Opinion

Fionnuala O Connor: Reaction to Donald Trump win embarrassing

President-elect Donald Trump gives his acceptance speech during his election night rally in New York. Picture by John Locher, Associated Press
President-elect Donald Trump gives his acceptance speech during his election night rally in New York. Picture by John Locher, Associated Press President-elect Donald Trump gives his acceptance speech during his election night rally in New York. Picture by John Locher, Associated Press

TRUE, there was a lot of shock at the election of Donald Trump, and in shock few are at their best.

Even those who dreaded all along that the joker would turn into the president weren’t ready with anything but dismay.

So perhaps it was no surprise that public reactions here and in the Dáil tended towards the embarrassing.

The overall effect was a reminder that shock tests character as well as judgment in a public representative, ability to feel what their supporters most want said.

Of the locals Naomi Long probably hit it best, closest in spirit to Angela Merkel’s dignified offer to work with Trump if he cleaned up his agenda.

Sinn Féin would have done better to say nothing than Gerry Adams being restrained and vague in the Dáil and Martin McGuinness feebly following Arlene Foster.

Neither was as bad as the Taoiseach, who needed only his special phone call from Trump Tower to excuse the president-elect’s bile ‘in the heat of battle.’

The after-taste from that grovel made the sombre Enda Kenny at the Enniskillen cenotaph look more would-be macho without his coat, than pragmatic representative of a state.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood took ribbing for again airing resolve to boycott the White House.

For a politician on a small stage to channel the Skibbereen Eagle warning the Tsar of Russia and the Kaiser is always temptingly mockable.

But enough changed this day last week to make Eastwood sound for once, even twice, a voice for many.

By contrast, whatever was in Mike Nesbitt’s head when he said it surely came out upside-down.

People here are as knowledgeable in fearing the consequences of last week’s election as the rest of the world.

Only deliberately know-little unionists went out to hold forth otherwise, to criticise the critics and welcome the win. Or rather, to welcome the defeat of Hillary Clinton.

The appeal of fundamentalist Christianity, of climate-change denial, white racism and misogyny may be strong for many unionists but surely appals as many more.

But where was would-be standard-bearer of new centrist unionism Nesbitt, ‘vote for me and get Colum’?

Gavin Robinson, DUP MP for East Belfast, who called Trump a buffoon in a Westminster debate? The old rule held of unity or silence rather than risk echoing nationalist feelings.

‘Pleased to see the meddling Clintons defeated’ said Jim Allister . In the Allister worldview, a pre-climate change iceberg of certitude, anyone from beyond the UK who supports compromise here is still a ‘meddler.’

So by urging on the 1998 agreement, then president Bill and Hillary had denied Northern Ireland democratic elections such as last week’s in the USA.

Therefore the Clintons had helped impose the ‘absurdity’ and ‘obscenity of mandatory coalition.’ So much for a measured opinion, from anyone anywhere, that Westminster-type structures might not be suited to this riven society.

Allister’s rival for the soul of unionist north Antrim, Ian Paisley, matched him in energy if in predictably more self-absorbed fashion. His main theme seemed to be a Trump presidency’s potential benefit for Northern Ireland business, to be wooed and won by a Paisley-led effort.

It turns out that he believes he, middle-aged Ian, has a friendship with Trump dating from a New York meeting with his father, old Ian, which struck sparks of mutual respect and recognition. Likely enough, since ugly derision of political opponents was a Paisley speciality.

‘None of my business either way’ said Allister of the election. Though apart from relishing the Clinton defeat, he had also just praised as the ‘right’ choices the prospect of a conservative Supreme Court filled with anti-abortion judges, as pledged by the president-elect ‘in the heat of battle’, and ‘very able’ vice-president to be (anti legalisation of abortion, ‘conversion-therapy’ advocate) Mike Pence.

There must be thousands of unionists who watched the rise of the President-elect through their fingers. Watching and listening to their elected representatives this past week there was little to cheer them.

But then, nor have the rest of us. Trump the successful candidate set up millions for disappointment, promised the return of jobs long gone, declared he will junk hard-won and inadequate moves to slow climate change, insulted women, Muslims, the Mexicans who keep American homes clean and nurse the elderly.

Some of the wildest pledges have been re-worded. But the first Trump ‘hires’ include a major campaign aggressor.

Mass deportation and imprisonment is still on. Colum Eastwood set himself up for a laugh in striving to show disgust; better laugh than cry.