Is there any way to stop Trump? This week has seen more crushing victories for The Donald in primaries in Florida, North Carolina and Illinois. He is getting closer and closer to nomination as the Republican Party candidate for the US Presidency. However, victory in Ohio for the latest standard-bearer of the Party Establishment, John Kasich, means this one will probably run and run all the way to the Party convention in July. There are still murmurings that at the convention Party bigwigs will find a way to block Trump and to impose a more 'acceptable' candidate - but Trump has responded by saying there will be riots if he is not the Republicans' choice. The stage is set for confrontation.
To say that the GOP has got itself into a mess is a massive understatement. On the one hand it faces demands to do what might be seen as morally right, and to exclude a candidate seen by many as racist, deeply divisive and dangerous. Can the party of Lincoln really now become the party of Trump? But there is a moral element to the other side of the argument, namely that vetoing the candidate who has dominated and, to a great extent, won the primaries would be an affront to natural justice. Denying a voice to millions of people who have voted for The Donald because, er, they feel like the Establishment has denied them a voice would be an ironic, to say the least. So what to do?
I suspect that the Republicans will hold their noses and learn to live with Trump. Some are already making their peace: witness Chris Christie and Ben Carson lending their support. Perfectly sane right-leaning Americans I know think Trump could beat Hillary by 5 or 6 points. I doubt it, but anyway, a contest between flawed and divisive Trump and flawed and divisive Clinton is not great for the US or for the world. I still want something better, namely for a centrist, pragmatic, business-friendly independent to appear to hoover up all sensible votes. In short I am hoping against hope that Michael Bloomberg will be tempted in after all. He has been persuaded not to run by polls that say he can't win, and that his candidacy only helps Trump, but given that the polls have been turned upside down all year long, so who knows? It's not just a good idea, I also have a 66-1 bet outstanding. Run, Michael, run!