David Worboys – White House or Fright House?

In November we shall know whether the White House will still be occupied by an ageing, indecisive Biden or whether it will have once again become the Fright House. Either way, it looks ominous. It seems it will be a contest between the man too weak to stand up to the likes of Putin, Netanyahu and Kim Jong-un and the one who idolises them.

Trump wants to destroy democracy, the most sacred of American political institutions. But democracy does have its dangers. Ironically, it is because of the democratic right for all citizens to vote, regardless of their mental stability, that their support could see him back in the Fright House. Millions of fanatics could succeed in electing a deranged, seditious criminal as President, thus putting world order at risk.

But the diehard, equally deranged supporters would vote for him even if he had been caught on camera setting fire to the Oval Office on his departure.

We have all seen images and interviews with those voters at Trump rallies. Most of them have never held a passport. They believe that Europe and Africa are countries and that the dollar is the universal currency. A majority hate anybody who is not American, especially those with the “wrong kind of skin tone”. They have the same level of maturity as their idol and want the USA to go it alone. It’s an exaggerated reflection of the UK’s Brexit, rooted in arrogance and anti-immigration.

If the USA under Trump abandons NATO and the EU, Putin would feel free to take up Trump’s challenge and invade NATO members, commencing with Eastern Europe. China and the inscrutable Xi could then seize Taiwan, perhaps threatening Singapore and even Japan. Who knows? The evil nutter in Pyongyang could have a go at South Korea. In addition the world’s economies could plunge into catastrophic recession.

The USA itself would then be exposed to the dictates – and fellow dictators – of Moscow and Beijing. Europe is already unable to defend itself and is running out of money and resources.

The demise of our planet can be seen in many forms. It can be epitomised in the decline of the USA, and in turn in the Trump pop fans. For they indicate the insular ignorance, the lack of understanding and judgement which pervades our society. To explain to them the dangers of their attitudes would be like trying to teach a giraffe to play snooker. Quite difficult.

Autocracy is normally personified by power, greed, and corruption. It suppresses dissent and focuses on hostility to opposition and territorial aggression. But are the countries of the West best suited to democracy? Probably the solution could be a responsible, benevolent dictatorship. The only one I can recall in my lifetime is that of Lee Kwan Yew. And that is going back a few years.

If democracy prevails in the USA, it again needs mature, dynamic and responsible candidates for the White House. Not another Fright House!