For the second time in a few months I awoke to an election result that shocked and scared me. America has voted for change, just as Britain voted for change (ironically the one election that didn’t bring change was the Scottish referendum – how odd does that look now!).
What happened was that once again, the opinion people failed to find the real opinion of America, and I suspect that many people who wouldn’t say, were scared of admitting they were voting Trump.
What will happen in America, is that America will pick itself up and accept what it has done and make the most of it. World markets will fall (in the Far East the market is down 6%) and world markets will recover).
The “We” in the title of this blog , refers to the people who think they run things, the liberal establishment , for whom Trump is a blasphemer. But Nigel Farage, when I asked him how he felt about Trump said something which absolutely resonated.
“An imperfect candidate but a necessary agent of change”
There are two ways of looking at the Trump victory
- Could it have been a bigger republican victory had it not been for Trump (the imperfect candidate)?
- Could anyone other than Trump have carried this off?
What is extraordinary to me is that after 8 years of considered and sensitive leadership from Obama, the wrecking ball that is the Donald , seemed necessary.
And that is precisely the reason that people like me need to start listening to the people who don’t talk to pollsters (or if they do- don’t tell the truth!). I wrote yesterday about not understanding how people outside my social circle think about things. I called that blog “out of my comfort zone” and that’s exactly what Donald Trump makes me feel.
If this is (as the BBC is calling it), the greatest political shock ever, then it is because politics has just reconfigured itself toward the people and away from whatever the political elite thought politics was about.
The Washington lobby is being smashed up as surely as Britain’s ties with the EU. Anyone who stands in the way of the populism unleashed by this vote (Gina Miller beware) will be considered a traitor to democracy.
We have – it seems – a white lash.
This reconfiguring of American politics may have been influenced by Brexit but not by much. Trump called upon Farage and held him as a role model for America. But I doubt that many who voted for Trump thought it through- they felt it through and voting Trump “sure feels good” when you are as pissed off as many Americans obviously are.
I went to bed, expecting an “easy win” for Clinton as I had gone to bed expecting an easy win for “Remain”. I have had to rethink things in the UK as Americans are going to have to rethink things in their country.
It is ironic that Nigel Farage saw Trump in Marxist terms, that comment about Trump being a necessary agent for change assumes that had it not been Trump, another agent would have emerged and that it is not Trump changing America but his supporters finding a way to be heard. We thought that Springsteen spoke for white American working class values, how strange to think that that constituency has elected Trump their president.
Well now Trump will be heard and those voters will be heard. People like me, who have considered ourselves immutable, had better look to our foundations, for they are likely to be shaken.
Just make sure that you get that Spacex flight booking priced in US dollars
The liberal establishment?
They might call themselves that but their chilling of freedom of speech didn’t seem very liberal to me.
I’m also worried that the ‘establishment’ is so seemingly against sovereignty and democracy, which doesn’t seem very liberal either.
If that’s what people want why are they fighting against it?
Then Scotland’s nationalist party who want to be part of a huge superstate.
There is a lot of political misbranding and misrepresentation right now to a rational person.
To be surprised by people voting for their vote to mean something shouldn’t be a surprise.
My only concern is it all feels like a show or drama.
Is it real? Or has politics really lowered itself to this level?
Also I’m just curious why you weren’t already listening to the whole range of people in society?
Especially if doing your job the best depends on it.
I think some people must enjoy the comfort of echo chambers.
Listening to people reaffirm your outlook is reassuring, maybe?
I prefer discomfort and challenging people, that’s why I’m here.
Not because I think I’m right and your wrong, but because we think differently and that gives opportunity for constructive learning and discussion.
I’d rather spend my time like that than waste time listening to people who think the same as me all day long.
Get out there and have your values challenged, and see the value in others values.
Well done America you have now put the inmate in charge of the asylum!
When one ignores positive alternative comment, as you have mine, on almost every occasion that it is made then the outcome that one expects is almost always in error. A practitioners view is gained with emotion and understanding rather than theory and rules.
Trump, Farage and I may be worlds apart but we understand people and our views born of experience truth and common sense will hopefully prevail. Welcome to the real world Henry.
Thanks Terence , good to have the door to the real world opened so nicely
Henry, good morning. Sarcasm being the lowest form of wit, I take your comment as a genuine ackowledgement that there is a world beyond theory and rules, the promotion of which has paralised and destablised the whole of the pensions provision in the UK. In 1997 the UK was the world leader in pension provision.
Greed, averice, and profound incompetence born of ignoring streetwise practitioners like myself whilst listening to the ignorance of succesive politicians egged on by theory mongers, has brought nothing but failure and delusion to our proud heritage. You, Henry, share some of that resposibility.
The real world is in turmoil, thanks to theorists failing to listen and respond to realists. The last general election , Brexit and the US presidential election indicate a cry for help, a cry for change, a cry for someone , somewhere, with the authority to do so, to LISTEN and RESPOND APPRORIATELY.
That, Henry, is the real world. I and other are willing to work with people like you to make it happen, but you have to be willing to listen to us, properly listen, and act. It is almost too late. We must respond possitively and quickly, time is not on our side.
Henry, good morning. Sarcasm being the lowest form of wit, I take your comment as a genuine acknowledgement that there is a world beyond theory and rules, the promotion of which has paralysed and destabilised the whole of the pensions provision in the UK. In 1997 the UK was the
world leader in pension provision.
Greed, avarice, and profound incompetence born of ignoring streetwise practitioners like myself whilst listening to the ignorance of successive politicians egged on by theory mongers, has brought nothing but failure and delusion to our proud heritage. You, Henry, share some of that responsibility.
The real world is in turmoil, thanks to theorists failing to listen and respond to realists. The last general election, Brexit and the US presidential election indicate a cry for help, a cry for change, a cry for someone, somewhere, with the authority to do so, to LISTEN and RESPOND APPRORIATELY.
That, Henry, is the real world. I and others are willing to work with people like you to make it happen, but you have to be willing to listen to us, properly listen, and act. It is almost too late. We must respond positively and quickly, time is not on our side.
(I thought that you might as well have the spelling correct)
There is no need to be offensive Terence, I hope that you can be better mannered. I do not agree with everything you say, but I do listen.
Please do not take offence. Language is such a versatile medium. We can and hopefully will find a common understanding.