Election Night: Here we go...

The campaigning is over and America has nearly decided who their 45th President will be.

I've spent a lot of the final week of campaigning "debating" with Donald Trump supporters with the usual lines about "we need our country back" and "America first", the usual inward looking right wing Brexit type rhetoric that has infected the World in recent years.

All it has done is amplify (in my mind) the ugly nature of this campaign, it has been a blood bath, lets face it, this election has been a far cry from Obama's election in 2008 and subsequent re-election in 2012.

With such division I wonder how will America heal from this! Pop superstar Lady Gaga said at the final Clinton rally last night that Clinton and Trump supporters much reconcile after the election, no matter the result.

I completely agree with this. I think that most Trump supporters aren't monsters, they're just frustrated with the establishment. That does not excuse what Trump has said in the past 18 months or so, but I can understand the frustration of his supporters. Of course there are Trump supporters who are genuine racists, but to tarnish them all with the same brush would make us no different than Trump and his blanket definition of Muslims as terrorists.

The first polls will begin to close in a matter of hours starting with Indiana and Kentucky, and we should be getting results from the likes of crucial states such as Ohio, a state which has got the Presidential election result correct 28 out of 30 times, and also North Carolina, a state the candidates have been backwards and forwards to countless times. This was really illustrated earlier in the week when journalists following the campaigns took a picture of Clinton's plane leaving as Trump's plane was landing!

I think what has happened in past elections should just be put to the back of our minds as we embark on Election night. This election has arguably been the most unpredictable ever. When Trump announced his candidacy I laughed! I didn't even think he would get to the GOP debates, never mind be candidate for President. That in itself shows, that we could be in for an extraordinary night.

Then there is the fact that Trump, in the last debate with Clinton wouldn't answer when asked if he would accept the result of the election if Clinton won! Traditionally the candidate who has clearly lost in the electoral college calls his or her opponent and concedes. After the phone call each candidate makes either a victory speech or a concession speech. I will be very surprised if Trump is humble in defeat, he will put his own ego and self interests ahead of the good of the country, very sad, but that is why this man should not win tonight.

But from a UK point of view: if Trump wins all indications are the value of the pound will go up so there's a silver lining from the point of view of a Brit! Though I would far rather our closest ally have someone stable in the oval office.

I'll be blogging throughout the night but if you don't have the stamina ;) to stay up, see you on the other side...