Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has been declared the president-elect, but incumbent president Donald Trump is refusing to concede defeat, alleging “widespread voter fraud” fuelled by Democrats in a conspiracy to “steal” the election is behind the result of the presidential race. Instead, he’s filing lawsuits left and right, pressuring officials to back his baseless claims and using the power of government to block the transition of power from commencing.
What many political scientists and media observers deem to be a perilous attempt to overrule the will of the people and undermine democracy, the Trump administration sees otherwise: as a noble and justified fight for the rights of all American citizens to a free and fair democratic election process.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnamy declared in a press conference Monday, while aligning the Trump administration’s fight against the results of the 2020 US Elections with championing the rights of all Americans “who want to have faith and confidence” in the electoral process, “This election is not over – far from it.”
In the immediate aftermath of election day, as Biden began steadily gaining significant ground on Trump in key states and moving ever closer to the requisite 270 electoral college votes needed to win the election, the White House responded with an all-caps statement that claimed “illegal votes” were being counted to steal the election from the Trump administration.
“IF YOU COUNT THE LEGAL VOTES, I EASILY WIN THE ELECTION! IF YOU COUNT THE ILLEGAL AND LATE VOTES, THEY CAN STEAL THE ELECTION FROM US!” said the White House statement.
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Although there’s scant evidence of any vote tampering, the Trump administration has issued a flurry of litigation Michigan, Wisconsin. Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada to back up the unsubstantiated allegations.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) issued his support of Trump’s legal challenges in the wake of his defeat to president-elect Joe Biden, declaring Monday that Trump is “100 percent within his right” to pursue recounts and litigation.
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US attorney general William Barr has authorised federal prosecutors to probe the “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities in the presidential election across the U.S. to determine one way or another if they do in fact exist, before the 2020 presidential election is officially certified.
Biden, when pressed for his thoughts on the Trump administrations stalling tactics on Monday, said “”I just think it’s an embarrassment, quite frankly.” Adding tactfully that “I think it will not help the President’s legacy.”
According to SBR, president-elect Biden, who was the favourite to win the 2020 US Elections according to the odds and numerous respected polls, is on course to acquiring 306 electoral college votes and over 5 million votes more than Trump in the popular vote. The latter of which is being projected at 80 million votes approximately – by far the most votes of any presidential hopeful in American political history.
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However, Trump too is on course to amassing a historic number of votes – the second-most votes in American political history at above 72 million by recent count. By these numbers, Trump has not only already surpassed the number of votes that won him the 2016 election, but he’s also surpassed the number of votes that won Hillary Clinton the popular vote count in that election.
Therefore, while Biden’s victory may have been correctly predicted, the sheer record number of votes that both candidates received in the 2020 US elections is the big reveal – one that nobody predicted. In fact, quite the opposite was expected: from a humiliating defeat that would serve as a repudiation of Trump and his brand of politics to an unambiguous referendum on the Trump administration for its perceived failings, in particular this year in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic.
If presidential elections are revealing occasions that convey the will of the people, then the 2020 US Elections revealed a nation that is, at the very least, of two minds. So, while America-wide consensus has Biden the winner of the 2020 US Elections – his margin of victory is that great, meaning any challenge by Trump or vote recount would be a moot point – his victory earns him a deeply divided country that will put his campaign slogan “to heal the soul of America” well and truly to the test.
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Greater Manchester council tax to be increased again to help fund improvements to policing
Emily Sergeant
Council tax could be increased across Greater Manchester to help fund improvements to policing.
Once again, just as they have been for the past couple of years, residents across Greater Manchester are being urged to have their say on proposals to increase the police precept that forms part of their council tax bill.
The police precept helps Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to build on a range of improvements, including the speed of answering 999 and 101 calls, road and transport safety across Manchester city centre, and bringing more sex offenders to justice, among many other things.
The Mayor for Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, is dedicated to delivering on community promises and making greater Manchester a safer place to be.
To continue excelling as one of the best police forces in the country, we want to understand what matters most to you about local… pic.twitter.com/7d5OhVXF7P
GMCA says its ‘top priority’ is to build strong communities where people feel safe, and it is Mayor Andy Burnham and his Deputy Mayors’ responsibility to enable GMP to be an ‘effective and efficient’ police force.
To maintain the investment required for policing to protect the public, GMCA has proposed an increase to the police precept by £11.66 per year (£0.97 a month) for a Band B property, which would equate to £15 per year (£1.25 a month) for a Band D property.
80% of households in Greater Manchester are in Bands A-C, just to provide some context.
As a result of last year’s police precept increases, GMP says it was able to reduce neighbourhood crime by 15% across all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester, and overall, there was an increase in trust and confidence, with around 65% of local residents saying they were ‘confident’ they could get help from GMP in an emergency.
If the police precept is to be increased this year, as GMCA hopes, the ambition is to maintain a ‘high performing’ police service, and enable GMP to build on its track record of improvement.
Greater Manchester council tax could be increased again to help fund improvements to policing / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
“We need GMP to be properly funded if it is to continue to deliver an effective and responsive service for people in Greater Manchester,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham.
“The cost of running a modern police force is going up and this is at a time when our city region has become the fastest-growing economy in the UK, with visitor numbers increasing year after year.
“So much is happening here and that includes a number of major and complex incidents over the past year, including a terrorist attack. These incidents added significant pressure to police resources.
“We recognise the ongoing impact of the rising cost of living and do not take the decision to increase the precept lightly. But right now, this increase is our only option to ensure GMP can continue delivering an effective police service that ensures that people feel safe in their own communities.”
The Greater Manchester public can respond to the police precept consultation online at www.gmconsult.org until next Wednesday 21 January.
Featured Image – GMP
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Wayne Rooney expresses interest in joining Manchester United’s coaching staff
Danny Jones
In another unexpected twist in the Manchester United manager saga, club and England legend Wayne Rooney has expressed interest in returning to Old Trafford and potentially joining their coaching staff.
Man United’s all-time leading goalscorer is one of half a dozen different former players to have been linked with either the top job or a backroom role following Ruben Amorim’s departure.
Speaking on his self-titled BBC podcast, the retired Premier League icon turned coach and now pundit, didn’t hesitate when asked about the prospect, simply replying: “of course I would” – dubbing the decision as “a no-brainer.”
"Of course I would!"
Wayne Rooney wouldn't think twice about joining Michael Carrick's staff at Manchester United if an offer arrived. pic.twitter.com/nGEAugQjHH
Rooney’s last coaching job was that of Plymouth Argyle manager, which ended in December 2024 following a run of poor results, much like his time at Birmingham City earlier that year.
Since then, he’s bounced around between punditry and broadcasting, serving as a guest on the likes of The Overlap with his old teammates and peers, as well as now co-hosting his own aforementioned pod, The Wayne Rooney Show.
However, the 40-year-old has always insisted that he still wants a future in coaching, and while it may not have worked as a full-time first-team boss just yet, perhaps more of an assistant position or more specific post (maybe training the forwards as Benni McCarthy did) could be a better fit for now.
‘Wazza’ admitted that, even despite having been on holiday with Carrick “last week”, no one could have expected this situation to have emerged, and certainly not this quick a turnaround.
Moreover, Rooney insisted that rather than preferring any particular person for the next interim head coach/United manager or to join the wider staff, he simply believes that they need “people who know the club” inside and out.
He isn’t the first to have accused the global sporting franchise of losing its ‘identity’ in the years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and many seem to believe that getting in familiar faces who were at the club during its heyday could help resolve that issue.
This was obviously pretty much the thinking when Ole Gunnar Solskjær not only became interim head coach but got the job on a permanent basis after they began looking more like the confident, attacking teams of old and like they were enjoying their football again. Though we all know how it ended.
Solskjær did look to be leading the race to return to Old Trafford for a second spell as manager initially, but it now looks as though Michael Carrick is the odds-on favourite to replace Amorim in the interim, with the suggestion that one might still assist the other.
Carrick certainly received a good amount of praise during his time at Middlesbrough, and while his time there didn’t end perfectly, either – parting ways after missing out on the playoff spots once again – there seems to be a belief that he, whether flanked by others or not, is the right choice for United at this time.
Once again, there is talk of current temporary caretaker Darren Fletcher remaining with the first team in some capacity rather than simply returning straight to the under-18s, but only time will tell who will be involved. Nevertheless, it now looks nailed on that Carrick will be in the dugout for the derby day.
The Manc -
20th November 2020 
