Today, we started off a little later than usual because I knew that our usual start time was to be delayed by 20 minutes and, in addition, I had been asked if I could act as he 'second carer' to help Meg washed and dressed this morning. This went according to plan and it was the day for our domestic help to call around which always lifts our spirits. Last week I had made her a gift of a rather nice cotton bed throw/blanket which actually goes superbly well in a room that she was refurbishing and she delightedly showed me a photo of how well it looked. She had also brought along some particularly nice savoury biscuits to try later on. After we had breakfasted, we were delighted to get a phone call from our University of Birmingham friend so we popped down the hill and spent a really enjoyable three quarters of an hour in his company. After we got home at lunchtime, I got to work preparing a smoked mackerel risotto as not only was it going to provide a lunchtime meal for the two of us but I had also promised our two carers who are coming along later this evening small portion of it for them to enjoy at home. In the afternoon, as we often do on a Friday afternoon, we enjoyed the edition of 'Question Time' first broadcast yesterday evening and this helped to dispel some of the gloom of the afternoon which descends so early in these November days. I have often thought of November as a month that just has to be endured because apart from the bonfire night celebrations at the start of the month, there is nothing else much to which to look forward. December is in a different category because there is always Christmas at the end of the month and, of course, once 21st is out of the way then the nights are starting to get a little lighter by a smidgeon each day. The carers this afternoon brought along a letter asking us to detail our Christmas requirements but in the case of Meg and myself, it is just 'business as normal' The care agency tries to spread out the Christmas work so that the care staff can spend as much time as they can with their own families which is quite understandable. As a teenager, I often spent Christmas day with my family and then to work in the hotel from about 6.00 in the evening until 2.00pm the following morning. As we did not have a TV in those days, I did not feel as though I was missing much anyway.
The full extent of Donald Trump's victory in the race to the White House only became evident to me yesterday when I read some of the analysis of the election results in 'The Times' Apparently, in the small hours of the day after the election, the CNN lead presenter asked their data analyst to show on a screen all 3,243 counties of the United States and those counties in which Kamala Harris had gained more votes than Jo Biden four years earlier. (A county in the United States is approximately 100,000 voters or approximately the size of two constituencies in the British parliamentary system) To the astonishment of the CNN presenter, not a single county could be found (from within the 3,243) where Kamala Harris attained more votes than Joe Biden four years earlier. The presenter gasped in disbelief - but this is a dramatic illustration of the victory that Trump attained. There are two more reflections which I think are salient. Kamala Harris campaigned very heavily on the issue of the rights to an abortion which was a sharp dividing line between the Democrats and the Republicans. But I looked up how many women aged 15-44 had actually had an abortion during the current year and the rate was 11.6 per thousand, or in rounded terms some 1.2%. So Kamala Harris was chasing the votes of 1.2% of the female population whilst the other 98.8% were worried about real 'Bread and butter' issues such as how to put enough food on the table in the face of rising inflation.In other words, the pursuit of an important issue but one which affected only a minute proportion of the population meant that the Democrats took their eye off the ball and did not pay sufficient attention to the economic worries of most of the population. This was compounded by Harris herself who in a critical interview was asked how her policies would differ from those of Joe Biden but all that she could reply was she would continue with the Biden programme which did not address the concerns of ordinary people. There are important lessons for all democratic parties of the left including of course the British Labour party. One wonders how many are concerned with the minutia of the trans rights debates compared with managing to improve one's housing situation or to struggle on a low wage in an insecure job. So here, Trump 'cut through' as the analysts are wont to say, and did address the concerns of ordinary voters in a way that the Democrats did not. Some analysts are even suggesting that there is a complete realignment of American politics such that the Democrats are seen of the parties of the elites and of privilege whereas only the Republicans connect with struggling families.
So far this autumn, we have had a pretty mild spell as there is a very stable high pressure system which is locking in the clouds which, in turn, is preventing some of the early frosts that we have at this time of year. When I wheel Meg down in her wheelchair, I always make sure that she has a thickish cardigan on as well as a rain and wind proof jacket. But to complete her ensemble, I put on a Manchester University scarf and our very heavy ex- Russian military blanket across her knees which would actually protect her from a downfall of rain were we to have one.Then an extra blanket goes on top and we are ready to roll. I always ensure that I have High Visibility Vest on over my leather jacket because I think that it helps car drivers to think twice when there is some doubt who is going to cross the road first. In general, I have found car drivers to be very considerate and a majority always stop and let me cross the road although there is always the minority that speed away.
© Mike Hart [2024]