Clive Bibby: The age of the poor loser

The Brexit debacle and the equally drawn out attempt at ending the Trump Presidency have ironically achieved a common result which was not intended by those who are trying every devious trick to derail the democratic process in each country.

Perhaps not surprisingly and thankfully, the reason why things are becoming increasingly difficult for the those who lost the last vote is because they are now exposed as total hypocrites scrambling around looking for a way to justify their pursuit of an end to a nightmare of their own making.

And the one thing that will ensure their failure is that they still can't accept the reason why their nemesis won what was deemed to be an impossible victory.

Those historic successes at the polls against virtually every political commentator's prediction, were in response to a breakdown in the trust between the public and previous administrations to keep the people safe.

"Safety" like "Trust" comes in many forms but are equally recognisable when they don't exist in the lives of those on struggle street.

In both cases that are the subject of this discussion, the public gave the fingers to the governments who had failed to live up to their promises to acknowledge the plights of those who felt threatened by the push for globalisation that has been and sadly still is, the hallmark of most administrations in the "free world".

Unfortunately, this betrayal is evident in virtually every fashionable movement promoted by that bastion of democracy, the United Nations - the "climate change emergency", the " metoo", "gender equality" and multiple " civil rights" movements currently in vogue throughout western civilisation.

Yet nothing in any of these warped crusades will match the attractiveness of a politician who does what he says he will - leaving their detractors with palpitations when it is their own failures that come into focus as a result of the investigations aimed at removal of those they hate with a passion.

In the case of Britain's exit from the EU, the majority who voted "leave" were concerned about the loss of sovereignty in a community dominated by European countries that have been acting like they are still fighting the battles to subject the Brits to slavery that had been their objective for centuries.

It has taken a man of Boris Johnson's strength of character to stare down the "Naye Sayers" (many within his own party) and get the job done. I have no doubt that he will lead them out of the union and the British will inevitably be thankful that he did - shades of Churchill here, "cometh the hour, cometh the man!"

In Donald Trump's United States, we see a similar battle for the hearts and minds of those who have rejected the betrayal or indifference of previous administrations and who, in spite of this farcical "kangaroo" court masquerading as a legitimate impeachment process, are going to reward the President with another term simply because he has honoured his commitment to America. It hasn't been pretty but on balance it will be shown to have been worth it.

I suppose there is a moral in all this.

As the planet is subjected to threats from all sides, we should put our faith in leadership that we can trust to keep us safe. The choice between those who are campaigning for our votes is not always clear cut and we might often have to swallow some dead rats at the ballot box when deciding which candidate gets the tick but one thing is certain - when it comes to the crunch, the smooth talkers and the pretty faces are usually the ones to steer well clear of. They will fail us every time.

Clive Bibby is a commentator, consultant, farmer and community leader, who lives in Tolaga Bay.