THE WAKE-UP CALL…

A mere handful saw it coming. The rest put their fingers in their ears, covered their eyes and prayed. And then they woke up on Wednesday morning to a world turned upside down.  Impossible to ignore, so we bring you a few interesting Trump bits you may have missed

The corridors at Holyrood echoed to the sound of a great deal of back-pedalling  this week, according to Paul Hutcheon in the Sunday Herald.

Kevin McKenna in Saturday’s Herald was unimpressed with the general reaction of Scotland’s political leaders – “it’s amazing how tempted you are to forgive the racist, misogynist old sex pest when someone like Patrick Harvie charges in demanding that we all shun the President of the US if he ever again wants to visit his ancestral home … the problem with such grandstanding … is that if you insist on shouting loudly about these things people will naturally scrutinise the lofty position you have chosen to occupy.”

David Torrance in yesterday’s Herald  issued a warning to those progressives who think that sloganising and giving Trump enough rope to hang himself will work. It won’t, says Torrance – you need Plan B, and fast.

It’s the end of the civilised world according to Iain Macwhirter in the Sunday Herald. Trump is the new Mussolini and can only encourage all Europe’s nasties to come crawling from the woodwork. Moreover, SNP nationalism, good, Trump nationalism, bad; “The President-elect and Nicola Sturgeon embody the foul and fair aspects of the nationalist Janus. And it is no exaggeration to say that the future of European civilisation may depend on which one prevails”.  Yesterday’s Daily Mail obliged with a list of Europe’s possible ‘nasties’, and if you missed it, here’s  Marine Le Pen on Sunday’s Andrew Marr show [45 mins in] including Marr’s rationale for the interview taking place on Remembrance Sunday…

What went wrong?  Dominic Lawson in the Sunday Times [£] says the liberal left has only itself to blame as long as it thinks in identity politics and woos ‘communities’ – Muslim, black, gay – rather than in terms of nationhood. Brexit and Trump have both proved it wrong. Professor Norman Stone, posting for Reaction says it was a vote against the Nanny State and the do-gooders.

Bella Caledonia’s response on Sunday suggested we forget about compromise and cooperation and go for all out resistance. Many quotes from the Left and endorsement of Labour’s economic guru Paul Mason’s 10 point plan for global strikes on Inauguration Day. Or perhaps, just a wee gathering outside Turnberry. That’ll stop Trump in his tracks…

The world of business speaks through CityAM:  Those in favour say Aye (though when one of them is Goldman Sachs, alarm bells should ring):  those against (or wavering) say No, or maybe, or wait and see…

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg responds In the Observer to Trump’s belief that the organisation is ‘obsolete’ and that member countries must pay their way if they want America’s continued support…

It’s not all doom and gloom. Writing in Wednesday’s CAPX,  Diana Furchtgott-Roth  said Trump will be good for Britain and has “a policy platform that could not only reinvigorate the American economy, but would help spread growth beyond America’s borders”, and goes on to outline six of his best ideas.

Forget Donald for a minute. It’s going to be even more interesting seeing what the new First Lady makes of her time in the White house. Melania’s humble origins and how she became Mrs Trump were recalled by Slovenian Bojan Pancevksi in the Sunday Times [£]. Accompanied by a rather unkind and scathing 2005 interview [£] just after their wedding, now dug up by Camilla Long. And here come all the mini-Trumps [£], including wild child Tiffany.

A final pause for thought:  Is punditry dead and buried?  Kenneth Roy in yesterday’s Scottish Review takes a whimsical approach…

IN BRIEF…

One year on, the Bataclan in Paris reopened on Sunday.  In the International Business Times, eye-witness Daniel Psenny of Le Monde, described the unfolding terror. Lest we forget.

Did you see the supermoon last night?  Here, courtesy of Chris North of Cardiff University, is the science stuff…

Stirling’s loss is Cumbria’s gain:  The Sunday Mail reports that the very same arguments about burying cables underground instead of erecting huge pylons that were dismissed by the Scottish government have been adopted when it comes to the despoiling the beauty of the Lake District. It cost seven times as much, but the National Grid is OK with that apparently.

Red squirrels have leprosy:  Stephen Harrison of Nottingham Trent University reveals in the Conversation that the wee iconic critters are being ravaged by what most of us regard as a medieval – and eradicated – disease.  It’s a surprise, says Harrison, because we now have little contact with red squirrels in the wild.

AND FINALLY…

So, farewell then:  Leonard Cohen and Jimmy Young both left us last week.

Here’s Cohen‘s obit in Friday’s Guardian – lots of celeb tributes and links to eulogies and a heartfelt and befittingly complex piece in yesterday’s New York Times from  lifelong friend Leon Wieseltier.

And for the slightly older generation - Tuesday’s Telegraph reported the death of housewives’ favourite DJ, Jimmy Young at the ripe old age of 95, and the BBC, of course, issued a full and fulsome obituary.

Orf he jolly well went.  TTFN…

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