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Most days now involve getting out of bed, seeing what insanity Trump has wrought, and getting repetitive strain injury from head-shaking. That’s before 8am.
US democracy is being dismantled by a group of people on a reckless and fanatical collision course. Every day brings another round of shock, leaving many of us dizzy and aghast. As America lurches from order to chaos, protest and resistance continue, and as vital as that is, there’s a worry that civil unrest will become another excuse for Trump and co to further crack down on civil liberties and democracy. We know the playbook. We are in the midst of a disaster.
Within this global crisis of the disintegration of the United States we once knew, other countries are searching for their role. I understand the urge to call on the Taoiseach to cancel his meeting with Trump around St Patrick's Day, but in terms of impact, such a stance is irrelevant. In the high school of global politics, it is simply not an option for the nerd to spurn the jock's party invitation.
What would have far greater impact is if Enda Kenny did in fact go to the White House and made a strong statement against the racist, fascistic policies Trump is pursuing. But throwing a cocktail in your host's face requires a degree of tenacity and courage that Kenny does not possess.
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Institutionalised by parochial politics where he has resided for 42 years, his style is wink-and-grin-sure-c'mere-go-way. And anyway, when it comes to America, Ireland has always been cartoonishly deferential, the political and diplomatic equivalent of fussing over the good delph for the foreign cousins when they come over here, or giggling like schoolgirls at these fancy hunks who've taken a second to talk to us when we go over there.
Strong statement
The Taoiseach should make a strong statement to Trump and the American and international press at the White House, that Trump’s actions and plans are contrary to the ideals and values Ireland holds. I will be shocked if Kenny actually does that.
But Trump makes a fool of anyone who comes near him, and if the Taoiseach doesn't stand up for what's right, he'll make a fool of Kenny. Whether it's holding Theresa May's hand, or a helpless Mitt Romney grimacing at a restaurant table, being next to Trump is toxic. See how Merkel has kept her cool distance, speaking in clear, critical language of the American president from afar.
Besides this subplot – the only importance of which is regarding how the pretenders to the Fine Gael throne will use Kenny's Catch 22 to selfishly score political points – the American crisis feels so big.
It’s natural to feel helpless. Besides mulling over whether Kenny should cancel on Trump or take a shot at him, what can we do?
Well, we can start with working on ourselves. We have seen Trump and Steve Bannon’s vision for the US play out in neon so far – divisive, racist, dishonest and terrifying. So if that is Trump and Bannon’s vision for the US, then what is our vision for Ireland?
One way to resist is to lead by example. Ireland built a democracy when other democracies around Europe were falling. That's who we are. What currency does our condemnation of Trump's behaviour have if we can't get our house in order? How can European nations condemn Trump's refugee and Muslim ban when bodies are being plucked out of the Mediterranean every week? How can we roar about people being detained at US pre-clearance when we detain asylum seekers indefinitely in direct provision?
Searching questions
People often ask themselves searching questions in times of crisis. But that’s not the best time to be what can often be characterised as urgently reflective. In the UK, they’re trying to find out what kind of nation they are after pulling the rug from underneath themselves, which was a particularly dexterous trick. But it’s much easier to take control of one’s destiny, and to plan, when things are calm.
This is the time to nail down who we are and what we stand for. This is the time to do everything we can to be our best selves. The blessing of living in a small country is that change can be affected swiftly. It’s easier to turn around a sailboat than an oil tanker. If the most powerful democracy in the world is becoming less welcoming, then where is our progress on ending direct provision? If America is growing more hateful, then where is our decent legislation on hate crime?
Unlike Trump’s policies, these are things we can actually change, to hold our heads up and say: this is what we stand for. It’s far easier to take on our own problems, than try and effect change on issues in other countries. And that small, Irish progress, can have big, global impacts. There is no greater inspiration and satisfaction than when we achieve things on our own steam.
We are not in control of the US. Our influence is negligible. No amount of shamrock-laden bowls will change that. But we are in control of ourselves. If democracy and fairness and inclusivity and equality are failing across the Atlantic, then let us succeed at them here.