A thought about UK attitudes to Trump

[loganberrybunny]

Public

I wonder whether one of the reasons Trump is unpopular in the UK is actually one of the reasons he has more support in the US: his hitting the ground running. He's barely been in office for a week and he's already made a lot of new policy. The fact that most of it was heavily trailed isn't the point: it's that he's actually implementing it

Comments

[jhall1]

I think my problem is definitely with what he wants to implement rather than the timescale. His wish to torture suspected terrorists (which thankfully he now seems to be reconsidering) reminded me of the end of "Animal Farm": "The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which." (Where the "man" is ISIL and the pig is Trump.)

Given his attitude to refugees, as revealed by his attempt to have the latest arrivals deported, perhaps the famous words on the plaque at the Statue of Liberty should be revised to read: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free - and I will turn them away"

(Believe or not, but my political ideas if anything are slightly to the right of centre in British terms, though I suppose they would place me to the left of centre in America, and I still find Trump utterly beyond the pale.)

[loganberrybunny]

Yes, personally I'm with you -- but I suspect the rushing into things is an issue for at least some people. I have no evidence for that beyond a vague feeling, and it would be good to see a poll which asked that specific question, so I could find out whether said vague feeling had any support.

As for the last point: I know (on an online acquaintance basis, at least) people who are considerably to the right of Theresa May in many ways who are nevertheless horrified by Trump, so your position doesn't shock me at all.

[rustyfox]

Is Trump unpopular in the UK? It's become very hard to gauge. My perception is that the trolling masses who proclaim at every opportunity to support Brexit also support Trump. I suspect this is probably more symptomatic of an underclass who just revel in some opportunity to disrupt and celebrate causing havoc to the 'establishment' any way they can - but it's a very loud noise I'm hearing.

More shockingly I'm learning that some professional people I work close with also seem to enjoy what they see as rocking of the establishment and support Trump.

I find Trump among the most repugnant human beings of our time (an opinion quickly formed as I followed the Menie golf course saga unfold years ago), but I have absolutely nothing favourable to say about May either. The IP Bill is a big, big thing for me, orders of magnitude bigger than ID cards were, so as far as I'm concerned while Trump is an insane narcissistic snowflake, May is cold, calculating and actively evilAnyway, signing executive orders and actually getting stuff done are two

[loganberrybunny]

Every poll I've seen recently suggests a very negative balance for Trump's personal popularity over here. I know polls don't have a good reputation right now, but they'd have to be much more wrong than in any recent election for this to be a misrepresentation. So yes, I think he is genuinely unpopular, once you get beyond the Katie Hopkins/Twitter yelling crowd.

I don't like May, though I think Leadsom would have been worse. However, as far as the US is concerned I suspect the vice-president is the one we should really be afraid of. Should Trump do something so idiotic he gets removed from office, which is hardly beyond the bounds of possibility, Mike Pence will become president... and he's much further right than Trump and a lot more competent. I think President Pence would do more damage to US society than President Trump can.

[davesmusictank]

I think there is a general realisation that \trump and his off the cuff remarks and deeds are very dangerous to the world and that we sense he is not a man to be trusted imho.