Bernie Sanders is on his way to Hay
BERNIE SANDERS may not have got to the White House but he will get to Hay-onWye.
The former Democratic contender for the presidency follows in the footsteps of ex-Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, as well as Vice-President Al Gore.
His arrival underscores the global status of the festival in the legendary “book town” as a place where ideas are exchanged and leading figures in literature, politics, science and public life collide.
Unlike other gatherings of luminaries such as the Davos talk-fest that are held in exclusive resorts and packed with millionaires, Hay retains a gloriously grounded atmosphere. You may come face to face with a Booker prizewinner and find yourself sitting behind a political superstar, but the soft glow of the Powys countryside imbues the event with an ambience of happy relaxation.
The Vermont senator’s appearance will be one of the ultimate “what if?” moments of the year.
The audience will ask: What if the Democrats had chosen this proud socialist as their candidate rather than Hillary Clinton? Would he have defeated Donald Trump?
How different would the world be today if Mr Sanders was in the Oval Office rather than the property billionaire turned reality TV star? What would the United States do to tackle threats such as climate change and North Korea’s missile programme if he was at the helm of the superpower?
Mr Sanders would probably prefer to be striding across the world stage rather than the Hay stage, but there will be huge interest in what he has to say – not just from the book-lovers who have converged on the town but among his international legions of fans who were excited by his attacks on wealth inequality.
He demonstrated that a candidate’s age need not dampen his or her power to ignite political excitement.
In an echo of Jeremy Corbyn’s success at cultivating passion among grass-roots activists in his own Labour leadership contests, many Democrats were enthralled by his left-wing gusto and less moved by the Clinton campaign’s carefully honed messaging. Mr Sanders was able to stage a string of electoral upsets on the campaign trail but, in contrast with Mr Corbyn, he did not win the party crown.
Nevertheless, Mr Sanders’ campaign stands out with hindsight as an even more important intervention than it seemed at the time. He recognised that swathes of voters in traditionally Democrat areas felt short-changed by globalisation and were very angry.
President Trump made the same diagnosis and pulled off astonishing victories in the so-called “rust belt” – the former manufacturing heartland of the US. In Europe, left-of-centre politicians will want to ensure that Trump-style populists do not perform similar conquests in communities where heavy industry has vanished.
It will not be a surprise if many Welsh politicians try to secure a front-row seat for Mr Sanders’ talk. They will want to hear this veteran warrior’s counsel. The Western Mail newspaper is published by Media Wales a subsidiary company of Trinity Mirror PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. The entire contents of The Western Mail are the copyright of Media Wales Ltd. It is an offence to copy any of its contents in any way without the company’s permission. If you require a licence to copy parts of it in any way or form, write to the Head of Finance at Six Park Street. The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2014 was 78.5%