Trump is going to give us a thousand years of woke

I try to avoid expressing strong opinions on foreign party politics, because I enjoy the luxury of not having to. From an outside perspective, American politics seems dominated by two quite extreme fringes, the only difference being that the mad things believed by Democrats tend to be aped by British elites, and therefore have an impact on our everyday lives here.

The Republican party’s insane ideas are in contrast a punchline to Europe’s governing classes, and indeed tend to cement support for the opposing views. Trump’s rhetorical excesses and breaking of political norms – loser’s consent being the most outrageous example – may suggest poor character, but they have little effect on our politics other than as a source of horrified amusement.

Now, with both the stock markets plunging and the American president’s aggressive rhetoric towards fellow Nato members, I fear that I finally have full-on Trump Derangement Syndrome and, having been uninfected during the first wave, have no immunity.