By PATRICK HUNTER
There is a saying which has been attributed to the Chinese: “May you live in interesting times.” It is believed to be a kind of curse. With all that has been going on, one has to wonder whether we are living the curse. But we are indeed living in interesting times.
Things began to be topsy-turvy during the last week of June. It was as if someone turned on a tap and, instead of one stream, there were several.
Let us start with France. Hot on the heels of the results of the European elections where the far-right made significant gains, French president Emmanuel Macron got scared and tried to get a jump on Marine Le Pen’s right-wing party by calling parliamentary elections. After the first round of voting, the centre-left parties decided to come together to block Le Pen, which they did. But it also left Macron with an uncertain future which has been obscured by the Olympics.
Across the English Channel, the very troubled Conservative Party, under its first South Asian prime minister, also went to polls. This was the party of persons like David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. The Tories knew they would lose the election, which they did, spectacularly.
The Labour Party, under Sir Keir Starmer, swept to victory with a mind-blowing majority.
Starmer quickly met with King Charles III as is the protocol to be invited to form a government. Then he started forming his cabinet, which included David Lammy, the son of Guyanese immigrants, as foreign secretary.
One outcome from this victory is that a plan by the Tories to ship illegal migrants to Rwanda was “dead and buried”. The other outcome I am looking forward to is a resolution to the plight of Windrush generation. These were West Indians who were brought to the United Kingdom (UK) in the post-war era to help rebuild the UK and some of whom have faced deportation because they do not have citizenship papers.
Closer to home, U.S. president Joe Biden came under pressure to get out of the race to be re-elected in November after a very bad debate. The “age-thing” was bothering a lot of people, including some of his closest allies. After much pressure and personal agonizing, Biden decided to drop out of the race.
What followed has been interesting to watch. Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party’s candidate and the response has been, to put it mildly, overwhelming. Delegates who were pledged to Biden have since endorsed Harris making her the Party’s candidate. The fundraising response to her candidacy has been record-setting.
The nomination will be formalized at the Party’s convention later this month.
What is amazing is how the media insisted on focusing mainly on Biden’s performance while mostly ignoring that of his then opponent, Donald Trump, the convicted criminal’s lying performance. It is almost as if they would have preferred Trump as president rather than the better-performing Biden presidency.
I am still confounded by the fact that some U.S. citizens continue to see Donald Trump as a viable candidate for the office – a convicted felon, twice-impeached along with a string of other misdeeds that would have disqualified any other candidate for elected office. With that kind of record, leaders of what the U.S. loves to call “Third World countries”, or worse, “banana republics”, would have been forced to quit.
Harris’ candidacy promises to be an exciting one. I anticipate that a debate with Trump would be interesting to say the least. Barring some unforeseen circumstances, the U.S. could have its first female president who just happens to be Black and South Asian with a Jamaican connection.
Here, at home, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tenure as leader of the Liberal Party appears to be facing some challenges, especially since the loss of the St. Paul’s byelection in Toronto. He has however indicated that he plans to take the party into the next election. Polls and pundits seem to indicate that he will be replaced as prime minister after the next election by the Conservative Party’s Pierre Poilievre, who appears to be an empty shell.
Then, there is our favourite premier, Doug Ford, whose position as premier on some current issues seems to be: “I want to move the Science Centre to Ontario Place. Oh, you oppose that idea? Well, it’s going to happen. In fact, I’m going to close it down now because it’s in disrepair. How do you like them apples?
“Oh, and one more thing, I’m going to make booze and beer available at your corner store. Isn’t that nice of me? Hey, I’m premier. I can do whatever I want.”
Interesting times, indeed.
Finally, there is one good news that emerged during the last few weeks. York University awarded the publisher and editor of Share, Arnold Auguste, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Big congratulations, Arnold. This publication has meant, and continue to mean, a lot to the community. It is to say: We are here too!
Email: pa**************@gm***.com
