I have a good deal of respect for President Joe Biden, despite the speculation about his fitness for the office of President. The recent assassination attempt on his rival, Donald Trump, was a truly shocking event and Biden, to his immense credit, speedily condemned the attack. Following the attack, however, Biden addressed his people and made a statement that I found odd. After acknowledging past political shootings and assaults, he said: “In America we resolve our differences at the ballot box," he said. "At the ballot box. Not with bullets."
Saturday 20 July 2024
Presidents Biden, Trump and Political Violence: A Horse Long Bolted
Saturday 6 July 2024
A Reflection on the Election
To a limited extent, it's possible to feel sorry for Rishi Sunak, our ex-Prime Minister. He began the election campaign by getting soaked in the London rain, and ended it yesterday with his wife watching him, while she held an umbrella. As The Mirror noted with amusement:
"The emergency umbrella caught the attention of viewers online who took to social media to share their reactions. One person wrote on site X, formerly Twitter: "Rishi Sunak's wife waiting in the wings holding an umbrella is killing me," while another said: "Rishi Sunak leaving Downing Street. Note the umbrella. Not making that mistake again, so he has learned SOMETHING."
Sunak's conduct during the election campaign certainly indicates that he has a lot to learn. Besides making a fool of himself by getting soaked when he announced the election, there was his gaffe in leaving the D-Day commemoration events early. What he failed to see was that, besides upsetting the press and public, it gave ammunition to his enemies in the Conservative party itself. As The Guardian said in June:
"Conservative candidates and aides have looked on aghast at the missteps of Rishi Sunak’s campaign over the last fortnight. Anger has been building over Sunak allies being parachuted into safe seats, including the party chair, Richard Holden, the lack of preparation for the snap campaign within Conservative party headquarters (CCHQ) and the avoidable row over Frank Hester’s donations. But nothing has come close to the fury within the party over the prime minister’s decision to skip part of the D-day ceremony in France, leaving the stage clear for Keir Starmer to show leadership and patriotism, as well as for Nigel Farage".
The Tory knives will be out for Sunak now; in fact, LBC are discussing his putative replacement as I type. And I know that many people will demur at my feeling sorry for him. He is a very rich man, as has been pointed out many times, and could leave the UK tomorrow for a lucrative future in California. However, I have sympathy for him over the recent insulting racist comments made about him on Channel 4 by a Reform UK activist (disowned by Farage) which must have been hurtful to Sunak and his family. I have no doubt that there are Tory Party members who share those vile views, and are sharpening their knives to stick in Sunak's back.
Keir Starmer, naturally, has a lot to smile about - as have all of us who voted Labour on July 4th. It was a truly remarkable victory, whatever the causal factors. Yet, as some pundits have noted, there has been rejoicing without euphoria. We all know why - there is the crisis in the NHS, where the junior doctors' strike needs to be resolved and, says Sky News:
"The workforce is depleted and exhausted. And yet that same workforce will be asked to deliver an extra 40,000 appointments a week. Nobody, Labour assure us, will be forced to take on the extra work. Extra doctors, nurses and trained clinical staff can't be magicked out of thin air".
There is the matter of crime and punishment, for which Labour has promised a campaign of crime prevention. There is also the war in Ukraine, which Keir Starmer is committed to support by supplying aid to Ukraine. Clean energy is also going to be a thorny problem. International relations will be challenging, with the possible return of Donald Trump as US President and the growth of right-wing extremism in Europe. But extremism at home, of two kinds, could also be a problem...
The first type of extremism referred to above comes from activists who support the Palestinian cause in Gaza and feel that Labour is not doing enough to bring about a cease fire. The extremist elements who hold this view were seen on Election Night in Birmingham where Jess Phillips, MP (seen above) and Shabana Mahmood MP told in their victory speeches of the intimidation and harassment they faced during the general election campaign. Jess Phillips was heckled during her speech. As the BBC reported:
"Jess Phillips spoke of party workers being filmed in the street and making regular calls to police, while Shabana Mahmood said masked men had disrupted a community meeting, "terrifying" people in attendance".