Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments.
How Donald Trump brought colour, religion and gender to the US presidential election
It’s hilarious to see how delusional Nick Smith is (MetroTalk, Thu) in his claims that Kamala Harris was the one who brought colour, religion and gender into the US presidential election.
Those of us with a greater attention span than a goldfish have watched Donald Trump and his party regularly stand side by side with religious groups.
And they have made colour and gender their primary targets, as they threaten to remove anyone they deem ‘illegal’, which was something Trump couldn’t define when challenged.
His party has made clear its stance on women as it continues to make it more difficult for them to get abortions, with some even joking about removing women’s right to vote.
It’s extremely telling of Nick’s lack of character that he still blindly praises Trump and refers to Kamala as ‘the Harris woman’ which, I suppose, also tells us his stance on women.
Like most of those with a brain, I will be wishing all the best to those who will have to put up with the gloating of the uneducated masses and the bigots who will feel more empowered to show their true selves. Matt, Birmingham
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A reader points out a double standard
(Picture: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)Nick Smith says Harris voters vote by ‘colour, religion and gender, not ability’.
I’d say that was truer of Trump voters, but when white Christian men do it, it’s never considered to be identity politics. Nick Xylas, Bristol
Will Lammys Trump comments come back to haunt?
David Lammy’s days as foreign secretary may be numbered because of his verbal attack on Trump in 2018, calling him a ‘woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath’ who was a ‘profound threat to the international order’.
Trump never forgets things like this and will let Sir Keir Starmer know in no uncertain terms. Carlos, Lancashire
The Trump and Musk alliance
Heres Elon Musk jumping for joy at the first rally Donald Trump attended after an assassination attempt was made on his life (Picture: by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)Congratulations, Elon Musk, on your winning over Taylor Swift! The billionaire’s choice got to the White House, – not so for the pop megastar. Samuel, Tooting
To Mr Musk, I would say, money is power and – as Lord Acton said – ‘power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. To that I would add you are judged by the company you keep. Nick, North London
Will Trumps presidency be much more of the same?
If we’re lucky, Trump will be just as pliant and inept as he was in his first term, if not more so – given his advanced age – and won’t get anything done. If we’re unlucky, he’ll start dishing out oil licences on day one. But if he is vaguely ‘successful’, I’d assume his focus would be on seizing control of the courts and using the army to deport migrants.
Trump poses an existential threat to those people, along with other groups (eg gender-diverse people, any woman requiring reproductive healthcare etc).
Lots of people in those groups have guns and nothing to lose. We’ve seen nationwide violence in US politics before – there’s no reason to think it won’t happen again. Rob Slater, Norfolk
Or worse
Will Trumps presidency set back global climate change action? (Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images)Understandably, a lot of people are distressed at the result of the US election.
Given the noises he was making during his campaign, we can expect to see Trump radically scaling back or halting action on climate change, massively reducing the US commitment to Nato (thus abandoning Ukraine to Putin and potentially opening up other fronts to his war machine), launching trade wars with Europe and China, and no longer encouraging restraint by Israel in the Middle East.
To paraphrase Susan Sarandon’s Louise, in Thelma and Louise, ‘It’s not the end of the world, but we can see it from here’. Julian Self, Wolverton
What will a Trump presidency mean for Ukraine?
Russian President Vladimir Putin is yet to congratulate President Trump on his win despite being among the first of the world leaders to do so in 2016 (Picture: VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Malcolm (MetroTalk, Thu) says Trump’s election will mean Ukraine is likely to have its support withdrawn, leading it to lose the war against Russia. But Ukraine needs a resolution – assisting on that is a good thing, is it not?
He also says this will embolden Vladimir Putin to test Nato in other areas, such as the Baltic states, but we cannot have a forever war on the edge of Europe.
As to the US turning insular, allowing China further dominance, especially in Africa, it is already full bore on this and owns an enormous amount of the world.
Anyway, to stem that tide should be a good thing – Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports included. And finally, as to Trump releasing ‘his imprisoned right-wing allies’ and an ‘increase in social unrest’, I’ll leave that to the mainstream media. Jim, London
Condolences and trying to see a bright side
Lets see what the next four years have in store (Picture: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)Trump is a racist pig and should never have been elected. I feel sorry for the women who will inevitably die because of his policies and the people of Ukraine who will lose their homeland. Alf, Liverpool
I always try to take the positives from any situation and Trump’s victory does mean that for the next four years the letters page will be very entertaining. Neil Dance, Birmingham
Higher taxes aren’t the answer to problems in the ‘real world’
Obviously the topic on everyone’s mind is Donald Trump’s election
victory but l would like to take the opportunity to correct Charlie’s assertions (MetroTalk, Tue) in defence of higher taxation.
He wanted to look at the ‘real world’ and initially chose the high-taxed Scandanavian countries, which are reeling from anti-immigration parties pursuing hard-right policies.
Violence is on the rise and Sweden, in particular, is trying to counter intimidation from the drug cartels and military infiltration from Russia.
He then mentioned the US, seemingly unaware it has relatively low taxes, which is why entrepreneurs stay there and not here. Its low-tax economy creates more jobs than the whole of Europe, a point our prime minister studiously ignored in the recent budget.
Ireland is not ‘falling apart’ because of low taxes, as Charlie says, but is unable to deal with the strains of recent immigration.
As for the Netherlands, the new government has included the far right but, like the rest of Europe, it is still a high-tax centrist economy.
It’s possible, Charlie, that it’s you who needs more ‘real-world experience’. History has shown us what happens to high-tax economies that do not engage in efficiency reforms… and it’s not good. Chris Shepherd, London
Saying Scots are careful with money isn’t an insult – it’s a stereotype that’s meant as a joke
Are good stereotypes of nations still offensive? (Credits: Getty Images)Sandy McPherson (MetroTalk, Wed) accuses me of ‘lazy racism’ for writing that the Scots have a reputation for being careful with money and asks if I would have ‘dared make a similar remark about persons from another race or demographic’.
I am unsure why being called ‘careful with money’ is assumed by Sandy to be insulting. The English have a reputation for being cold and reserved, the Welsh of being musical and the Irish of being great talkers – a touch of the Blarney Stone.
There is obviously a line to be drawn but I don’t think people believe any of these stereotypes is accurate. They accept them in the spirit they are usually given – as a joke. Sandy risks earning another reputation – that of being humourless. Martin, LondonSandy saying it is ‘hate speech’ to suggest Scots are careful with money is the kind of simple-minded thinking the Orwellian mainstream media has created in mindless sheeple.
In order for a stereotype or trope to exist, there must be some in the population who have that trait – otherwise it’s a total fabrication.
Being careful with money is an ability, not an insult, and therefore it’s not ‘hate speech’, which is an Orwellian term that only sheeple use and results in the erosion of free speech.
Scots may or may not be careful with money but the liberty of having the opinion that they are is the liberty to say ‘2+2=4’. If it offends snowflakes, hard luck. DL Borrell, Ashton-under-Lyne