So Trump wins, and my only pleasure is in further confusion among metropolitan luvvies on the British media who had assured themselves, and tried to assure us, that Clinton would do it. Jon Snow on C4 News is normally excellent, thoughtful and courageous, but I have now seen him blow it badly on two occasions -- when asking in an exasperated tone how anyone could possibly support Trump who was so obviously unpleasant and rude to women and a thoroughly wrong sort of chap -- and over Brexit when he got very angry with a black female Brexiteer.
I expect Evan Daivs on Newsnight,and the entrire staff of the Guardian will be in shock today too. That's twice they have done their level best to campaign against a political development, even risking their own claims to 'objectivity', and failed to realise that the more they push, the more resistance they generate. No doubt the BBC will try to regain its impartiality as it has done with Brexit (not quite), but they must be wetting themselves about the chance of further exits from the EU -- Frexit, Itexit, maybe even Grexit again.
The Guardian webpage has it all.Just read the bylines -- misogyny, fear, liberals must only blame themselves etc. Only Larry Elliott sees it as a backlash against globalisation, and sees some relief in the ending of Obama's awful trade deals like TTIP. Expect added bereavement -- denial (already happened on Morning TV where the presenters argued Trump didn't really mean it and was only acting tough for the campaign), followed by anger etc.
Elliott is right to say this is a backlash. Habermas predicted as much at the start of the neo-lliberal turn, but warned against right-wing hijack of the blue-collar backlash. That is still the danger. There is also the possibility that Trump will confine himself to a few symbolic acts of nastiness, probably against Mexico, while capitalism will sail on as ever into a new much more discreet globalised future.
Another bit of cheer. The Guardian, which God preserve, has an item about how Brexit has led to higher divorce rates. The article admits about 2/3 of the way through, that other factors might be involved too. Luckily, counsellors will offer help to everyone and offer couples places in 'divorce hotels' says a 'family mediator'.
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