Blog 2023 Malcolm Blair-Robinson

President Trump suffered major defeats in Virginia because Democrats turned out in force. Likewise in new Jersey. This is an important moment because it shows that the aura of Trump invincibility is false. He won the Presidency by losing the popular vote by a fair margin, but carried the Electoral College.  There are fewer Republicans than Democrats and if the latter have confidence in their candidate they are likely to win.  Put simply, if this is replicated in the mid-terms in 2018 Trump will lose control (does he have it?) on Capitol Hill and in 2020 he will lose the White House.

But a lot can happen between now and then. If Trump can sort out North Korea, Obamacare and Tax Cuts, all of which are promised, then he could be too big a nut for the Democrats to crack. But if the Republican party continues to bicker and obstruct and none of the big ticket promises come through, the Trump Presidency will end in 2020.

He is unpopular in Western Europe, but liked in the Arab world by the Sunni arm of Islam and in the Far East. He has strong ties with Japan and adequate relations with South Korea. He has struck up a close and productive relationship with China’s leader and if he were allowed to pursue it, he already has one with Putin. He has offered meaningful negotiations to Kim Jon Un. Properly developed this could make Trump a formidable operator on the world stage, cutting deals and fixing problems. And that makes a powerful President of the type American adore.

So do not write off Trump yet. The wild cards are the Russia probe and North Korea. Either could change everything. For better or for worse.

At the heart of the British State lies a secret to keep which a cabal of shadowy establishment figures is authorised to kill. At the centre of the drama is a family with baggage from the past which has access to the truth and determines to expose it. That provokes a battle of wits among security services on both sides of the Atlantic, with links into Russia, Germany, France and Africa. A gripping narrative taking place in the modern day with a cast of ruthless characters determined to kill their way to victory. Male and female, old and young, engaging yet sinister, none quite what they seem. A sophisticated thriller of unusual pace and power written in an edgy modern style. Over 400 pages.

Amazon.uk      Amazon.com

The Foreign Secretary is a disaster in his job, widely regarded as the worst since WWII and a danger to our national interests. Fallon has gone in a storm of sexual accusations. Damian Green is under investigation. Priti Patel  may not last the day. The Brexit negotiations are in crisis, not because of the EU, but because the Cabinet is rent with discord over the type of Brexit it wants. The Chancellor and the Prime Minister are said to be at daggers drawn and can only meet with officials present to keep their rows from getting out of hand. The NHS is now demanding that the red bus Brexit promise about more funding be honoured.

What is required is that the gropers, sex pests, hard Brexit ideologues and complete incompetents are fired and a new government formed, either in coalition or with cross party support, to oraganise and negotiate a sensible, workable and realistic Brexit which will not damage the national economic interest. For a Brexit which puts the economy first, the majority in the Commons and the Lords is overwhelming. Either that or cancel the whole Brexit folly. It is not an option to carry on as we are. What the situation and the country cries out for is leadership. Strong leadership. This was the central theme of May’s offer to voters in June.

Now is her time to show it.