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Readers have their say on Donald Trump’s loss and Joe Biden’s win in the US election.
I’m so glad to see the back of Donald Trump: the polarisation and divisiveness, the twisted stories, the 1960s salesmanship, the general sense of anxiety he’s left on the world. Wherever he goes I hope Farage, Johnson and Cummings will follow soon.
I look forward to the future years of healing, bringing people together, compassion, honesty, integrity, and professionalism, getting to grips with climate change and the coronavirus.
Tony Howarth,
SW3
Last weekend, the sound of chickens coming home to roost was deafening. And these returning avians dumped on a lot of the Trump enablers. Prominent among them is the Trump-hailed King of Europe and renowned ‘journalist’, Nigel Farage, who had earlier claimed to have placed a £10,000 bet on a Trump win. Either this was a.) a fib or b.) true and he’s now £10,000 lighter. Much mention was made by US election analysts of the Red Mirage and the Blue Mirage. The outcome of the election will surely have led to a Puce Farage.
Ed Lewis,
Potters Bar, Herts
Joe Biden first had a majority of 1,000 in Georgia. On Sunday, postal votes had put him 10,000 ahead with 99% of the votes counted. What we need now is two Democrat victories in the run-offs for the senate in January, then with the senate split 50/50 the vice president Kamala Harris would have the casting vote. As the song says, the Democrats need to go marching through Georgia!
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Hurrah! Hurrah! We bring the jubilee!
Hurrah! Hurrah! The flag that makes you free!
So we sang the chorus from Atlanta to the sea,
While we were marching through Georgia.
David Hogg,
Bristol
Your splendid columnists John Kampfner, James Ball and Co were all in difficulty last week (TNE #218) in reacting to the EU election, and like so many of us, seem to have felt at the time of writing that the US election was not going the way we wanted. Even by the weekend it was not all over.
Somebody used the phrase ‘omnishambles’ a few years ago for what now seems in retrospect to have been a blip in taxation policy in UK. Now we know what a ‘cock-up’ or total mess really looks like.
One of the BBC’s American contributors said he could not understand how such a technologically advanced country as the US, blessed with gallons of know-how, could perpetrate such a long-drawn out business as these (and earlier) elections. Another commentator rightly suggested that dodgy leaders in other countries would be laughing their heads off.
It is not often that I am proud of our own election systems, but we are pretty good at actually running elections and referenda. Postal votes are sent out in good time and are delivered by a still-reliable Royal Mail. The counting of votes is supervised by experienced, trusted figures and there are sufficient, trained counting agents to do the job within a few hours. Distant constituencies represent a challenge, but not an insuperable one.
Someone will say that this is none of my business. But the smooth working of democracy is important worldwide. We need to do even better, but the USA needs to get its act together in time for 2024. It is overdue for them to cease being a laughing stock. If president Biden could rectify this in his four years, he will have benefitted the USA and the wider world without doing anything else. But yes, there is a further agenda…
Paul King
Walton, Chesterfield
Congratulations to the American people for realising the mistake they made and correcting it at the first opportunity.
That’s one dangerous, self-opinionated idiot removed from a position of power. Now there’s one more to go.
Russell,
Worcester
Last week’s presidential election proved unnecessarily tense, considering president-elect Biden won over four million more votes than Trump, and also the most votes cast for any presidential candidate in American history.
Surely a much overdue reform would be to apportion one electoral vote to every 100,000 inhabitants of a state? So 400 for California and 290 for Texas etc. This would maintain representation for rural communities (long an argument in favour of retaining the electoral college) whilst also making sure cities have their voice heard.
Alfie Penfold,
Norwich
What next for Donald Trump?
It is a shame that there is no Strictly Christmas Special this year as I think he would have been a shoe-in to be lifting the Glitterball trophy with his stunning dance moves to YMCA.
Perhaps he should consider a return to celebrity and reality television shows? I’m sure he would attract high ratings for I’m a Celebrity Get Me out of Here!, Would I Lie to You?, Celebrity Hunted, Celebrity Love Island, Celebrity Gogglebox or Pointless Celebrities.
My own pitch would be for a ‘Populist Leaders Special’ of Don’t Rock the Boat with a team of: Trump, Putin, Bolsonaro, Johnson and Cummings – mind you, it would be a tragedy for the world if they were to get lost at sea…
Nick Roberts
• Have your say by emailing theneweuropean@archant.co.uk. Our deadline for letters is Tuesday at 9am for inclusion in Thursday’s edition. Please be concise – letters over five paragraphs long may be edited before printing.
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