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Wednesday, November 16, 2016

By David Bates

I’ve been confidently predicting a Trump presidency for the past six months or so, and I’ve endured scoffing and ridicule for roughly the same amount of time!

My confidence in a Trump win grew every time I heard a commentator announce he was ‘unelectable’, or read social media posts arrogantly dismissing everyone voting for him as a ‘racist’.

In fact, I was so confident he’d win I booked a trip to Washington DC so that I could be there to watch the results come in on election night. And so it was, wine glass in hand, that I saw all my predictions come true: a Trump presidency, a Republican-controlled Congress and a shell-shocked and desperately out-of-touch elite lost for words.

Now friends are asking me “how did you know?”. The answer is simple: the so-called ‘silent majorities’ in Western nations around the world have grown so tired of being ignored and let down that they’ve decided not to remain silent anymore. Not for one more minute, and certainly not for another four years.

Brexit 2.0

Anyone who followed the Brexit referendum in the UK should have been easily able to predict a Trump victory in the US. People are just no longer persuaded by the elder statesmen and stateswomen of major parties, or by out-of-touch political commentators. And they’re certainly not persuaded by billionaire celebrity endorsements.

People ask me: “aren’t you offended by Trump’s comments and past behaviour?’. The answer is yes, but I’m far more offended by politicians who promise to help small business owners but then do nothing for them when they’re elected.

Friends say: “surely Trump’s simplistic answers to complex questions cause you concern?’. Yes, they do. But I’m even more concerned by unelected bureaucrats at the Human Rights Commission doing their best to stifle freedom of expression, and by our politicians doing nothing about it.

Readers ask: “Doesn’t Trump’s world view alarm you?’. Yes, it does. But I’m far more alarmed to live in a country where a Vice President of the Fair Work Commission can take 11 months of fully-paid sick leave on a tax payer-funded salary of over $400,000 p.a and spend that time helping his partner (unsuccessfully) escape conviction for stealing union members’ money!

The bottom line

At the end of the day, both Trump’s victory and the vote for Brexit were obvious to me and many (millions of) others who have grown weary of the ‘business-as-usual’ approach taken by our politicians. That approach consistently fails those who work hard, those who run businesses, those who employ others and those who respect the rule of law.

What’s next?

My next prediction: the Coalition will be defeated at the next election – and minor parties such as One Nation will surge – unless Malcolm Turnbull and his cabinet stop ignoring and start listening to the now not-so-silent majority.