I decided to stay up slightly later last night to watch a bit of the super bowl; I wanted to get another taste of American football. Needless to say, though, it wasn’t long before I turned the tv off and headed to bed. That sport is so stop-start it quickly gets very irritating.

One thing occurred to me, though. When they started to sing the American national anthem, I inwardly sneered. I usually feel at least some respect, but last night, when the words ”Oh say can you see…” hit my ears, I felt nothing but ridicule. They sang it with such solemnity and seriousness, but to me they seemed like children blurting a particularly cheesy pop song out, to the irritation of the adults around them. How can I respect that country now? How can anyone? It has elected a jackass as a leader; a total joke from reality tv who issues decrees on twitter. The situation is a total farce, and the only thing one can do until the United States sorts itself out is laugh at it. That song now represents a joke; an absurd bunch of morons who have let a reality tv star become their leader. Trump is a man with no idea how the world works or the problems his moronic views will cause; someone so self-important that, when the judiciary try to stop him imposing a clearly illegal and foolish ban on muslims entering the country, he launches into a tirade of abuse. Sorry, America, I no longer respect you, and your anthem and flag are now objects of ridicule for me.