Legitimate, like it or not.

I am sure I am not the only person struggling to think of any Head of State or President or Prime Minister that I agree with 100%.   Some could take our own Prime Minister.  You may not agree with her.  And you have the freedom to say so.   Though Mike Russell, SNP negotiator on behalf of the SNP in relation to the UK leaving the European Union, needs to be careful how he phrases his opinion.   He should not call the people on the other side of the table “liars”.  A different perspective yes, but liars, that is inflammatory.  And hypocritical toboot.

Anyway, today we learn that Graham Guest, a solicitor from Leeds, has started a petition that he aims to use to "put the spotlight" on Mr Trump.  All fair and good.  So far.

On Sunday, he told the Press Association news agency: "A state visit legitimises his presidency and he will use the photo opportunities and being seen with the Queen to get re-elected."

Now, he says a state visit legitimises his presidency.  I don’t think so.  The democratic process in the USA legitimised his presidency.  Nothing we do or say can alter that.  Like or loathe President Trump, it is the Constitution of the USA that gives Trump legitimacy.  I would have thought that a lawyer would understand that it is the law that gives legitimacy.  Hence the Supreme Court giving its judgement on the calling of Article 50.

I don't know him.  But I do wonder if Mr Guest is one of a cheerful band of people who quite possibly grew up in the age when no one “won” school races; everyone got a medal for taking part.  Part of the generation that doesn’t realise that failure or not winning is part of life, and how we address that is part of how we build our character.  Part of the group of people in the UK that think 48% has more legitimacy and weight than 52%.   A generation that thinks if we don’t like a result then we have a right to demand it be over turned. 

In my own country of Scotland we voted in a once in a generation referendum to remain in the UK.  I didn’t like the result.  But I accept it.  It had legitimacy.  It was legitimate in law.  But the SNP never accepted it talking after the result, not before you will note, that if circumstances changed then they would call for another vote.

Then the UK, of which Scotland voted to remain part of, voted to leave the European Union.  But once again people began to say, oh the people didn’t really vote to leave, they meant something else.  In other words they think everyone except themselves is stupid and doesn’t know what they are voting for.  But before the vote everyone accepted that Leave was Leave.  That was until the result went the “wrong” way.  Then the LibDems and the Greens in particular, became the cheerleaders for the idea that people didn't really know what they were voting for and should be given a second chance.

You may not like someone. You may not like President Trump.  You may not like what they do or say.  You may not like the result of a vote.  But in a democratic society you change things via the ballot box.  Not populist crowd hunting.