I’ve
just learned (by a circuitous route which I won’t bother you with) that Donald
Trump invented the format so
successfully used both in the US and over here in Britain for The Apprentice, and was its American host. I have always hated the
British version with Alan Sugar, and never understood why it should be popular,
as it seems to make a virtue out of treating subordinates rudely, crassly and
ruthlessly. Do we really want our business leaders to behave like this? What
came of the idea of bullying in the workplace and its negative connotations?
Now that I know this about Trump his success as a Republican front runner for
the presidential nomination makes much more sense. He is already known to a
large number of the public through presenting this show. His ethical stance is
familiar, and no doubt admired because it is forceful and confident (and many
folk are like sheep, who wander aimlessly unless driven by a stronger
personalitiy, whether it be shepherd or border collie; they feel safe in the
hands of someone who has the confident authority to tell them what to do). But
his values are all old-fashioned Red Neck ones. They may be appreciated by
Republican hardliners, but I cannot believe that America as a whole will be
taken in by them. I sincerely hope not, like most folk this side of the
Atlantic. Trying to be in any kind of ‘special relationship’ with a leader like
Trump would be next to impossible, as David Cameron is discovering. It would be
Bush and Blair all over again, probably with similar disastrous results.
Of
course, if our people are foolish enough to fall for Brexit rhetoric (which God
forfend), we could actually need the
special relationship, out in the cold bleak world as we then would be. I don’t
hold with eurozone policies, and the European Union (particularly the
Commission) has many faults, but I’d much rather have Merkel and Co than
Trump. Still, maybe Hilary Clinton will get her just deserts, finally, and
hold the presidential reins that as wife she relinquished twenty years ago. I don’t agree
with everything she says or does, by any means, but she is at least an experienced, mature
politician (and person) with a responsible party behind her. Perhaps Trump’s
ascendancy will work for her, if they are the two selected representatives in
the race for the White House, as the contrast will then be more obvious. I hope so. But of course so much depends on how strong anti-establishment feeling is at the moment.
Meanwhile, we have our own decisions
to make, where anti-establishment feeling may also be playing its part. I would like to see the Better Together (wrong referendum, I know, but
same idea) group being more positive. We don’t want to hear about how awful it
would be if we weren’t in the EU. Let’s hear more positive reasons to stay.
There are quite a few ….
