An subscriber of the Spectator, loyal readers will join me in commending the magazine's fabulous artwork, which is every bit as enjoyable as its world class writing. A cover from a year or so ago featuring a youngster sneering at his grandparents for being 'politically incorrect' has had a particularly profound impact on me. We live in a society today full of PC police who waggle their fingers, jazz their hands and purport to tell us what we can and cannot say, what is right and what is wrong, and why our views can't possibly be viable unless we 'check our privilege' and then acknowledge it in abundance.
The problem with political correctness is that it has rooted itself in an industry which relies on sense and action. As America has shown, a lot of people like public figures who are willing to be gratuitously offensive - and no more so than in politics, which is today a breeding ground for the polite, the phoney and the disingenuous.
And there we have it - Donald Trump. Master of the one-liner, a beastly businessman who has the eloquence of a bull in a china shop combined with the wit of George Bush on steroids. He may not be slick, but he's a joker and he thinks he's great. And if you think you're the shit, there's a chance you can get others to believe you are too. As the polls have shown, there's a lot of people jumping on the Trumpwagon.
Of course, Trump's popularity stems beyond his incessant need to offend. Trump has shown that he does not live his life by a political mandate, much to the horror of establishment and easily critical media. There is no space for purely ideological politicians in 21st century politics, and certainly not in the White House - and Trump, whether out of ignorance and misunderstanding or natural, human inconsistency, refuses to sing from a Republican's hymn sheet.
We currently live in a world run by politicians who refuse to identify terrorism with a particular religious group, resulting in anger from all sides of the electorate. We live in a society where, when we condemn radical Islamists, we at the same time force ourselves to clarify we do not mean 'all Muslims' - an obvious, but apparently necessary addendum to any argument, for fear of otherwise being branded a horrific racist. Following the brutal attacks in Paris, 'terrorism has no religion' was trending on par with 'Pray for Paris', with many confused as to who the 'real victims' are. What many seem to misunderstand is that by leaping to the defense of a major religious group attack after attack, all you are doing is associating a bunch of innocent people with the actions of a few derailed headcases.
When you silence common sense, you pave way for indecency. Trump swooped in at a time when America needed a voice and instead he's moaned, groaned and in between spouts of hate, yelled constantly about making America great again. Trump's worrying lack of strategy, concrete answers and indeed understanding of major world issues certainly leaves a lot to be desired. This is a man who thinks immigration and crime problems will be solved by 'building a wall' and a man who want to ban an entire religious group from the USA on the grounds of terrorism, ignoring the most recent homegrown roots.
However, for all of Trump's many flaws, he refuses to bow down to what the establishment, media and little Joe Public want or expect - and he's continuing to surprise his critics. If you're looking for someone to blame, don't blame the GOP. The problem is much closer to home than you think. To every person that leaps to defend religion in the face of horrific terrorist attacks, ignores statistics that target ethnic groups and rejects free speech in favour of safe spaces - you are part of the problem. And you are the reason there is a massive fight back.
I have no doubt that Trump is not the answer to the very real PC problem we have sweeping across the West. What he is, is a reaction to a problem which is showing no signs of going away. It's time for moderates to get on board and realise that to counter extremists both in politics and in the war zone, we have to speak up and speak our mind.