Donald Trump speaking at CPAC 2011 in Washington, D.C. Gage Skidmore/Flickr. Some rights reserved.
The 2016 election is surely the most extraordinary political event in recent American history.
All attention is focused on the phenomenon that is Donald Trump: his demagoguery, his extraordinary behaviour and the possible consequences if he were to be elected. However, our fascination with this performance should not blind us to the deeper significance of this election and what it really tells us about America. In particular, we should not to assume that this is a moment of madness that will disappear when Trump is no longer in the news. While it is devoutly to be hoped that there will be no repetition of the present circus, the underlying causes will persist, and the future outlook for the American political system is not encouraging.
