Wednesday 20 January 2021

President

So today, at last, we got to enjoy the Biden / Harris inauguration, and it felt like a long time coming. It is interesting that the last blog post was just before the election, and at that time I made some predictions. Some were right, some were wrong. At least I predicted a Biden win, and I certainly predicted that Trump would delay a definitive result and wouldn't go gracefully.

I certainly didn't predict the extent to which he would go in his denial of reality, even to inciting rioting and the storming of the Capitol building itself by a band of his deranged supporters. He is rightly facing impeachment, and sets a new low bar in the US as the first president to go through a second trial in the Senate. We can but hope that the Senators recognise the importance of doing their duty this second time around, to ensure (i) they send a very clear message to their country and the world that he is guilty as charged, (ii) that Trumpism is defunct, (iii) that in politics it is absolutely fine and expected to hold different and opposing views, but it is also possible to do so whilst whilst showing respect for, not hatred towards, those holding the opposing view, (iv) Republicans start to reclaim their party, and (v) Trump is cast into the wilderness with not even the remotest chance of holding public office at any time in the future.

As to the incoming administration, I admire their call for unity, and I wish them every success in achieving it.