Well done, President-elect Biden!

Kamala Harris and Joe Biden
(Photo: Palmer report) 

After a nervous first night and three days of counting, it would appear that the US election was not quite as close as we initially thought. Joe Biden appears to have a pretty convincing lead in terms of the Electoral College vote, and is over 4 million votes ahead in the popular vote. Initial concerns that the Democrats had not managed to mobilise their vote proved to be as groundless as Donald Trump's claims of widespread voting fraud.

Yes, it's all over bar the crying, tantrums, protests, theats, conspiracy theories, lawsuits and concerted efforts by Trumpists to "taint" Biden's victory. I doubt very much the Democrats will be too worried about any of that.

While ousting President Trump has come as something of a relief, no-one is under any illusions that Trumpism will not go away overnigh. It undoubtedly leaves a toxic legacy. Joe Biden also inherits a difficult and unenviable situation in which a pandemic poses a threat not only to public health but also the economy. It's going to take a lot of work - and time - to rebuild the US on so many levels. 

While I won't diminish the challenges, I am delighted that we have Joe Biden and Kemala Harris in the White House rather than Donald Trump and Mike Pence. I have to admit to not initially being overly keen on having Mr Biden as the Democratic nominee, but there is no doubt the next president of the US will be reasonable rather than divisive. He will seek to build bridges rather than walls. He will speak up for minorities rather than marginalise them further. He will speak about hope, rather than in a never-ending string of angry tweets. He will bring to his office dignity and humility, rather than embarrassment and dishonesty. He will take seriously the challenges of Covid-19 and climate change, rather than dismissing scientific expertise. For this, and so much more, we should be grateful.

The media might be more focused on Mr Biden, but let's not forget Kamala Harris who, in the next few years, is likely to become an increasingly influential figure. We've finally got a woman in the White House through means other than being married to the President, and I am convinced Ms Harris will come into her own and put her own distinct mark on the office of Vice-President.

I have no wish to examine this election in detail or provide any kind of analysis - I think most of us have been so well informed by the likes of CNN in recent days that we've become experts in the intricacies of the US electoral system, so it seems pointless to add anything further. 

What I would like to do, however, is to congratulate Mr Biden and Ms Harris and apologise for ever doubting they had what it takes to defeat an incumbent who was, however much many of us struggle to admit it, was hugely popular. I wish them every success in the next four years and hope that their efforts will help arrest the drift towards right-wing populism we have witnessed of late. It's reassuring to know, as someone based in the UK, that the systematic dismantling of democracy we have seen (and which has become increasingly obvious in Mr Trump's most recent statements) will now be reversed.

It's also a wonderful feeling to be invested - even in a small way - with a successful election campaign. As someone who joined the Lib Dems 11 years ago, this has become a rather unusual feeling - and of course I also supported Yes in 2014 and Remain in 2016. So many disappointments and finally... well, this. Not only is it the right result for the US, it's also a good result for anyone who values democracy and reason. Trumpism has been repudiated and the President-elect has a historic mandate for change.

A different future seems suddenly possible. And so, in addition to my congratulations, may I also thank Mr Biden and Ms Harris for providing hope when so much seemed hopeless. It doesn't feel quite the same as 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell, but Biden's triumph represents so much more than an election victory: it's the turning of a new page.