American politics

For America, and the world, to move on it must confront the existential threats of environmental collapse, hi-tech arms race and runaway digital technology. It must confront the corruption of government and public life generally, it must confront the corrupt and myopic mass media, and it must confront the unfettered structural power of corporations “too big to fail”.

Perhaps as important as anything, it must regain a sense of meaning, of trust, and respect the rights of all to live according to their own inclinations, as long as they do not harm others

With such a close vote, Trump supporters will likely continue their ructions, and President Biden, and likely care-taker President Harris, will be sorely tested to hold the country together. They can only do this by bringing those who voted for Trump back into a national debate about where the country is going.

Americais the greatest nation on Earth, its creation, so tested by the Civil War, was one of the most extraordinary events in world history. For the first time human beings attempted to work out their own fate without reference to a divine being, which started a whole trend that eventually gave us all a chance to live a just and peaceful life. This was never going to happen while kings and aristocracies ruled the world. A stable America remains essential to global efforts to overcome global warming, end the nuclear arms race, and control technological advancement, just to begin with.

It is the American people who must grasp the nettle, let slip their selfish ideas and prejudices, and elect genuinely capable leaders of whatever gender, race and creed. Their country is now dominated by huge institutions who think they own everything and are increasingly unwilling or unable to provide adequate basic services like health and education. Americans must claim their country back, for themselves and for the rest of the world.

Democracy in the age of corporate money and ubiquitous technology is a tricky prospect, but there are good signs in the rise of women in politics and the growing presence of the young in the streets. The whole world needs these trends to continue to transform politics, to wash out the staid vested interests and wash away the false hope of neo-fascism.