This is John Batchelor. Conversation with my colleague Joseph Sternberg of the editorial

of the Wall Street Journal. He's in London. He writes political economics, reflecting on the

intemperate remarks by members of the Labor Party about the now president-elect Donald Trump,

and why, and what does it come to? Joe has very good observations to be followed in future by other labor MPs.

More of this tonight.

And also a good deal of attention to the election

and how the economists of the United States in Europe

misunderstood the voting public,

inflation, and despair. Here's Joe.

Well, I think that, you know, there is history of presidents and prime ministers

from opposite sides of the political aisle getting along with each other very well.

I mean, there's the classic example of Tony Blair from Labor and George W. Bush, a Republican.

You know, by all accounts, Barack Obama and David Cameron, who is a conservative, got along with

each other pretty well. So it can be done. I think that one of the problems is actually a bigger

trend in British politics, which is kind of destructive and pointless, which is the Americanization

of British politics. They have this bad habit of importing American political concepts or

arguments and trying to pretend that they are relevant

in this country.

And they find themselves in this pickle now to do with how they're going to deal with

Trump because they felt they had to opine on Donald Trump in his candidacy in the first

place.

They should have just kept their mouth shut.

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