Much as Donald Trump might be viewed as unfit for office for his attempt to wreak havoc on the American democratic system on January 6, 2021; as much as the fact he is a convicted felon, the attempted assassination on him will serve only those for whom authoritarianism is a worthy goal.

The biggest worry now, in an already divided nation, is that the ongoing polarised political stasis will only lead to greater radicalisation of the candidates and their supporters, and the 111 days left to the presidential election will see bitter division turn into overt carnage.

Sadly, while we may wring our hands and denounce such actions as the assassination attempt on Trump, we cannot act surprised that it happened in the first place.

This Thursday, Trump will give a speech in Milwaukee accepting the nomination of the Republican party to contest November’s election, and it is possible it will be the single most watched address in a generation or more. 

The former president has an opportunity to rise to the occasion and inspire voters, or else drag them further into the anger and bitterness of revenge. Anger, as we know, is a dangerous thing when channelled wrongly and, while there is righteous fury at the attempt on Trump’s life, he now has to try and stop it spiralling out of control.

These are perilous times and the responsibilities of both those in power and those seeking it is to ensure that doesn’t happen.

England's pain

The chase to end the hurt of 58 years of striving to win another major tournament goes on for the English soccer team after losing a second consecutive Uefa European championship final.

Football has certainly come home, but it turns out that “home” is in Spain and no longer in a musty room somewhere in central London where the rules of the game were codified in 1863. “Home” is now a country which has given the world the dominant football culture of the last quarter century.

The gifted and lucid Spanish side have become the fourth sent from their country to win Europe’s elite international competition, whereas those claiming ownership of the sport have yet to lift the Henri Delaunay Cup.

While it is a matter of genuine sadness for many supporters that Gareth Southgate and his valiant, if limited, side failed to meet the expectations of their many fans, there is truth in Roy Keane’s assertion that they had simply been “found out” by the gifted Spaniards or, as expressed in yesterday’s Spanish daily El Periodico: “Spain kicked the football into its inventor’s face.” 

Excessive public hopes are always a tough ask for any national team, but in England’s case have become an increasingly difficult burden to shoulder and especially so when they lack reason or credibility. This is not a phenomenon unique to our neighbours, however.

We here in Ireland too have a tendency for overblowing sporting expectations and then having to live with crushing disappointment — viz, last year’s Rugby World Cup — so a little sympathy for the plight of the English might be more in line than simply delighting in their discomfort.

The fact is that England should be rightly proud of an era — under Southgate’s guiding hand — which has been its most sustained and successful period of tournament success (albeit without winning anything) in their history.

For fans and the soccer authorities alike in England, it would be terribly wrong, therefore, to join the hysterical ranks calling for the manager’s head. He and his players deserve better.