Instant Opinion: ‘How Democrats defeat Donald Trump’

The Week’s daily round-up highlights the five best opinion pieces from across the British and international media, with excerpts from each.

1. Frank Bruni in The New York Times

on political strategy

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How Democrats defeat Donald Trump

“The 2020 election isn’t about getting everything that Democrats want and that Americans deserve. It’s about getting rid of Trump, because the price of not doing so could be this nation’s very soul. The Democratic Party and the Democratic candidates for president need to be smarter, more realistic and more disciplined than they are now. Enough with internal feuding. Enough with taking the president’s bait and bumbling into his traps. If he sets the terms of the political discussion, he wins.”

2. Matthew d’Ancona in The Guardian

on the media’s role in the rise of Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson, the prime minister? I’m sorry to say that I’m partly to blame

“He activated the narcotic weakness within the English for eccentricity – especially potent when it is suspected that the eccentric in question may one day be the leader of the gang. All too often one heard the words “that’s just Boris being Boris”, as if his singular character conferred upon him a special kind of impunity. But it wasn’t his character that did that. It was his fellow hacks, who indulged him for year after year, through controversy after controversy – because he was part of what was still largely a brotherhood.”

3. Leading article in The Times

on the Iranian tanker crisis

A Gulf in Policy

“This incident has highlighted a number of emergent problems with British foreign policy. Most conspicuously, this country lacks the naval strength to fortify the position it wants to assume in the world. Years of cuts to budgets have depleted the Royal Navy. Tobias Ellwood, the defence minister, has conceded that the navy is too small to provide an escort for all tankers. In a situation like this the government’s commitment to two massive aircraft carriers appears of little relevance. It has not helped that the government has been essentially leaderless. The prime minister is in the departure lounge and the foreign secretary is on the campaign trail against the previous foreign secretary.”

4. Christopher Riley in the London Evening Standard

on the Earth’s ticking timebomb

Going back to the moon is vital for the survival of the human race

“Throughout human history it’s our restless ambition that’s propelled us across the planet — settling where we go, harnessing natural resources to raise our living standards, and boosting our health and longevity. But now we have a population heading towards eight billion, their lives locked into an economic system that threatens to render our planet far less habitable, we are at a junction. Even assuming we can survive this crisis and reverse the biodiversity decline we have caused, humanity must either look to limit future growth on Earth, or seek commercial ways to fund our transition to a multi-planet species. It’s not human nature to do the former. In fact, as Bezos argues, only the second path offers us a chance of conserving Earth to ensure our survival. This is the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced.”

5. Jessica Evans in The Independent

on the educational benefit of reality TV

Why teachers should show Love Island in schools

“From trends like ghosting to the slightly older phenomenon of sexting, there’s hardly any accountability in dating at the moment. But if teachers showed Love Island in class and went on to discuss and explore morals, values and ethics afterwards, it would be a great way of creating a conversation about how we should conduct ourselves when it comes to dating and relationships.”