As Robert Fisk points out, we’re becoming addicted to Trump. Presidency by tweet and publicity stunts are diverting us from the real nastiness happening behind the scenes. But I want to take a step back. Obama came to power promising change, but the type of change he promised wasn’t the type of change we thought he… Read more »
Category: Politics
The First Four Weeks
Here’s a (slightly adapted) quote: “[Trump] did not have to destroy democracy; he merely took advantage of the decay of democracy and at the critical moment obtained the support of many to whom, though they detested [Trump], he yet seemed the only man strong enough to get things done.” The big charge against Obama is… Read more »
Trump Chee-Hwa
When Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, one of the first orders of business of Tung Chee-Hwa, its first Chief Executive (the most senior administrative post in Hong Kong) was to establish the supremacy of Chinese Communist Party over the local judiciary. It’s interesting that one of Trump’s first acts is to attempt to establish… Read more »
ExecuTweet Orders
Welcome to Imperium Trumpum, rule by Executive Orders (which are not even in the constitution) issued by America’s new Emperor on behalf of the Heritage Foundation. This cannot fail, of course, to make America great. A president who is not welcome in the House of Parliament of America’s number one ally; an almost entirely male, Protestant and… Read more »
Napoleon, Etymology and (sorry) Hitler
The current meme amongst my pro-Brexit friends is that (a) Britain is a net importer of EU goods and services so the EU will meet Britain on Britain’s own terms and (b) the EU will disintegrate anyway. I’ll save the first of these for a later post, as it’s related to Trump’s position on trade, and look… Read more »
The Tin Lady and the Great Confusicator
I’d hoped to avoid writing about politics, but with Brexit and Trump in the ascendant, it’s impossible for me not to. Last week, my more right-wing friends were delighted. Teresa May, in their view, gave a forthright and ballsy speech on Brexit at the annual gathering of the global plutocracy at Davos, and Trump articulated a… Read more »