2017 - Fear, Uncertainty, And Doubt

The way we see each other

I wish you all a happy new year. May it be a prosperous one for all of us. Such sentiments are expected but already 2017 is turning into a nightmare, hence the photo. This is the view that many of us have of each other due to divisive see-saw politics and slanted news reports. Expect it to get worse. If 2016 is any kind of indicator, people are going to work harder for less and hate each other more. I'm hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel but I can't see it yet. Let's take a look back at 2016 to get an idea of where we're going this year.

Go Home, Uncle Sam, You're Drunk

How Partisan Politics Wrecked America's Reputation

You can almost hear the sound of a can being crumpled and dropped to the floor, followed by a burp and a fart as Uncle Sam scratches his bum, rising from his battered sofa to stagger to the fridge for another beer. Whatever happened to the leader of the free world? And what will happen next?

Trump Won. But Did He?

Can Donald Trump keep the promises he made to the people who voted for him? What will happen if he doesn’t?

The last time the USA experienced an electoral upset was when Barack Obama took the White House under the banner “Hope and change.” What we got was “Congressional gridlock and more of the same.” The gains made in social justice and the recovering economy are likely to be reversed by the alt-right members of the cabinet Trump is trying to put together — assuming he will be able to. He’s discovering the hard way that you actually can’t govern a country the way you run a business and that he is bound by rules and procedures he can’t just ignore or bulldoze over. I predict he’ll crash and burn, handing both Houses over to the Democrats during the mid-term elections in two years’ time — if he can last that long, given the court cases pending against him. Let’s take a look at the state of play.

Trumpy McTrumpface: How Donald Trump Became The US President

The 2016 presidential elections in the United States of America are over and Donald Trump has won. He'll be taking the Oath of Office some time next year. Let that sink in. Okay, let's ask ourselves how the hell it happened and what we can do about it.

After the US Elections, What Will Happen To Conservatism?

Conservatism is becoming a comical parody of itself, as is evidenced in a Twitter exchange I had tonight with this chap why calls himself a "liberal republican." The echo chamber has done its job, then, pushing alt-right ideology to the front and centre of conservative thought to the point where the so-called Reformicons are not what we want them to be; they're just pushing a polished version of the current, Trump-shaped turd. Win or lose, then, what will happen to conservatism? Will the alt-right burn itself out or will it continue to dominate political discourse?

Could Petty Partisanship Compromise Democracy?

Whenever I see Americans deny that their country is a democracy it freaks me out a little; the right to have a say in how one's country, state, or local district should not be blithely cast aside as if it didn't matter. As the US presidential election looms I'm discovering that the battle between the progressive/centre right alliance and the alt-right isn't just a clown-car pileup being staged for our amusement, it's the stage on which the meaning of freedom will be debated. I'm not even joking.

Prominent Republicans Turn On Trump

The US media is presenting the presidential campaign as a close race. I remember the last time they did this and the truth is it was a shoo-in for Obama Administration, Part II. Now that it looks as though Trump the Chump might actually win, all sorts of people are wriggling out of the woodwork to try to stem support for the outsider.

Falling From Grace: Does Trump Still Stand A Chance Of Winning?

Donald Trump has been popular among disaffected members of the American public for one reason alone: he promised them hope and change. They are willing to overlook his many faults on the grounds that they believe he can and will deliver on his promises. Now the tide is turning, but could he still win?

...And The Will Of The People Must Be Respected: Why We Don't Vote As We're Told

I'm currently in popcorn-munching mode over recent political developments. You know that Twofold Principle I'm always banging on about? Well the unfolding events are proving me right: you violate it at your peril; it's a balance, not a contest. Let's take a closer look at what this actually means.

Eejit McEejitface — The Stop Campaign is Getting Desperate — And Funny

I have not been shy about saying I think Donald Trump and Boris "whiff-waff" Johnson are epic prats. However, since I'm Irish I tend to side with the underdog by default; I can't help feeling sorry for these buffoons as the press lays into them from every angle. BoJo has gone down. Will Trump be next to drain down the plughole of history?

Trump: The Establishment Strikes Back

We the People were supposed to vote "properly," for candidates chosen for us but when we dared to demand a real say in the policies of our own governments, we opened a Pandora's box of unintended consequences that could topple America from its perch at the top of the global economy. The Establishment is having none of it.

Gawker: $140M Judgement Stands; Bankruptcy, Auction To Follow

After some considerable debate about privacy and freedom of the press I've come to the conclusion that whatever way you cut the freedom cake, the one with the knife gets the biggest slice every time. This is because activist litigator Peter Thiel has finally got what he wanted: gossip blog Gawker has been brought to its knees. What does this mean for privacy and freedom of the press?

Honey, I Started A War - When Collateral Damage Hits Home

If there is anything more creepy than a Tony Blair fanboi, I honestly don't want to know. Anyone who can blithely dismiss the deaths of hundreds of thousands with "Which law was broken by Tony Blair, again?" or "Just an honest mistake" leaves me checking my neck for puncture marks, I'm telling you. I seem to be finding a lot of examples of giants in the playground lately. Let's take a look at some of them.

Must "Conservative" Mean "Right Wing?"

Today's New York Times continues to chronicle the rise of Donald Trump and his ever-increasing popularity. Interestingly, it points out that the Establishment figures running the party tend to set policy based on the demands and needs of the party donors, while Trump's popularity is that he promises to meet the demands and needs of the people. Let's take a closer look.

Donald Trump: What's The Appeal?

To the chagrin of the American Republican establishment, Donald Trump appears to be the front runner for the nomination for the presidency, mostly because he appeals to the majority of Republican voters, and by "majority" I mean "the poor ones." Why is this happening? I'm quite surprised by the answers.

Is The US Right Finally Waking Up?

After years of half-despairing about the state of US politics (I pretty much believed that The Walking Dead was a documentary about American conservatism) I'm beginning to feel cautiously optimistic, having discovered the nascent "Reformicon" movement. Let's take a closer look at it.

Happy New Year 2016: Lessons To Learn, Battles To Fight

Happy new year, everyone. I'm writing this post with a mix of hope and fear: hope that we will finally turn the corner and avert the threat of sinking deeper into a police state poisoned by fracking and suffering from economic and environmental woes and fear that apathy will keep us on our current course. Here's a round-up of 2015 as I experienced it along with some projections of what this year will bring.

Political Protectionism, Special Snowflakes And Social Justice Warriors: Four Ways They Wreak Havoc

The Atlantic's Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt knocked it out of the park when they took on the out-of-control PP culture in American universities that has resulted in professors being fired for swearing in class and trigger warnings being demanded for books and lectures, etc. What on earth is going on and what can we do about it?

Four Reasons To Hope Donald Trump Wins The Presidential Nomination

Donald Trump is a major wingnut with a huge pile of money who really, really wants to become the next US president. This is a terrible idea, but I'm still hoping he wins the Republican nomination to become their presidential candidate for the national elections next year. This is why.