Similarities between Trump and NI scary

WE are probably seeing the predictable unravelling of Donald Trump’s presidency after one-and-a-half years.

After claiming he had a great team round him, he has fired 16 people from his White House team including four of his Cabinet members in only 18 months. He harangues his own intelligence agency the CIA and berates the FBI, and cosies up to dictators like Putin.

Trump’s constant lying is something to behold. He humiliated Theresa May to the Sun newspaper and then denied it, even though it was recorded and shown on TV.

Even though there are allegations of affairs with playboy models and porn stars and he boasts about grabbing women, his voting base made up by the extreme right-wing and evangelical Christians still support him, which brings me to the comparison with Northern Ireland.

Ian Paisley, a supporter of Trump, accepted free holidays in Sri Lanka, but much worse, he lobbied on their behalf in Parliament knowing they had been accused of human rights abuses.

The similarities in Northern Ireland with the sleaze, corruption and criminal scandals that have engulfed the Trump regime are stark. People will continue to vote along sectarian lines until we wake up to the fact that our interests are not served by people who prey on their prejudices.

I still feel optimistic and I cite the fact of how the Irish Republic has changed regarding same sex marriage, abortion rights and the separation of Church and state, in a very short time.

ANDY BARR Bangor

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