Term Time

Hello, dear reader!

I try, I do.

I know that there are some who cast a cursory eye over these poor scribblings who prefer me to steer away from the thorny subject of politics and the division that can arise from such discussions.

But today, I just…can’t.

Because once again there’s only one show in town—the American general election.

Over & Done
I think it would be an understatement to say the result was not what I, personally, was hoping for. It’s possibly an understatement to say I’m not alone in the sentiment. The die however is cast. The American people have had their say and once again we have Donald J Trump heading to The White House.

Well, almost.

My understanding, as a poor, uninformed Brit, is that it is January the official change of residence will take place. That, of course, is if a major miracle doesn’t occur in the meantime, or certain results in certain states aren’t legally challenged and said challenges upheld (another major miracle). It might be nice, for some of us at least, to entertain such thoughts, but in real terms I think we have to accept that it's a fait accompli. A done deal.

So what now.

A Nice Place To Visit?
As I may have mentioned, I’m not American, something I’m actually quite grateful for. Not that I have anything against my American cousins, you understand, quite the reverse. There are many people from those shores I have, through the wonders of modern technology, had regular discourse with, many who I would class as friends. No, the reason for my gratitude is that as a left leaning disabled person and sufferer of MS, a chronic illness, I feel my life would be both more restricted and more difficult should I live on those distant shores.

So, all that being said, there’s an argument that the election results do not affect me. The trouble is, I’m not so sure that’s completely true. There is a saying (originated, apparently by the wonderfully named Klemens Wenzel Furst von Metternich, a Prussian diplomat of the Napoleonic era) that when America sneezes the world catches a cold, I think there’s a lot of wisdom to that.

A Step To The Right
It’s not just matters of trade and diplomacy, although I do have my worries there, what with talk of tariffs and the potential for ‘contributions’ to two of the most major wars going on right now tipping the balance of conflicts in unpredictable ways. 

It’s also a sign of something else. A shift of politics to the right, possibly fueled by people across the world becoming poorer, working harder, and looking around for someone to blame for their ills. It’s an identification of the ‘other’ not as something that broadens and enriches our culture and society—something to be embraced, but as a threat to a worsening status quo. A desire to build walls rather than bridges. A fetishisation of ‘hard work’ as a good in its own right. A need to kick down so we have someone beneath us. A search for unity within an ever diminishing ‘tribe’.

Perhaps it’s just me. Perhaps I’m being alarmist. Either way, the next four years promises to be, at the least, interesting. I just wonder how much ‘interesting’ we can survive.

Until next time.

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Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think.


New Tales Of Old


Death Ship


Pestilence: Drabbles 1


Reaperman: Drabbles 3


The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu


Eldritch Investigations