David Mitchell

Editor of Sea Angler magazine. Board member of the European Anglers Alliance

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

Bring back Eurostar train services to Kent - Sign the Petition! https://t.co/u6ha1O97ty via @UKChange

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

A British writer penned the best description of Donald Trump I’ve ever read:

“Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?”

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:

• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.

• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum.

God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: ‘My God… what… have… I… created?' If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.”

-Nate White

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

Fascinating https://t.co/UEOM2LxJPc

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

@RecFishingEP @AnglersAlliance @EFTTA_aisbl @EU_Commission @GlennDo37497600 Why is the Commission allowed to retrospectively change the rules to allow the Council to get away with breaking them? Jesus wept – is no one accountable?

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

20 things that made the world a better place in 2023 https://t.co/fX4y6uTs1q

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

Government ‘asleep at wheel’ over coastal landfill erosion threat, says Labour - The Independent https://t.co/NULd8ImspZ

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

Yes, you read that right: 72 BILLION litres, and that’s just since 2020… https://t.co/Kq1JXs3dg0

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

So, another southern hemisphere nation wins the World Cup. How refreshing. Nice to see the world rugby order being shaken up. So much promise from France and Ireland that came to nothing. That’s it; I’m done with it. So fucking predictable.

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

An impossible task for an actor so consistently outstanding in every performance he gives. https://t.co/Xafb0J1osz

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

The stunning attack of a peregrine falcon

It strikes its prey with a clenched foot, stunning or killing it with the impact, then turns to catch it in mid-air. If its prey is too heavy to carry, a peregrine will drop it to the ground and eat it there
https://t.co/WEjpMRPDT8

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

Hyperlapse through the Southampton International Boat Show https://t.co/mM1Amb5stz via @YouTube

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

@SWBoatAngling @AnglingIntMag @britishmarine @GlasgowAngling @SotonBoatShow @boat

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

Don't miss the chance to save £12 on tickets to the Southampton International Boat Show with Sea Angler magazine @TheSeaAngler https://t.co/qJGTXEE5HJ

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

Some fish species are shrinking, scientists say, probably due to global heating https://t.co/b2I4KD95cd

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

These films reimagined as vintage paperbacks are great. https://t.co/Qej4qjck37

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

@MichaelWarbur17 I can’t stop watching this. Absolute genius.

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

@SimonSmith1981 I’ve got a long connection with the Gower. It’s my favourite place in the World.

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

Lovely golden grey mullet from Llangennith this afternoon. UK surf fishing at its finest.

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

Interesting to see the one I kept was feeding on green algae but they can’t resist a bunch of wriggly harbour rag if it’s put in front of them.

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

@brazendale5 Haven’t heard that. BASS or bass? 😉

[David Mitchell @Tide_Lines]

YESSS!