Chester Borrows PHOTO/FILE
IN A walk up Lambton Quay the morning after the election in the United States, it was interesting to hear the conversations. Amazing how many people "knew it all along".
I, for one, admit that I never saw a victory for Donald Trump coming, and then, when things got closer, I was more and more concerned.
The reactions are hilarious. Students have walked out of one university in protest at the election result. These students are spending tens of thousands of dollars on higher education and they think a strike will change the result? That has got to be tens of thousands of dollars wasted.
Some people are saying the result is an affront to democracy. No it isn't. This is democracy at work at its best. The fact that the most unlikely candidate can get elected should give us all hope that true democracy exists, no matter how upset we might be with the result.
People are saying the world is holding its breath, but it isn't. I might be, but I am addicted to politics and find this whole campaign and process fascinating.
Most of the real people in the world are getting on with today just like they did yesterday and will tomorrow, thank goodness. We can't afford to have too many people distracted by this stuff, or we'd never get anything done.
I do love the way people mitigate the possible ramifications of electing Donald Trump. "He really speaks his mind, so says what he thinks, but don't worry he is only saying that to get elected and he doesn't mean any of it." How can that possibly be an endorsement? It seems pretty obvious that the new President will have to renege on a number of his election promises, such as registration of all Muslims, punishment for women presenting for abortion and building a wall between the US and Mexico at the Mexicans' expense.
So it will be important that he carries out a few other less expensive promises. Not supporting TPP will be one and that will cost us dearly in terms of unrealised income from lost trade opportunities, so fewer jobs and lower wages and a lower standard of living. Right across the Whanganui electorate from the city to Stratford, Eltham and Hawera, so reliant on production and manufacturing aligned with pastoral farming; we will not see the gains we had hoped for.
We will have to continue to have a good working relationship with the US and will work very hard on that relationship, but I wonder if we'll see that relationships in Asia, Europe, Britain other Commonwealth countries will become increasingly important to us and they are certainly seeing the benefits of free trade agreements with us. The big US/EU FTA will be shaky now so there may be some priority given to doing deals with the Kiwis.
So the message is that what's done is done, and we need to get over it and get on. None of us are as important as we think, including "The Donald". Thank goodness.