Who needs vaccines anyway? How is your golf swing coming along? And many more cerebral questions will surely be filling the White House air over the next four years as Trump assembles his team…

Elon-gated disaster

Trump’s appointments thus far  are laughably underqualified and made even more darkly ironic considering how deeply important these positions are. Over the past week, President-elect Trump has been appointing his administration, the most important qualifying factor for a potential candidate? Unquestioning and undying loyalty to the main man.

The worst avengers film ever

It is hard to pick which particular candidate is the most unsuitable for his or her role but I thought I would select five just to give you a flavour of the kind of people who will soon be running the most powerful country in the world.

Elon Musk (First Buddy) - Department of Government Efficiency;  As thousands of people (and one Clifton Suspension Bridge) flock from the cesspool formally known as Twitter, its owner has been cosying up to Trump in a way that would even embarrass Nadine Dorries. Musk has been appointed as the leader of the non-governmental agency named DOGE after a Shiba Inu Dog / internet meme…genuinly. Musk is on a mission to cut American federal spending by a third or $2 trillion, I am sure glad there won’t be any conflicts of interest!

Robert F Kennedy Jr (has a worm eating his brain) - Department for Health; As someone who idolises RFK Snr, the behaviour of his son over the past year has been a bitter blow. A man who believes that COVID-19 was designed to target specific races and the damaging myth that vaccines cause autism. Another act of insanity involves RFK Jr dumping a dead bear in Central Park…might have something to do with the parasitic worm in his brain

Matt Gaetz (accused of sex trafficking a minor) - Attorney General; The most sickening of all of Trump’s appointments is Florida Congressmen Matt Gaetz. The man now in charge of the U.S. Justice Department has previously been embroiled in a sex trafficking scandal with a 17-year-old girl. Until his resignation from Congress on Wednesday he was being investigated by the House for the same alleged offence. CBS News also reports that Gaetz asked Trump during his last term for a pre-emptive pardon for any prior crimes committed…

Steve Witkoff (likes golf) - Middle East Envoy; America is perhaps  the only outside actor with the power to genuinely make a difference to the conflict in the Middle East,  so one would hope that the person chosen for such a role would have a wealth of regional expertise and diplomatic experience. Unfortunately Witkoff has neither, although he does have the handy bonus of being one of Trump’s golf partners. Perhaps the Donald is hoping to find an excuse for all the golf he will be playing over the next four years. 

Pete Hegseth (doesn’t believe in germs) - Defense (Defence) Secretary:The path to the Pentagon taken by the Fox News Presenter has (shockingly) been untrodden until now. Hegseth has criticised having women in the armed forces & questioned whether General Charles Brown got his post for being Black. Hegseth has also questioned the validity of trying to legislate war and has bemoaned the constraints of war crime classification. He has also claimed to have not washed his hands for ten years as ‘germs are not a real thing’

In other American news, Peter Mandelson appears to be the front runner to become the next UK ambassador to the country. One of the architects of New Labour, Mandelson appears to be favoured by the Government.

However, his recent comments about the UK having its cake and eating it when it comes to choosing between the EU and the US is reminding us a bit too much of the last guy who promised cakeism.

Missing E-U

On Thursday evening Rachel Reeves delivered a speech alongside the Governor of the Bank of England; Andrew Bailey. Fascinatingly, and in joyous news for those of us who would quite like closer UK-EU ties, the dynamic duo highlighted the unmitigated disaster of Brexit for the UK economy. Mr Bailey pointed out how Brexit had undermined trade and ultimately damaged UK business while suggesting that the Government should be seeking to rebuild and rejuvenate ties with the union. 

Mr Bailey, who is now my favourite person in the world, also pointed out that the ageing UK population would have a marked impact on future productivity and investment opportunities, hinting that the issue should be factored into debates surrounding immigration. It is very welcome and refreshing to see an important public figure stand up and point out the positives of immigration for this country. Bravo. Read our response here.

A more tolerant future

Today marks International Day for Tolerance, an important time to come together and consider what kind of world it is that we wish to make for ourselves and future generations. Our CEO, Naomi Smith has written a thought provoking and important piece on the day suggesting that while things may seem bleak now, we all have the power to change the future.

Brussels continues to press ahead with its mission to secure a Youth Mobility Scheme with the United Kingdom. The EU views the policy as a crucial step in any reset of UK-EU relations and the European Council scheduled a discussion on youth mobility on Friday. 

The meeting comes days after Sandro Gozi, chair of the European delegation to the EU-UK Parlimanetary Assembly told The Independent that a youth mobility scheme is central to future EU-UK relations. Gozi also highlighted that the election of Donald Trump has reinvigorated the EU to seek a closer mutually beneficial relationship with the UK

Voter ID

There was good news this week on Voter ID regulations. Parliament has voted in favour of a Government motion to expand the forms of acceptable ID to include Veterans Cards, a welcome move that will enable more people to vote.

But, the forms of acceptable ID remain badly skewed against young people. While seven types of older person’s travel cards are accepted, only one is allowed for younger people and  only  in Scotland (and you don’t even need an ID to vote in Scottish Parliament or council elections!). Confused? We’re not surprised!

With no explanation, the 60+ Oyster Photocard is allowed but the 18+ Oyster Photocard is not. Similarly, driving licences (which are disproportionately held by older people) are permitted but photographic student IDs (disproportionately held by younger people) are not. It’s enough to make you think it was a deliberate attempt by the last government to prevent young people from voting…

We’ll continue to press this government to expand forms of Voter ID so more people can make their voices heard at the next election.

Not another one?!

Brenda from Bristol must be sick of the sight of elections, 2024 has been defined  as the year with a uniquely high number of elections. And unfortunately for Brenda they aren't coming to a stop any time soon. Ireland is just two weeks away from its General Election on the 29th of November, whilst Olaf Scholtz will be attempting to stave off the advances of the AfD when Germany goes to the polls on the 23rd of February 2025.

Tomorrow marks 466 years since Elizabeth I became England’s monarch, one of the most notable of England’s monarchs; she presided over a period of immense national insecurity but cultural marvel through the writings of Shakespeare and the voyages of Drake and Raleigh.

Here’s hoping a visa waiver scheme for touring artists can unlock the potential of Britain’s next great creative and that a youth mobility scheme inspires our next generation of intrepid adventurers!

Have a wonderful weekend, I will catch up with you again soon…

Joshua Edwicker
Best for Britain