It appears to be all over bar the shouting and with 'The Trumpeter' vs. 'HillBilly' in the final run in to the Presidency you can expect the shouting to become deafening. Even 'The Kraut' seems to be in despair:
Both parties seem intent on throwing the election away. The Democrats, running against a man with highest-ever negatives, are poised to nominate a candidate with the second-highest-ever negatives.
Awful as they both are, nevertheless, one of them will take the crown in November, so prepare yourselves, dread thought, 'to live in interesting times'. An ambitious and powerful China has its eyes (and its muscles) fixed (and flexed) on global domination, 'Vlad the Impaler' can see an impoverished and feeble Europe providing him with easy pickings and the news that George Soros is moving back into gold, a second global financial crisis looks more rather than less likely.
In any or all of those events eyes will turn to the White House which will either be inhabited by a particularly stupid, greedy, lying, incompetent woman, or, a particularly stupid, greedy, lying, incompetent man - you choose, my American friends! Of course, 'over here' there are those purblind twits who would actually look to the likes of 'Junck the Drunk' and the various Bulgarian, Rumanian, Portuguese, etc, who constitute the governing apparat in Brussels in the hopes of seeing some world leadership. Yeeeeeeeeees, quite!
The omens are not so much bad as beyond awful. Er, have a nice day!
Duffers - why I woud certainly agree with your upsum of Shrillary, (you missed out hypocritical and traitor) I would contest that Trump is neither stupid or incompetent.
He has taken the presidential race (which even before he showed up had descended into a high stakes reality show) nd played it like... a reality show, and looks like winning.
As I have told you before on this blog, he has displayed shrewdness, even intelligence, and ruthlessness - exactly the qualities you want in these difficult times.
I too would have preferred somebody more obviously presidential, but the political system over there (and over here to be fair ) mitigates against honest thoughtful honourable people.
Possibly a Trump presidency might be the shock that sets things moving to repair that, or indeed it might well turn out not to be a total disaster after all (more likely outcome).
If, God forbid, the loathome bitch should win , well I'm volunteering for the Mars flight, or possibly go and join SoD on the planet Zog!!!
Oh and welcome back from Shropshire, and I hope you left it just as you found it.
Posted by: Cuffleyburgers | Friday, 10 June 2016 at 18:25
Cuffers, there are several problems shared by both candidates, not all of them being their fault. For example, they are both exceedingly, well, American which is bound to rub up an old Brit fogey, like me, the wrong way. However, there is a greater problem they both share - what are they FOR and WHY?
Many a time and oft' I have complained on this blog that what I want from politicians is some indication of ideological authenticity. That is not to say that I expect them to be robotic in their approach to each and every problem but they need to approach each problem from a well worked out base. 'That woman' was a supreme example. Yes, she too ducked and dived but you knew that she approached each problem on the basis of a tried and tested ideology. She knew what she was 'for' and what she was 'against' and 'why'!
I doubt that either Trump or Clinton could even spell the word 'ideology'. Oddly enough, Bernie Sanders could, it's just a pity that his particular political philosophy has proven to be a disaster everywhere it has been tried.
Posted by: David Duff | Friday, 10 June 2016 at 20:21
To be fair, I should add that both 'Dave 'n' George' are similar to Trump and Clinton but, being British, their potential to create havoc is limited.
Posted by: David Duff | Friday, 10 June 2016 at 20:23
I'm looking forward to Trump becoming Prez.
I think there are interesting times ahead and I'll happily watch, listen and chuckle from afar.
Posted by: Andra | Friday, 10 June 2016 at 21:14
I think that in both Europe and the US the people are stirring.They are tired and disgusted with the self serving elites who do not care as long as their snouts are in the trough. If things don't change soon, there could be blood on the streets. Politicians would do well to remember the fates of people like Gaddafi and Ceacescu.
Posted by: John Duckett | Saturday, 11 June 2016 at 01:03
David,
"... what I want from politicians is some indication of ideological authenticity."
In America, at least, you might get some of what you say you want during the winner's Inaugural Address. But you would rarely (if ever) get that during an election campaign. In an American election campaign, you get to hear what each candidate's advisors deem to be what the greatest number of likely voters want to hear. Period. Anything any candidate says or does is orchestrated to win votes.
Posted by: TheBigHenry | Saturday, 11 June 2016 at 01:22
In answer to the title of the post, the short answer is "yes". The longer answer is "it happened some time ago".
Posted by: TheBigHenry | Saturday, 11 June 2016 at 01:30
"America" gone mad? That began the date of our Founding. We may yet return to a Monarchy of some sort...after a long difficult period.
Posted by: whitewall | Saturday, 11 June 2016 at 14:04
The US of A to become a monarchy again!
Now there's an interesting suggestion.
I rather like it but where would you get a suitable "royal" family? Lots of old royals wandering about the globe but I think they are mostly less useful than the presidential hopefuls you already have.
Nah, better stick to what you know. Bad as it may be.
Posted by: Andra | Saturday, 11 June 2016 at 20:38
http://www.duffelblog.com/2016/06/admiral-baffled-spike-japan-drug-cases/
Posted by: JK | Saturday, 11 June 2016 at 21:40
"'Vlad the Impaler' can see an impoverished and feeble Europe providing him with easy pickings"
Russia's pretty impoverished itself, and Putin's IMHO more concerned with maintaining a viable and defensible Russian state in the face of what looks very like NATO encirclement. He's no threat to me or mine.
There are lots of young men in my local high street speaking Slavic languages and getting horribly drunk, but none have snow on their boots and it wasn't Putin who brought them here. Merkel (and Camosborne) are a far greater danger to Britain than Putin.
I see Mr Cameron's Syrians are enriching us already btw
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36507138
"Three Syrian men have appeared in court accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a park in Newcastle. Omar Badreddin, 18, Mohammed Alfrouh, 20, and Mohammad Allakkoud, 18, have pleaded not guilty. A 16-year-old-boy, understood to be Syrian, has also been charged with sexual assault. It is not known if he has entered a plea yet. Mr Badreddin came to the UK from Jordan last November under the government's refugee resettlement programme. He and his family were judged to be vulnerable by the UN refugee agency."
Posted by: Laban | Sunday, 12 June 2016 at 14:41
You couldn't make it up - one of those charged was from a family being followed by Newsnight to show how they were integrating into UK society !
http://www.mo4ch.com/girl-was-assaulted-by-gang-of-syrians-but-it-was-kept-off-bbc-newsnight-crime-list/
"In a video clip since deleted from the BBC iPlayer and YouTube, Newsnight said it would be ‘introducing you to the second family from Syria who we’ll be following. They’ve just arrived in Newcastle’.
Nothing more was heard until Friday night when presenter Evan Davis told viewers: ‘We have to report things have taken a disturbing turn. The teenage son was in court today charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.’"
Posted by: Laban | Sunday, 12 June 2016 at 14:54