The last hour and a bit of Hallowe'en, as the summer half-year turns into the winter half-year. Ghosts and ghouls have been suitably exorcised, and the fires of Samhainn are about to be lit as darkness extends further across the days.
Walpurgis Night, April 30th, looms six months away, as the counterpoint to Hallowe'en, when evil spirits are once more banished into the darkness of the by then past winter. On 30 April 1945, one particularly spirit departed this earthly life - a little man whose resentment at being rejected for admission into the Vienna School of Fine Arts exploded into a world-wide conflagration. But Adolf Hitler was not solely to blame - his ascendency came about because of the badly handled outcome of WW1.
That mistake was not repeated in 1945; the reward was the European Economic Community. It's a pity that this golden egg and golden opportunity has grown foul, on the back of greed, bureaucracy and power play. The rising tide of nationalism, as shown in various parts of the United Kingdom, Spain and other places, has served to bring about the diminution of the European Union with Brexit. Whilst the United Kingdom has always been an uneasy member of the club, the departure of Britain (to my mind at least) is deplorable. But nationalism is not restricted to Europe.
Personally, I have very little time for Donald Trump. But let's not forget that he has a following of roughly half the American electorate. The other half loathe and detest him. He is a populist, and anything that'll bring him votes will do - anything that'll make a good deal. The American system of checks and balances is working overtime to keep him on the straight and narrow - so far, it is doing its job.
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