When America Sneezes

by Rab Bruce’s Spider

 

Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot

BlueSky: @RabBrucesSpider.Bsky.Social

 

 

The news coming out of the USA is, sadly, as bad as any of us feared. Donald Trump is, as he promised, acting like a dictator. He is removing rights, sacking people all over the place, enforcing deportation and generally confirming that he despises anyone who is not white, male, Christian and heterosexual. His racism was evident for all to see in his hateful comments about the aviation crash which he blamed on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. In other words, the people either flying or working in ground control were not the right type of people. Considering we don’t even know the identity of those involved, his comments were utterly bizarre. It should not need to be said that making political capital out of a tragedy is the behaviour of a psychopath. As some have pointed out, he is also trying to deflect from his own culpability because he has been instrumental in removing senior people from the Federal aviation Authority and in cutting back on safety measures.

 

There have also been reports of native Americans being questioned by immigration officers who seem to be revelling in their opportunity to deport anyone whose skin is not the right colour. And we’ve seen that some people who voted for Trump are seeing their spouses deported. It can be hard to have much sympathy for them, but we must not forget that families are being broken apart by this vindictive policy.

 

The list of horrors taking place is already too long but it will grow longer yet as Trump replaces officials with people whose only aptitude for their job is blind loyalty to him.

 

When I was growing up, many adults told me they could not explain how Adolf Hitler had come to power in 1930s Germany. Well, we are seeing a recreation of that now, and I fear for the people of the USA. I fully expect Trump to remain in power for the rest of his life no matter what the US Constitution says. Many of those who voted for him will come to realise the mistake they made, but I fear that it may already be too late for them. He is entrenched, and he will use his power to enforce an authoritarian, patriarchal Government.

 

As we all know, what happens in the USA affects everyone. Quite apart from the military threat Trump represents with his determination to take control of Greenland and Panama, his economic decisions will impact everyone.

 

On the political front, the UK fascists will be emboldened. We’ve already seen Reform Ltd take the lead in polls, and Nigel farage will take heart from how successful Trump has been. With the media on his side, far too many voters in the UK will remain blissfully unaware that, behind all his rhetoric, farage is out to do the same to the UK as Trump is already doing in the USA. This is why Scotland needs to escape the UK as soon as possible. We cannot afford to wait for Farage to become Prime Minister as he inevitably will. The next Holyrood elections are a vital moment for the Yes cause, and if, as I hope, we see a pro-Indy majority of MSPs, the new Scottish Government must find some way of returning Scotland to the status of a normal, self-governing country. If they fail, what is happening now in the USA will happen here.

 

If that sounds too pessimistic, I would point to the fate of the working class in countries like Argentina, Turkey and Hungary where inequality is rising. The UK is already one of the most unequal sovereign states in the world, but you can bet that Farage will do his best to make it even more unequal.

 

But there is a beacon of hope. When people see what is happening with both trump in the USA and starmer’s new brand of conservatism in the UK, they might realise that there really is only one hope for Scotland.

 

  

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