As Europeans we watch the American elections with disbelief. The whole process is outside our view of political normality. The American way seems more than foreign, more than alien even, it really is another world.

Dollars, the mighty dollar is the root of everything. No £150 pounds expenditure on election expenses here, on the contrary the more dollars a candidate raises the better chance he/she has of election. I don’t want to appear naive here of course all political parties everywhere tout for funds but the American ‘way’ is off the scale.

You see Americans are obsessed with their idea of freedom. Being successful in America is all about how many dollars you’ve accumulated, and with those dollars you can purchase influence, advertise more, be free and use those dollars to get your way.

Frankly, I am astonished that America elected a misogynist, philandering, ignorant, liar to be their Head of State. But they did, and astonishingly may do so again. Why?

Examining the Constitution and Bill of rights of America is an exercise in discovering the wondrous light of democratic independence. Where did it all go wrong?

It may be that those freedoms expressed have been commandeered by extreme elements and literally applied. The whole nation was founded on hope and the freedoms of escaping a brutal colonialist empire.

The great paradox of the present holder of POTUS is that a braggart who boasts about his great wealth (real or not) is supported largely by those who are without education or wealth. All Trump supporters are what they style as anti-socialist, socialism and a sharing society is an anathema to them.

The Constitutions first words “We the people” affirms that the Governments supports the individual folk who are members not subjects of the state. Yet the fear of interference of the federal state remains acute. The gun toting republicans want to repeal the affordable care act (Obamacare)despite the fact that it will be the core of the republican voters who will benefit, if not most, then certainly very many in the rust belt will . These are massive issues which this side of the pond we do not and perhaps cannot understand.

That the POTUS is allowed to plant rank lies and innuendo about postal votes and actively encourage right wing gangs to intimidate free voting is another astonishing misuse of his power. Yet all Americans seem to put up with it.

What a mess, We hoped when Trump came to power that perhaps he would be unorthodox but use that unorthodox attitude in a positively creative way. How wrong we were.

I devoutly hope the American people see the errors of this choice and choose instead an aged, ordinary but decent man called Biden.