Two things are certain about today’s general election in the United States: if Kamala Harris loses, she will concede gracefully; if Donald Trump loses, he will claim that he won and his cult worshipers will not wait until January 6 for their insurrection. If Trump wins, the United States as we know it is lost.

So there is a lot at stake. The polls have been gnomic, suggesting a race that is too tight to call. But there are some straws in the wind – outliers – which suggest the gap between Harris and Trump is greater that the pollsters and media care to admit.

We don’t have long to wait. But by god, it’s nail-biting. This poll has consequences not just for the US but for a global community that needs an adult in the White House who is prepared to work with allies to tackle some of the key threats to global peace and security: climate change, the war in Ukraine, the slaughter of Palestinians in the Middle East, the increasing belligerence of Putin, the power-play by China, and the corruption of public discourse by malign multi-billionaires intent on wielding personal power on a trans-national basis. And that is only the beginning of a very long list.

Whatever happens over the next few days and weeks, we must be thankful that the........

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