Tuesday 14th June

Frank Zappa, one of my musical heroes, once had a song “Dumb All Over”.  It was mostly about Conservative Christians in America in the Eighties, who have co-incidentally grown into the Tea Party, who in their turn have moved Republican Politics onto the fringes of Lunacy, where moderate voices are drowned out and all we hear is the hoarse bellow of Donald Trump.  Poor old Frank, who died over ten years ago; at least he didn’t live to see his prophecy come true.  America seems to have gone ‘Dumb All Over’, as we see the beaming flag-waving hordes chanting, with Donald as cheerleader, “We’re Gonna Make America Great Again.”

The truth is that America is still great, and in many ways America remains the ‘Saviour of Last Resort’ if only they knew it.  Obama has re-kindled the World’s faith in America again, after Bush did his best to destroy it.  By gentleness and wisdom and reaching out and talking to their enemies America is once again respected.  And while economically it is true that China is catching up fast, in the modern technologies of bio-science and computers and electronics America is still leading the field.  But Donald has tapped into a rich seam of ‘Dumbness’.  The same seam being mined vociferously over here by Nigel and Boris.  They hack away each day (just like the night nadgers in that old TV toothpaste ad) at our insecurities, blaming immigrants and playing on our fears of losing jobs or being ill and no NHS there to protect us, when all the while they have been complicit in selling off our assets and privatising the health system.  And we are ‘Dumb All Over’ not to see it.  And now the roller-coaster of ‘Dumbness’ is fast approaching the very cliff of Reason, and as opinion polls start to predict a win for ‘Dumbness’ many will want to jump on the ‘winning’ bandwagon.  They are even using the same slogan as Donald – “We can be Great again, (once we throw off the shackles of Brussels and go it alone.)”

Who knows?  I have a great fear that ‘Dumbness’ might win over sense; stupidity succeed over intelligence and Donald will win and we will leave Europe.  And that will leave us, a small off-shore island, that America might still want to sell stuff to, but no longer any sort of special friend.  A dumb island led by dumb leaders and ignored by an even dumber country led downhill by even dumber people.

Have a nice day now, y’all.…