I’m just reading a book by Robert Harris. He’s a writer. Likes a historical novel. He’s written about the Nazis, he’s written about Tony Blair and he’s written about the Romans. Loads of books about the Romans, starting with Pompeii. They’re great. Not because of the history of the events but because of the picture they paint of that time and that society. Which was a rather clever and brilliant one. Ok, bit brutal by modern standards, but it was noted by being uncommonly democratic. The Greeks invented democracy but the Romans nicked it, as they nicked half of the civilised world when they ruled the planet. Money, artworks, furniture, political philosophy, they stole the lot.

In the latest, ‘Imperium’, its a quite wonderful quest of Cicero (Roman Senator) exposing corruption before the forum. Which was itself pretty corrupt. By our standards. Everything was by their standards though. So in their democracy, the votes of the aristocrats actually counted for more than those of the poor citizens. Slaves, women and other no-goodniks couldn’t vote at all. But it was still more democratic than anywhere else. And as the jurors were bribed, the judges rigged and everything pretty wayward from our post-modern perspective, I can’t help thinking how Donald Trump would have been perfect out there in ancient Rome. Though the Romans worked hard, defeated everyone then sat back and got fat. Trump’s done it the other way round; got fat and lazy first, then went into power.

I’m not saying Trump dunnit. Wiv dem Russians. There are always many ways of examining things and many different lights to shine. F’rinstance; the picture they found yesterday of Trump in restaurant with that Goldstone geezer (who set up the whole Russian connection out there, and a Brit we can therefore really be proud of) and some senior Russian spy, says nothing. Its 3 men coincidentally eating together. But the implications….

Trump junior actually responded to “we have loads of shit on Hilary Clinton from Moscow” and went to meet Put’n’s lawyer lady to discuss, again with Goldstone. But ‘the meeting told us nothing’, it was very short and there was nothing to report back to ‘Dad’, so he wasn’t involved at all. Oh, that’s ok then.

No, its actually a million fucking miles from ‘ok’. A presidential campaign team went to meet a foreign spy (how else would you describe someone with classified information?) with a view to learning dirt. That in itself would have him disembowelled in ancient Rome. With hot irons before crucifixion. But in Trump-world ‘its ok’ and he’s a ‘good person, a transparent, honest person’.

Like his dad. Yesterday in Paris. “Yes we left the Paris accord on climate change but we may go back. And if we do, that’ll be great. And if we don’t, then that’ll be ok too”.

Tell me what the fuck that means, Donald. And why its ever worth spending good words saying precisely nothing.

To the Forum!!

A xxxx