...to think surely nobody will vote Donald Trump now?

[QuizteamBleakley]

Donald Trump thinks there should be a ban on all Muslims entering the U.S.

Beeb news here.

"Reagan ‘Best President,’ Says Harris Poll

President Ronald Reagan confronted challenges as daunting as those the nation faces today, and met them so successfully that he’s now considered the best president in modern times.

In a recently released Harris poll asking respondents who they consider the “best president since World War II,” Ronald Reagan is cited by 25 percent, well ahead of Franklin Roosevelt at 19 percent and John Kennedy at 15 percent.

There is much to learn today from Reagan’s successes. As Wayne Allyn Root, recently in Forbes magazine: “We need a revolutionary new vision. We need a modern-day Reagan with a bold plan.

“Reagan was not afraid to ruffle feathers and put dramatic, even radical plans on the table. That is how he created the Reagan Revolution that revitalized America.”

www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Reagan-Best-President-Cap/2012/02/16/id/429722/

Reagan is Trump's favourite President apart from Lincoln and Washington. If Trump thinks that, then it's good enough for me.

They tried to take Reagan out with an assassination attempt like they took Kennedy out, but Reagan survived.

'and if we don't believe in free speech for racist sexist bigmouths we don't believe in free speech at all'

Absolutely right, Blu. And of course we, or our political class, don't believe in it. We are not as free as America with their fantastic First Amendment.

An aside here; we do ban people who "have obnoxious views".

What about Julien Blanc, for example? (on phone, don't know how to link)

I bet there's more where that came from.

Any petition which gets more than one hundred thousand signatures is debated in parliament. That's not "doing nothing".

Of course a petition on its own won't do anything, but it didn't occur in vacuum, did it?

now that Putin is rebuilding the Russian Empire. Now that is something I'm really worried about.

This has been announced today,

Robert Gordon University, in Aberdeen, just decided to revoke Donald Trump's honorary degree after tens of thousands of us signed the petition.

They said: "In the course of the current US election campaign, Mr Trump has made a number of statements that are wholly incompatible with the ethos and values of the university."

I think the UK is being quite hypocritical to be foaming at the mouth over Trump. On one hand we shake hands with Gaddafi (thank you Blair) yet vilify Trump. As bad as Trump is he is in no way on par with other awful leaders Britain has welcomed.

I work with a lovely man from Zimbabwe. He made a very poignant remark the other day when I asked what he found the hardest thing to adjust to. He said that under Mugabe you don't ever have your own opinion that you express. In fact you stay silent for fear that you and your family will be hounded or worse. He said that the Western world have forgotten how very lucky they are that they can express their opinions, no matter how vile they are.

Trump has a successful real estate business. He got into trouble over the casinos. Truth be told casinos are not the money makers that people think they are. The good days have gone and most younger people are not interested in casinos at all. Most people will go to AC for a weekend with friends and not spend a penny gambling. Here in Jersey City Trump has bought quite a bit of land his company are developing. While he makes money selling the units, some are kept to rent out but they make a fortune off the maintenance charges.

Look what I found via the magic of google. Yes, I know Wikipedia has its limitations but this is a list with no commentary apart from the reason given for banning people from entering the UK.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_banned_from_entering_the_United_Kingdom

I would draw your attention to the entries about Shirley Phelps-Roper and Michael Savage, two US citizens banned from entering the UK. If you don't want to look at the link, here's what it says:

""Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by fostering hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the United Kingdom" (Mr Savage has also been banned for "seeking to provoke others to criminal acts").

If they can be banned, so can Trump. of course it won't just be down to the petition, but it could well influence any decision that's made.

They will never ever ban Trump, they wouldn't dare. They can ban third world figures or shock jocks but they would never dare ban the leading Republican contender for President. What do you think the American people would think of them if they did that and what response would they get even from some of the puppets in Congress if they tried that?

Yes the Julien Blanc thing was weird. Horrible man but what were they scared of, can't people make up their own minds? Same with Geert Wilders being banned from entering the UK - the leader of the third most popular party in Holland, but he's treated as some kind of terrorist.
I believe in some censorship on general taste and decency grounds- I don't want porn or beheading videos appearing in between episodes of Balamory- but I can't stand this current nonsense of "non platforming" and "hate speech". Words are just words. If you don't like what someone is saying, argue with them. Question your own positions and motivations and your opponent's. Examine the facts. Do your research. Listen, watch, read actual books and primary sources like government reports. Don't blindly trot out pieties and soundbites. Don't compare everyone to Hitler and everything to the Third Reich; there are millennia of history no-one bothers with much but can teach us a lot. There are no "safe spaces" in this world so stop trying to create them to protect yourself from people who you don't like.

(That wasn't directed at any individual. Just have to stay away from social media at the moment because this kind of thing is giving me the rage at the moment)

shins , it sounds like you want a free society, one where politically correct consensus pushed for by elites has no place, it sounds like you are with the people, with Trump.

And if Trump wins, the entire world will change, the entire world will get a portion of the freedom enjoyed by American citizens. Trump will end political correctness, he will end the barring of free speech, he will change everything.

If "they" (in this case they = the UK Government) thought there was political mileage in banning Trump from entering the UK, and sufficient reason to do so, of course they would do it.

Geert Wilders ban was overturned on appeal, so he's currently free to enter the UK.

This is what is at stake. Trump will end political correctness and bring back freedom. That is why they are desperate to stop him and that is why what happens in America matters to us over here. What Trump will do will affect everyone everywhere, it's that big, it's that important. No puppet can stop him and that is why all they have left is to ban him.

"Trump's Risky Bet Against Political Correctness

Donald Trump's success in the polls has stunned many who consider him "an unelectable boor and narcissist," as The Economist put it Friday. Why do people appear willing to vote for him -- do they actually agree with the bigoted rubbish he spouts?

That misses the point. More likely, Trump's contempt for the customary constraints on politicians is finding favor. "I've been challenged by so many people, and I don't frankly have time for total political correctness," he told Megyn Kelly, one of the moderators of the Fox News Republican presidential primary debate Thursday. "If you don't like it, I'm sorry."
...
." The range of ways to provoke "adverse inferences" is constantly swelling. Even people outside of politics can be stigmatized for seemingly innocuous acts: Witness the blitzkrieg against British scientist Matt Taylor, who helped land a spaceship on a comet but announced his success while wearing a shirt printed with images of scantily-clad women. The ensuing criticism left Taylor disgraced and in tears.

For a candidate, political correctness making sure no chance remark can be construed as racist, sexist, ageist, offensive to a religion, elitist or otherwise insensitive can be a ball and chain. Many of today's mainstream political leaders, both in the U.S. and in Europe, grew up with a much shorter list of pitfalls; avoiding censure demands extreme self-discipline. Like some European populists, Trump refuses to wear those shackles. He can run faster without them."

www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-08-07/donald-trump-s-risky-bet-against-political-correctness

But Trump is way beyond anything in Europe. Trump is not craven because he is super rich, richer than the European political class. As Roger Stone, former Trump aide rightly says, "Trump cannot be bulied, he cannot be bought, he is fearless" and that is why they fear him like no other politician on the planet. This will be the biggest election ever and Trump intends to go all the way.

'If "they" (in this case they = the UK Government) thought there was political mileage in banning Trump from entering the UK, and sufficient reason to do so, of course they would do it. '

You have to understand power politics. This is the United States of America we are talking about. Nobody on earth is stupid enough to insult the American people or their favoured electoral candidates. There isn't a puppet on earth who would challenge a potential American President.

Banning is pointless. We seem to enjoy the full benefit of Trump's rantings whether he is allowed in the country or not. And will continue to do so. Unless he gets Bill Gates to turn off the internet, of course....

No Claig, I'm not with Trump because he's an arsehole. I'm "with" his right to be an arsehole wherever he wants so that people can make up their own minds.

Shins I totally agree with you. So many people on here think that because I want to discuss Trump I agree with him. I don't agree with him but find his campaign to be fascinating. We are all entitled to our opinions and mine isn't better than anyone else's, just different. I want our leader to be able to listen to others and accept the opinion of others while also being open to their opinion changing based upon the information that is made available.

Also, I am rather shocked at how badly the press are misquoting Trump. He did not say he wants to ban all Muslims. He wants to have a temporary halt so immigration can review their process. This is totally different to a ban and given the attack in CA by radical Islamics, I don't think it is that a bad approach to take.

Here's the conclusion from that Bloomberg article:

"In the U.S., the frustration, the energy and the opinions of those who choose to back Trump a considerable passion, given how loudly they cheer and clap will simply go to waste when he loses."

(my emphasis in bold).

So even an article acknowledging Donald Trump's strengths and appeal to voters states confidently that they don't think he'll win.

'No Claig, I'm not with Trump because he's an arsehole.'

So you are with the Establishment? The bought and paid for puppets who are tied with a ball and chain and are told what to do and say by teenage spin doctors from Oxbridge and Harvard because they can't dare deviate from the enforced consensus and tell the truth

"For a candidate, political correctness making sure no chance remark can be construed as racist, sexist, ageist, offensive to a religion, elitist or otherwise insensitive can be a ball and chain."

Well put shin!

'So even an article acknowledging Donald Trump's strengths and appeal to voters states confidently that they don't think he'll win.'

That is because it is a Bloomberg article, a mainstream media article. Nobody in the mainstream media wants Trump to win, no mainstream politician wants Trump to win, every puppet fears a Trump win and the entire Republican Establishment is plotting how to bring Trump down. It is onlt the poor old voters, the lied to and cheated voters, the good decent people who are hoping that Trump will win.

All the pundits have ruled Trump out, they all thought he would crash, every statement he makes, they say will be his last, but he is still here and the people make his polls go ever higher. It ain't over yet and for the Establishment there is nothing but sweat.

I only quoted from that article claig because you quoted from it , selectively I might add, in support of your theory that Trump is some sort of political genius on an unstoppable rise to power.

I just read that he complained about Merkel being Time's person of the year instead of him.

I have never liked Merkel, actually have critisized her for a lot of things, but ... how dare that asshole insult our chancellor? How dare he?

It's the first time in years I feel a bit patriotic. The first time in years Germany does something genuinely nice and generous, and I get to be proud ... and that asshole complains about it.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/09/le-pen-europe-liberal-dream-disappearing-britain-eu

The greatest thing about this piece of patronising shite that appeared in the Guardian today is the comments. I don't know if they could be any more out of touch with their readers, but the fact that so many of their readers can write with more clarity and intelligence than their paid journalists gives you some hope (for humanity, not the Guardian)

Claig, it isn't either/or.