To see the leader of the former principal democracy in the world talk complete nonsense and to tell unfounded lies has been deeply shocking. Whilst we do not want to criticise other democracies and how they do and don’t work, it is hard to avoid being shocked by the electoral debacle that is the USA.

The former leading democracy has been reduced to a laughing stock by the delusional liar that somehow became the President four years ago. That was anathema enough, but that poor divided country has completely lost its way. Not only has the USA under Trump surrendered its global leadership role to China, apparently ‘putting America first’, I had always laboured under the illusion that America was first. Not any more. That once great democracy has now held an election between the aforesaid duplicitous, womanising, lying crook and an exceedingly weak geriatric.

That the opposition to a world class delusional liar was so weak, is testimony that the electoral choices of the main political parties in America are not fit for purpose. That the voting populous has such a shocking range of choices that they find it hard not to give the incumbent the heave ho is deeply disturbing.

Trump has managed to subvert the influence of the United States which under his predecessors at least showed moral and honest attempts to influence the world toward liberal democracy. If Biden scrapes in, as we fervently hope he does, then the Democratic party has its work cut out to restore both domestic and international decency. It is an objective worthy of the biggest of men.

If Biden succeeds to the White House, let us hope he gathers about him men and women of noble cause to raise the USA to its proper place as a leader of world democracies.

I choose not to contemplate the alternative, a self serving spiv is not what the world needs right now.