An obsession with the spectacle and flex of power : Ken Gibbs

The Editorial in The (UK) Guardian on Saturday, 16th August, 2025, had the title above hidden away in it. Interestingly, this editorial was written by the US Editor of The Guardian (See the attachment). I commend that editorial to our readers as it seems to encapsulate how the Presidents of both Russia and the United States of America are behaving.

So this is what the electors in the USA were expecting – to make America Great Again ? And as for Russia, elections are pure theatre anyway and the ordinary citizens of that country seem to have little influence on events.

*****

This weekend saw Vladimir Putin arrive to a red carpet on the tarmac at Anchorage Airport. One can only wonder whether Trump wanted to blindside Putin by implying that the US had got the better of him with their purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, paying just $7.6 million. If that’s what Trump wanted, it seems to have had little effect on Putin.

Moving on to other issues in the press this weekend, I was particularly struck by an alleged 23 year-old advisor to Nigel Farage (‘Reform’ in the UK) who claims to have the way in which Imperial Britain can become great again. It involves retaking colonial power in Australia, Canada and South Africa apart from, well, you wouldn’t believe it if you hadn’t read it. Check the BBC report on Jack Anderton, a Tik-Tokker with many followers, which may be read here.

One can only wonder what hallucinogen has Mr Anderton been smoking recently ?

So This Is “Make America Great Again”? And Russia Moves On
Betsy Reed - US Editor of the Guardian

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Summary

Betsy Reed, editor of the Guardian’s US edition, reflects on a week of escalating authoritarian-style moves by the Trump administration. Trump claimed Washington, DC was overtaken by violent gangs and seized control of its police force, deploying national guard troops to patrol the capital’s quiet streets — a move commentators described as lifted from a fascist playbook.

The Guardian reports how Trump’s politics-as-theater often veers from absurdity to brutality, with immigrants facing the harshest consequences. Recent investigations revealed that people without criminal records are being detained by ICE, including a New Zealand woman and her six-year-old son held for weeks. A separate series exposed how private prisons profiting from abuse are being used to house immigrants, reaping extraordinary revenues while detainees’ lives shrink in fear.

Columnists argue that the administration’s throughline is a fixation on the spectacle of power — masked agents abducting people into vans, soldiers on the streets, and massive settlements imposed on institutions. Democrats, meanwhile, have begun to push back: Texas Democrats stalled Republican gerrymandering by fleeing the state, while California leaders threatened retaliatory redistricting.

Amid this turmoil, Trump spent time golfing, and Vice President JD Vance enjoyed a canoe trip on a lake artificially raised by the Army Corps of Engineers — underscoring the administration’s blend of spectacle, power, and indulgence.

Farage adviser said UK would be better off if it had not fought in WW2

Peter Walker - Sr. Political Correspondent

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Summary

Jack Anderton, a 23-year-old digital strategist behind Nigel Farage’s TikTok success and Reform UK mayor Luke Campbell’s campaign, has published controversial views suggesting Britain would have been “better off” had it stayed neutral in World War II. He argues that fighting in both world wars impoverished the country, cost it its empire, and left it dependent on the US. Anderton also calls for a return to a colonial-style “meritocracy” in which the UK might reclaim former colonies, and he praises El Salvador’s authoritarian mass incarceration model as a template for Britain. He has further opposed aid to Ukraine, insisting Russia is not Britain’s enemy, and advocates a strictly self-interested foreign policy focused only on Britain’s direct benefits.