A Point of View – BBC Radio 4

It’s easy to feel distanced from the US Presidential election here in the UK.  The whole process is https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Logo_BBC_Radio_4.svg/2000px-Logo_BBC_Radio_4.svg.pngbewilderingly complicated. But looking at the grass roots, is the success of Trump comparable with our own Brexit vote result and the popularity of Corbyn?

NB I am not comparing Corbyn’s and Trump’s specific politics.

John Gray, the philosopher gave an interesting talk on Radio 4’s A Point of View this morning.  The programme is only 10 minutes long which is its strength.  I don’t always agree with Gray, but here he is giving clarity as he talks about our complex political and social climates.

His summing up:

Whatever happens, there will be no return to pre-Trump normalcy.  If Clinton somehow wins through against what look like steeply mounting odds, the spectre of dislocated voters will not be exorcised.  Anger and disgust with mainstream politics will haunt America for many years to come.  That is the real meaning of Trump.

Everything seems so much bigger and so perhaps more extreme over there, but are we so different over here?