Forget the Nobel Price for Literature for Bob Dylan! How about one for Economics too?

If the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Bob Dylan wasn't amusing enough for fans worldwide, the fact that he initially remained silent (in my view suggesting he was stunned) and then refused to attend the ceremony to receive the award in person certainly were the icing on the cake.

It must be said Dylan's fans worldwide have enjoyed his unique songwriting for more than 50 years. His views on social & political issues make his lyrics & songs unique.

But for those millions of disenfranchised people in the West who feel globalisation has taken much more away from them than it has brought them, Bob Dylan surely deserves the Nobel Prize for economics! (Although the economics prize is not an original category).

He does so for his lyric writing skills in his now considered seminal song "Union Sundown" from his 1983 album "Infidels".

(Seminal in many ways as Dylan's official website is called "Union Sundown")

Union Sundown is a political protest song against imported consumer goods and offshoring & the resulting job losses & an early dig at globalisation. 

Whilst the song is about protectionism, all credit to Dylan for talking about the issue more than 30 years before the likes of Donald Trump took advantage of voters' insecurity & desperation. 

Here are the lyrics for those of you who are not familiar with the son. If you have never heard it, have a listen to it as Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits produced the song & played the guitar in it:

Union Sundown

Bob Dylan  Union Sundown lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Well, my shoes, they come from Singapore
My flashlight's from Taiwan
My tablecloth's from Malaysia
My belt buckle's from the Amazon
You know, this shirt I wear comes from the Philippines
And the car I drive is a Chevrolet
It was put together down in Argentina
By a guy making thirty cents a day

Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the USA
Sure was a good idea
'Til greed got in the way

Well, this silk dress is from Hong Kong
And the pearls are from Japan
Well, the dog collar's from India
And the flower pot's from Pakistan
All the furniture it said 'Made in Brazil'
Where a woman, she slaved for sure
Bringing home thirty cents a day to a family of twelve
You know, that's a lot of money to her

Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the USA
Sure was a good idea
'Til greed got in the way

Well, you know lots of people are complaining that there is no work
I say, "Why you say that for
When nothing you got is US made?"
They don't make nothing here no more
You know, capitalism is above the law
I say, "It don't count 'less it sells"
When it costs too much to build it at home
You just build it cheaper someplace else

Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the USA
Sure was a good idea

'Til greed got in the way

Well, the job that you used to have
They gave it to somebody down in El Salvador
The unions are big business, friend
And they're going out like a dinosaur
But they used to grow food in Kansas
Now they grow it on the moon and eat it raw
I can see the day coming when even your home garden
Is gonna be against the law

Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the USA
Sure was a good idea

'Til greed got in the way

Democracy don't rule the world
You better get that in your head
This world is ruled by violence
But I guess that's better left unsaid
From Broadway to the Milky Way
That's a lot of territory indeed
And a man's gonna do what he has to do
When he's got a hungry mouth to feed

Well, it' sundown on the union
And what's made in the USA
Sure was a good idea

'Til greed got in the way

The era of Reality TV Trump Politics is here!

Love him or hate him, and as polarising & sociopathically egotistical as he certainly is, Donald Trump simply beat all expectations & rode the wave of "anti establishment resentment" skilfully & to his full advantage.

The Democrats, in choosing the much disliked Hillary Clinton, were counting on an "establishment" Republican opponent….not Donald Trump!

And as it turns out in hindsight, their own anti establishment candidate Bernie Sanders  would have probably beaten Trump.

But one thing is now clear following Brexit & now Trump's ascendancy, the political classes in most western democracies are fast losing their appeal to voters, and the rise of "anti establishment" politicians is going to continue for a while.

The worrying thing for major political parties is this: The anti establishment politics are entering from all political angles………not just the conservative right………just look at Nick Xenophon' & his NXT success in Australia.

In terms of international diplomacy & trade however, Donald Trump must quickly equip himself with some newly found skills or he will be eaten alive by more wily opponents who clearly know & understand international relationships are about pragmatic negotiations & not autocratic " Apprentice style Hire/Fire" !

All we can hope for now is that Trump's populist demagogic promises were more rhetorical than anything else & were simply made to highlight the utter failure of the political elite to comprehend & address the deep seated resentment of many voters who feel disenfranchised & in fact (rightly or wrongly) impoverished as a result of globalisation.

On the positive side, we no longer need to suffer Reality TV on our screens as the American politics will be the most exciting Reality Show of all time for the next four years!