OF CABBAGES AND KINGS | Elections Loom In Trumpistan: Will Democratic Socialists Gain? | Farrukh Dhondy

“I like wearing linen shirts --

Hate ironing them after a wash.

I love the taste of oranges

But don’t care for orange squash

If you identify this as doggerel

And think I’m obsessed with trivia

I don’t give a damn and wish you well

And I even respect and forgive ya.”

From Off Piste to Piste Off, by Bachchoo

Elections loom in Trumpistan, the first one on August 4 in Michigan. Commentators in the United States predict that the Democratic left-wing radical, Dr Abdul El-Sayed, a pro-Palestinian Muslim son of an Egyptian immigrant, who is campaigning on expanding Medicare for all and the abolition of certain customs and immigration regulations, will win.

His election, a seeming aberration in the Maggot Republic, will confirm a drift, or even a determined turn, towards left-wing Democrats overtaking Maggots and even moderate Republicans.

Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral election in New York could perhaps be seen as a landmark in this transformative journey. A group called the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are contributing to Dr El-Sayed’s campaign, though he is not formally a member. The DSA is also actively supporting several other candidates in the looming elections. There’s Francesca Hong in Wisconsin.

Most prominently, there is Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, a DSA member, who hasn’t put in a bid yet, but doesn’t rule out an attempt at the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 2028.

By November, when the mid-term election results come in, we shall know if this shift is in fact a political tide moving towards the shores of Trumpistan or even one that might flood it with impeachment, replacement -- yes, cross your fingers, but don't hold your breath.

What’s causing the shift?

The DSA itself says that its support comes from the graduates --who face unemployment, unrewarding or inadequately- remunerative employment or who feel relatively poorer owing to inflation. Nate Silver, American psephologist, said this week that 40 per cent of post-grads who earn less than $60,000 annually describe themselves as supporters of the sort of national and international policies and stances that the DSA sports.

The other factor, notable in the United States, is the expanding role of Artificial Intelligence, which has, purportedly, replaced very many of the jobs that the educated middle-classes might aspire to. There are no precise or absolutely reliable nation-wide statistics in the United States, which count the jobs that AI has taken from men and women, though the trend is certainly on the up -- and threatening.

Reading about this fear (Is it a panic pushing this demographic leftward?) I asked an AI bot if Artificial Intelligence will replace newspaper and media commentators. So here, gentle reader, is what the bot said:

“Newspaper columnists often provide unique insights, personal experiences, and creative viewpoints that resonate emotionally with readers. AI currently struggles to replicate this depth of human creativity and nuance consistently.

“Columnists analyse complex social, political, and cultural issues, often challenging established views. AI can assist by providing data and trends but lacks genuine opinions and moral reasoning.

“Readers trust columnists for transparency about biases and ethical stances. AI-generated content may face scepticism regarding authenticity and accountability.”

Encouraging, or what??? (Don’t get foolishly carried away fd -- it’s early days yet –Ed).

So, let’s leave the USA and consider Blighty, where statistics say there is no forceful trend towards graduate unemployment.

Even so, two factors should surely be disturbing. The first is that newspapers -- all of them -- regional and national -- are laying off journalists by the hundreds. The BBC has, for the last two years, announced packages of redundancies, some voluntary some compelled. The market for freelancers supplying news outlets and the Beeb has virtually vanished. Other occupations, such as publishing, advertising and colleges and universities, have also been hit.

The second factor is that of the exorbitant cost of getting a degree at a British university.

When I was at Cambridge in the late 1960s, my British contemporaries were all funded by government grants. The State paid their fees and meals were provided in college. Of course, pocket money came from parents and even from holiday jobs, but none of them ran up the kind of debt that the present university population is compelled to do.

This generous scheme of grants was abolished by Tory Prime Minister David Cameron and his chancellor George Osborne in 2015. They replaced it with a loan scheme, which compelled university students to borrow money from the State and pay their university fees through this. They used the rest of the loan to live.

One student I know graduated with debts of over £50,000. She’ll have to repay this in instalments from her salary. How many decades will she be in debt?

So far, the new PM Andy Burnham has not announced any measures to alleviate her constraining, if not impoverishing, obligation. Neither does he look like he will, as universities are clamouring for more money,

These debts, which graduates run up, are subject to increase through interest rates which vary from year to year. The present UK government has promised to tackle -- which surely means reduce -- the cost of living. It’s already announced measures which are aimed at reducing some costs to pubs, restaurants and entertainment venues -- aimed at working-class voters?

One hopes this includes the cost of ex-student debt, even though graduates are considered to have access to higher earning brackets than the mass of beer drinkers in pubs.