Trump's performance yesterday reminds me of an incident when I was on jury duty many years ago. I think I was 23 at the time.
When the jury came to puck a foreman it selected, by a majority, a flash chap, quick with the banter, apparently self confident and easy with the gab. Some were seduced by the repartee.
When we came to discuss the case it was clear this person had little idea what was happening during the hearing or what was required of us.
As it seemed that the trial was nearing its conclusion there was legal dispute form which the jury, as usual, was excluded. When we returned we were instructed that the jury was to find the defendent not guilty for technical reasons. The jury foreman was asked to stand to confirm this. When asked by the judge how we found the defendent the foreman said 'I don't know'.
He was instructed to seek advice. I recall assuring him he had to say not guilty. He did, at the second attempt.
Justice was eventually done. But the wrong person had not helped. And now we have a President with same credentials as that foreman had when offering himself for selection. And I am not as confident that second attempts will always be permitted.
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Looking at the the unredacted dossier by Steele & a December article by The Guardian concerning the long-time interest by Czech intelliogence in Trump & his wife, the most charitable thing you could say about Trump is that he is compromised – bolt that on to his character & he is unfit to run a company let alone the USA. Your Trump II example/jury service is a good one. There are Trump look-alikes everywhere.
Your metaphor also echoes sense that Trump is a symptom as well as a cause. What he is a symptom of is a much bigger problem even than the man himself. If Putin can manipulate US public opinion and mood, what does that say about the world? As in the previous comment, there are may Trumps, many in full view already.
America and the CIA have been manipulating elections round the world for years – think most South American countries. I imagine many in Chile felt desperate after Pinchet came to power, and they certainly suffered.
I don’t condone anything that Russia may or may not have done, and I don’t like the outcome, but for America to cry foul is just one more aspect of their hypocrisy.
An observation about stupid people who find political power: someone clever will help them with the thinking.
This is true of stupid individuals, groups, even of national movements.
Someone clever, but not entirely good; or Dick Cheney, or religious fundamentalists, or white supremacists with ‘controversial’ opinions about jews and remarkable new media skills.
The idea trump is a russian agent is just because he is against having world war 3 which Hilary Clinton might have started. For those who really hate trump and go along with the russian agent theory I predict you can look forward to Jeremy Corbyn being accused of the same thing (which you will have to strenuously deny.
How bizarre that you think I have to do anything for Corbyn
I’ve never been a member of the Labour Party
But I do note you’re a fake news generator
I think it time to call a halt to your silliness
“How bizarre that you think I have to do anything for Corbyn”
Well he is trying to relaunch as a “populist”, maybe you could help? You can get in the media and support him despite flaws etc, maybe (for egocentric me obviously :->) you could show him the MMT ideas and importantly Job Guarantee. He doesn’t have to run on them just implement them when in government or (maybe) announce in a recession. After all FDR campaigned as fiscal conservative then did the opposite.
J Corbyn seems to be working under the very reasonable, traditional, strategy of boosting the turnout of the disaffected, because currently non-voters are more numerous than any party’s voters, and in particular T Blair managed to lose several million votes.
Ultimately you have to “pick a side” here Richard. You can’t sit on the fence. Caroline Flint instead argued that New Labour must become a quasi-Conservative party to attract millions of right-wing voters:
«Labour will not win the next election by relying on disaffected leftwing Liberal Democrat voters, but will also have to frame policies that are attractive to former Conservative voters in the south, the shadow cabinet member Caroline Flint has said.»
Now those like her (and Simon Wren-Lewis and Owen Smith) seem to think that New Labour, by positioning themselves as the heirs to D Cameron, “New Conservatives for Europe and benefit cuts” they can attract a chunk of the 42% of tories who voted “Remain”, and rid New Labour of the 37% of labour voters who voted “Leave” to either abstention or UKIP. Do you want that?
I think that the different strategy of trying to keep with Labour that 37% and motivating some of the many millions of voters who have stopped voting during T Blair’s government and win over some UKIP voters is a much more realistic strategy.
I don’t understand the “issues” with Corbyn. He is doing quite well considering the circumstances. Compare to when Cameron and Osborne who made a lot of mistakes, and they did have some government and front bench experience, and eventually piles of spads and civil servants. But nobody raised it as a major personal issue. Plus Corbyn has been under a lot of distracting pressure. You can’t compare to say Ed Miliband who was part of the famously tight Brown organization.
I think ultimately if he has to go he has to go, but I don’t see anyone better leading Labour at the moment.
If you can’t see anyone better leading Labour your vision is impaired
Identifying that person may be hard but better is easy to conceive
Funnily enough: I don’t think Trump is much of a danger to anyone, other than US citizens.
He may well be the first US president, after Nixon, to resign….after he’s bled the last dollar out of the office!
Of course, if it turns out that the Russians did have anything to do with his rise to power, all bets are off. I think the US reaction to that may be a global event.
Still, we’re overdue for another world war..
More concerning for me is what that dear boy Johnson had to say to Trump’s crew at that recent meeting?
Opening up Britians NHS for more business opportunties by any chance?