The Art Of Politics — May: More War, More Grift, More Of The Same
by Richard Bruton
The Art Of Politics, celebrating the political cartoonists that skewer the month’s news so perfectly …
So, the war in Iran … where do you even start?
Well, we’re now three months into a war that President Trump told us would take mere weeks to finish. It’s paralysed shipping, raised gas prices worldwide, impacted on so many parts of everyday life, and yet, the orange one continues to tell us that he’s winning and a deal is just days away. Yep, winning.
Now, a few from outside the war …
Well, it appears the Pres is getting bored with the whole war thing now, and has turned his attention to other things, including his possibly biggest grift yet, the $1.8 billion ‘anti-weaponisation fund’ to allow those prosecuted by the Biden administration to claim reparations, including those who attacked the Capitol building in the Jan 6 riots. Although, as of writing this, it appears that Taco Trump, after backlash from many in his own party and a ruling from the Courts, has given up on that one.
Then there’s the sheer hutzpah on display when Trump talks of the impact of the war on everyday Americans, calling the spike in gas prices ‘peanuts.’ And, of course, he’s still prattling on about his big, beautiful ballroom being built on the wreck of the White House’s East Wing.
Meanwhile, the USA is going through a raft of gerrymandering decisions, transforming voting blocks from Democrat to Republican, as we watch the democratic process being manipulated in real time.
And in the middle of all of this, the USA is celebrating 250 years of being the greatest nation on Earth by having a UFC fight on the White House lawn and a Freedom 250 concert featuring the greatest musical acts of all time, including Milli Vanilli, Young MC, and The Commodores. Except most of them have pulled out of the concert now, leaving us with the prospect of Vanilla Ice introducing the bumbler in chief conducting a MAGA rally.
Over in the far from United Kingdom …
Starting the month, we had local elections, where many local council seats were up for grabs. As is usual in even the most normal of times, and these are far from the most usual of times, the ruling party gets a damn good kicking in these elections, even though local councillors have sod all to do with national policy and spend their time on the boring and mundane things like filling in potholes, dealing with planning issues, and helping Mrs Smith at number 42 sort out her disability badge for her car.
So, the expected happened, and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK (policies = immigration bad and … no, that’s all they’ve got) romped home, taking many, many Council seats. Whether that translates into a General Election still a long way away (sometime before August 2029) remains to be seen. But it does give Farage and his gang credibility of sorts. Farage takes a Trumpian view of politics — spin everything, bluff and bluster, outright lie, never admit the lies, and grift for all you’re worth. That grift included a £5 million gift to Farage from Christopher Harbourne, a Brit crypto billionaire living in Thailand, that he didn’t bother declaring as he got it before he ran for Parliament. So, absolutely nothing suspicious about that then.
As for Reform UK, I wouldn’t go as far as saying that everyone who votes Reform UK is a racist. No, not at all. But I’d put good money on anyone who is a racist voting for Reform UK.
Anyway, the political cartoonists did rather fill their boots with the elections, Farage, the grifting, and everything else Reform UK this month.
Of course, there was still time to concentrate on Labour and Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s precarious position. After the local council election collapse in the Labour vote, the knives were out, with a trio of possible contenders for a leadership battle coming to the fore in Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham. Of course, Burnham’s got the small matter of not actually being an MP to contend with, although he will be contesting a by-election up in Makerfield, up in the North of the UK, having stood down as mayor of Manchester.
And finally … a little good news …
David Attenborough, national treasure, broadcaster, writer, natural historian, and something everyone in this disunited kingdom can actually agree on, turned 100 in May. Honestly, amongst all the other news, just being able to celebrate a magnificent life felt like a breathe of fresh air.
Ben Jennings on that …
And then Dave Rowe comes along and spoils my good mood with this…
