Swindon Advertiser Weekly Article - 11th November

I am writing my article early this week as Donald J Trump has just been elected President of the United States.

The polls and the world media said that it wouldn’t happen. Hilary Clinton raised and spent more money, had the backing of Obama and carried out a full get out the vote operation. Yet Trump pulled in the 279 Electoral College votes that landed him in the White House.

One of the largest democracies in the world has spoken and already we are seeing the losing side take it very badly. Now I am no fan of Trump. I believe that many of the comments he made throughout the campaign were offensive and clumsy. However as Hilary herself conceded, the world now owes him an open mind and the chance to lead.

I have no doubt that this election was lost by Hilary more than it was won by Trump. The choice presented to the American people was extremely disappointing. Democrats now bemoan the result but could they really not have found a decent candidate to challenge Trump from a population of 325million. Instead, they went with a Clinton (again) who has been embedded (not without controversy) within the political establishment for 30 years.

This was well and truly a vote against the establishment and we all need to pay heed to this. Now is not the time to judge the way people have voted, now is not the time to call democracy into question and now is certainly not the time to predict the end of the world as we know it. Now is the time to listen. People across the world are frustrated. They are tired of political bureaucrats telling them how to think and how to vote. They are tired of being labelled and they are tired of feeling like they don’t have a say. 

As Donald Trump begins his presidency we should all watch with close interest and the American people should rightly hold him to account. If he makes ludicrous soundings about policy, then the press, politicians and (most importantly) the voters should and will apply huge scrutiny. If he makes mistakes then he will be ridiculed and potentially forced to backtrack or U-turn. He will be subjected to the checks and balances that all democracies have in place in some form or another.

It is democracy that has made Trump president. But it will be democracy that forces him to act for and on behalf of the people. If he doesn’t, then rightly he will be booted out when the process begins all over again in 4 years’ time!