got his invite but Theresa hasn’t even had a phone call!!
pics
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/22/politics/hillary-clinton-benghazi-hearing-updates/
http://www.wnd.com/2016/11/bill-clinton-some-white-americans-dont-have-anything-to-look-forward-to/
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/donald-trump-snubs-theresa-calling-9233641
the mirror@wordpress.com 
Who was it said something like, ¨Heaven preserve us from Interesting Times¨ ?
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Now I recall, wasn´t it supposed to be an ancient Chinese curse, ¨May you live in Interesting Times¨ ?
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believe you’re right marconatrix – maybe confucious or some other old seer.
Are these times any more interesting than any other period of upheaval?
Like all things the self-imposed neo-liberal consensus draws towards its inevitable end. Wasn’t that to be expected?In one way or another?
What “rough beast is sloping towards Bethlehem” is anyone’s guess – but the Middle East will remain key to tomorrow’s world
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If you grew up in the ´60s then change was good, things could only get better. But it hasn´t always been like that. A line from a song drifted into mind this afternoon. It must date from between the wars when fascism was on the rise in Europe but also in the USA. There was either a slogan or a movement called ¨America First¨ which isn´t too far from ¨Make America Great¨. The line goes :
¨They say America First but they mean America Next¨
All the same themes from those times seem to be recurring, refugees, deportees, environmental disaster … so things might get very unpleasant. Do Americans have no political/social memory?
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After the 60s, the counter-change kickback knocked in, demolishing any idea of change for the better.
Add in 40+ years of neo-liberal, “trickle-down” economics (and nobody ever asked why should you or i or anybody else be satisfied with a “trickle” of money).
The top dogs(politicians, bankers, news hacks etc) spent their time telling everybody that there is no alternative (TINA), creating a faceless bureaucracy as a barrier between them and the people and reducing every aspiration to a cost/benefit analysis.
Now we have the present mass poverty all over the EU and the USA and untold wealth for an elite.
Wealth distribution and employment prospects are today just like they were during the great depression. So songs of the time come to mind .
Since human nature doesn’t change very much, it is hardly surprising people react in the same way with an inclination towards fascism and the desire for a “Strong Leader” who promises something better.
Like every other cycle in human history, (and the 1,000 year reich didn’t last very long, did it? or the jazz Age?) this neo-lib cycle has run its time. It has had a very good innings but it has to end or compromise greatly with what the elite used to call “the great unwashed”.
I agree things might (could very well) get very unpleasant if there is no major compromise but we have to hope it is just one more stage along the way to something better. And that this is the last flare-up of fascism and related ideologies.
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Great stuff.
Those the Gods destroy they first make mad.
Looks like the Gods are busy these days.
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welcome back FJH and thanks for your kind compliment –
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