Michel Barnier: French PM

 

-A.M.

US Presidential Election 5 November 2024

It was to be Joe Biden running to be re-elected for a second consecutive term as a Democrat and the former US President Donald Trump also running to be re-elected for a second non-consecutive term as a Republican.

Long story short, Joe Biden pulled out on 21st July and his Vice-President Kamala Harris officially announced her candidacy on 27th July. She may be the first Black female President in the history of the United States to be elected.

I might not remember to express everything I want to, but Ms Harris and her opponent are basically neck and neck and it really looks to be down to the ballot counters and no one else to know the outcome. The eligible American voters who vote literally are the only individuals who decide who will be their next President and every single vote counts. The American population and the rest of the human population can only wait to see who emerges the victor. And it might not be a huge margin, but it will still make a difference.

It seems nothing will widen the margin, it doesn't matter who endorses who, (Oprah, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Beyoncé, Barack Obama, Jennifer Lopez for Kamala; Elon Musk, Buzz Aldrin, Mel Gibson, Hulk Hogan, Mike Tyson for Trump), if either candidate is deemed to have said something inappropriate or by mistake, if you are a man or a woman, if you support Israel or not, abortion or not, black or white, old or young, etc there is no clear winner.

However, it's pretty obvious Trump is unfit to be President: a white straight man, a liar, spreads disinformation, he causes people to lose common sense and he is responsible for taking away women's right to have an abortion with the reversal of Roe v Wade so millions of mothers had more rights and freedom when they were younger than their daughters now. His behaviour seems to demonstrate he is mentally unstable and it seems likely Trump will give Musk a role in some capacity which is inappropriate.

Kamala Harris, a black straight lady, will bring back women's right to have an abortion, better the economy through helping small businesses and making living costs less of a burden, for example ban price gouging at the supermarket and give tax cuts to the middle-class, impacting more than 100 million Americans. She comes from the middle-class and seems to firmly remember her roots.

This is not just an election to determine the next US President. The United States of America, whether you like it or not, has a lot of power and influence internationally, be it Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Gaza, the right to have an abortion, international trade, global warming, health, economy etc.

The USA's image is dominated by white men, educated, civilized, democratic, free, the American dream, etc, all concepts associated with positivity, yet not only was the worst American President ever elected, but the worst President ever in human history was and may be re-elected. He has been deemed immune by the US Supreme Court, he is a convicted felon and he still has legal processes against him.

Him being re-elected may not be directly an existential problem, but he could cause existential consequences and likely will.

If Kamala Harris is elected, not only will that be fantastic, but I will still be waiting. The former US President suggested he will not run again for re-election if he loses this time around, but only time will tell in my opinion, because he cannot be trusted. So definitely relief should Kamala be the next President in the White House, but with the knowledge Trump may stand for re-election at the back of my mind. Hypocritical in terms of age? I don't think that would bother him too much.

To me, it is extremely important, possibly necessary, for Kamala Harris to win. To those who are ignorant and believe the US Presidency does not affect them at all, wake up. The World is in enough shit already, global warming, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Gaza, the consequences of covid, possible increases in sexism and racism, homophobia, inequality between men and women etc. We do not need another contributing factor to add to this circular human-made pile of crap which really kicked off in 2020 and seemingly is gaining momentum. As a side note, covid-19 is alive and well.

Countries that are considered developed, rich, educated, democratic and in some cases dominated by white men have been somewhat unstable since 2020 excluding covid and during it: the UK has been through three/four PMs, Jacinda Ardern resigning followed by Auckland's January floods in 2023 then Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke's Bay, the shooting at a university in Prague, Marine Le Pen and France's snap election, Chris Hipkins and now Christopher Luxon is the New Zealand PM, the stabbing in Southport and the consequences.

Not that we should ensure they are always stable, but Western countries that are admired and envied by others and millions emigrate there for better lives, seem to be losing their footing, tripping themselves up. Since they also often have power and influence on an international level, domestic instability does not sit alongside international politics and relationships well. So yes, these Western governments with international clout dealing with internal problems and external ones is not a desired position to be in and they should know better.

This election may be one of the most emotional ones for the US and maybe even non-Americans ever. Not just the havoc the former US President could cause and possibly to an even worse extent with a second term, especially as he was shocked to be in the Oval Office, but the reversal of Roe v Wade took away women's right to abortion. Right. I don't necessarily believe the future means progress, but when it seems logical that any human being should do whatever they want with their body, that it does not matter if you are black or white or mixed, a man, a woman, transgender, gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight, then when in history is irrelevant. We are all human, we all have loved ones, we have all always deserved the same salary, job opportunities, rights etc (I know this is not reality).

The US President is supposed to be a representation of the population he/(she) leads: the former US President demonstrates elitism, sexism, racism, lies, disinformation, lack of responsibility and he causes people to not have common sense among other nouns. Kamala Harris is from the middle-class, a fighter through being a prosecutor, she knows what sexism and racism are because she has undoubtedly experienced it, she has plans to implement her policies, she can communicate well etc.

It is up to eligible American voters. Please, use your voice, now more than ever, to bring back some sense, happiness, health, stability, less negativity on a daily basis in everything in your life; and by extension all the non-Americans. Give women back their right to have an abortion on their own terms.

Vote for Kamala Harris.

-A.M.

The UK Prime Minister or Ministers

As a full British Citizen, even though the UK government has never done anything for me (the passport reads "Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary") nor have I been eligible to vote for or against issues such as Brexit (so I am a full British Second Class Citizen), I am extremely embarrassed by how incompetent the British government is.

I will define competent as able to lead and take responsibility for their decisions as Prime Minister. It does not matter your political spectrum, you need to be able to lead and create stability for the general population you serve. Especially if your decisions as Prime Minister have an international impact too.

I do not necessarily agree with the following adjectives, but it is widely considered and agreed that the UK is rich, developed, powerful, influential, educated and an international example on many levels, including economical and political.

I am not extremely political, however it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the UK Government/PM has been incompetent and unstable for a while. Boris Johnson: put aside his skills or lack thereof to be a competent UK Prime Minister, and see him as just a human being, but really? Breaching covid restrictions not once or twice but more and doing it unknowingly. 

I haven't actually heard his voice for a while, but I have always found it hard understanding the words coming out of his mouth and I generally do not have a problem with accents. (He also has a child, which is quite frankly scary, but not necessarily related to him being PM).

Lizz Truss. I believe in equality, not just between men and women, but all sexes, men, women, and sexualities etc. But Liz Truss is a woman and let's face it, straight women and straight men are generally the main focus of the topic of equality. 

There are not enough women in positions of power, be it CEOs, Prime Ministers/Presidents, surgeons, pilots etc. And yes, I know life is not fair and just because a women is not only in a position of power dominated for the most part by men but a high-profile position, she should not necessarily be an example, but she implemented 'her' economic plan, basically reversed it, then 45 days later, was no longer PM, after she said with confidence she would not resign. Yes, saying she would not resign was likely a move, could one even say strategic and to show strength, but it just make her looks stupid/idiotic/ridiculous.

Not to mention the IMF, the IMF, ladies and gentleman, basically said "don't go ahead with your economic plan". A worldwide renowned body is saying this and you just ignore them. You threw the worldwide economy into instability and were forced to stop.

Now Rishi Sunak is the UK PM. He is:

young

the first black UK PM

the first Asian UK PM

very wealthy

He seems to be direct, which is good: "depressing domestic challenges we have with the economy", but he did say he was not going to attend COP 27 then said he was.

By God, if he can actually be a competent UK PM it will help the dire situation the World is in. One reason: the world is so connected now, and the UK is a big power in it. In general, economic, politics, immigration etc...: food exports/imports, products like smartphones, foreign currencies, alliances, trade agreements, climate change agreements, drugs* travel to and from/are negotiated/are exchanged between countries daily. 

The war in Ukraine is by far up there on the list of issues having a massive impact on humans and it would be better if it ended, and the UK should not have a spotlight on it's Prime Minister, especially as it's apparently rich, developed, powerful, influential, educated and an international example on many levels. It shouldn't be swinging like a pendulum between three PMs, it should be better than that. However, you do need a UK PM, you do need a government. Otherwise you cannot really do anything.

Now maybe we can focus on the war in Ukraine; Afghanistan; Iran; North Korea; covid; climate change; Africa which yes has many problems caused by White people but health that is to say preventable infections/diseases/deaths and education are a good start.

* drugs in this case are medicine/vaccines etc.

-A.M.

"US Capitol police warn of possible militia plot to breach Congress", BBC

My God. Really?

My first thought upon reading the title was "I wonder if covid-19 is causing people in general to behave "badly"? As in, if there wasn't covid, would there still be unacceptable and more 'aggressive' behaviour? Would the riot at the Capitol have happened, or if it did, would it have been so violent? Would the protests in Hong Kong have got more violent? Would the aftermath of the political climate in Hong Kong be so strong, with the length of Agnes Chow's prison sentence as long as it is, or the mass resignation of legislators be so many? Would Nathan Law have gone to England? How about the housing prices in Hong Kong, the wealth of Jeff Bezos, the viewers of Netflix, would their wealth and viewing have increased significantly if covid wasn't around?

Yes, I understand the circumstances we are living in now are not ones many have ever lived through. War time is difficult, but it is not a health issue. It affects the countries involved, but even WWI and WWII didn't affect as many countries as covid I don't think. Covid also has the added layer of confining people at home, whereas during war time, I don't believe the people not at war had to stay inside their homes for such long durations. There was food rationing and basic necessity rationing, but I think I will stop there because a comparison between life during conflict and a health issue cannot and should not be drawn.

What one can say is this covid-19 pandemic is definitely a historical event and there has been and will be many 'firsts' as a result of it.

Definitely, in the reality of the pandemic, the protests are violent, the penalty for disobeying covid restrictions is not negligible and it seems in general when you hear about drug hauls and other less than palatable events, they are more aggressive than pre-pandemic. It seems there are more murders, more crimes, more sexual assault and harassment; dilemmas as a result of Brexit. Maybe it's just because all the majority of news these days is about covid and we're in a more negative state of mind so the news published is about bad happenings.

New Zealand is always pretty neutral in terms of news, or inane news, like 'a cat got stuck up a tree', but although it's not violent, it seems the house prices are rising there, immigration issues are present regularly, tenancy laws, contraception distribution, so it's going up or are more complicated.

It seems crystal clear there are some people who are not only adamant Trump supporters (I never thought I'd be writing that on my blog), but they also refuse to believe he is not President anymore. This is not only blind, but it is dangerous. It also seems hard to believe that such people exist, especially after the Capitol riot, where they came face to face with the most realistic situation that might ever be possible. Human lives were lost yet some are still fighting to have Trump as President.

As an extension of the above paragraph, I would also like to say that one of the worst affected politically, and maybe even personally, must be Obama: He must wonder on a regular basis what His eight years as President were for, when it has been undone a lot and was it even worth it. It must be hard waking up some days. A President is not only the present, it is after the previous President and before the next one. Yes, if the President is from a different political party, then the 'direction' of the country may not be continuous, but in this case, Trump seems to be in a league of his own, regardless of his political stance. It is said President George Bush Jr said words similar to this during the inauguration of the now-predecessor of the current President, Joe Biden: "What the Hell was that shit?"

I admit with no shame, I did not keep up with Trump throughout his four years. The little I heard was enough to disengage completely from Him. I have only ever seen Him on a screen and heard Him once. Maybe more, but I was not engaged. I was shocked and surprised that one time, by the sound of his voice and he was actually orange. However, when I found out He was no longer President, my concern wasn't "Thank God", my concern is He can still be re-elected for a second term. That is my concern. The whole World is not safe yet, He can still be re-elected. Which also made me think: is it better to have Trump twice in a row, or once and then another President and then Trump again? 8 years of Trump Presidency and having to work hard to undo a lot of the shit he causes or 4 years of shit, then 4 years of undoing his shit and maybe doing positive progress, then another 4 years of shit? I don't know the answer. I still am not at peace knowing he can technically be re-elected and 'technically' is enough for this subject at hand. Not for everything, but this it is.

I think many people are hoping there will not be more harm done because of the existence of Donald Trump.

And may I never need to type His name again or even allude to Him.

- A.M.

Source:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56275335