All Cut From The Same Cloth

Another arrest in the Meuller inquiry; Roger Stone this time.  Another rogue who lived in the shadows, leaving the spotlight for other to fill.  Strange how this is all panning out.  Stranger still that now he has been arrested, the gloves are off.  Even the BBC are describing him as a Political Fixer, a master of dirty tricks.  Old tweets surface of him threatening rivals – where were all these tweets?  How come everyone knew he was a rogue, but had never mentioned it before?  And how come he and Manafort and Cohen, were allowed to operate, permitted to help elect Trump – and no-one thought it might be unethical, or wrong even.

Sadly, the truth is that this is the state of American, and one now suspects much of British Politics these days.  But hang on a minute, this guy was helping Nixon….that was nearly sixty years ago.  And when we look back at the scandals -they are mostly linked to the Republicans; Oliver North and Reagan, Nixon himself, George double-ya and his Vice-President Dick (Halliburton Oil) Cheney were hardly saints either.  And now we have Trump, who may well trump them all.  I know, you will protest that the Democrats aren’t saints either– but at least Kennedy and Clinton were sexual predators (if that makes it any less bad); and weren’t quite as corrupt as the Republicans.

So, I ask – why do these Republican Presidential Candidates surround themselves with crooks?  Is it in their nature – or do they  not consider the dirty tricks, the pay-offs and lies, as wrong?  Or are they simply all cut from the same cloth?  Is winning the only thing that matters?  And yes, that is really the answer.  The end justifies the means.  They are determined to keep things the same, to reward the rich, to punish the poor, to keep the Democrats out of power.

Sadly Britain is going the same way – with Political Operatives like Alistair Campbell and Lynton Crosbie threatening and cajoling to get their man or woman elected.  And don’t even get me started about the Referendum?  Only two years too late are we beginning to unfold the cheating, the overspend, the facebook hacking, the lies – indeed anything to get the result they wanted.  All cut from the same cloth I am afraid.