And the excrement piles up............

There's really no way of putting this politely: the world is a shitty place at the moment and it's too easy to disengage, throw up our hands and think only of sports, entertainment and family life. But that's exactly the best way to hand power to those who are against the values of liberal democracy. Those on the right who are jumping on the Trump bandwagon. Those on the right who seem hellbent on dismantling much of what makes for a civilised society. And for what?

What can we do about it? Perhaps most crucially, tempting though it is to batten down the hatches, we have got to stay informed and engaged.

We have got to keep track of what’s happening.

We have got to support democratic institutions, including news organisations (no matter how imperfect) and/or individual journalists. We mustn't follow the mantra of 'fake news' and swallow lies and misinformation.

We have got to communicate with our elected representatives, telling them what we find unacceptable and encouraging them when they do something right. We can do the same with journalists and their bosses.

We have got to support organisations that defend press and speech rights like Liberty. We can seek out trusted voices, like those of the Guardian writers, George Monbiot and Polly Toynbee, and many others.

Sadly, some of my friends across the Atlantic have decided to check out. After all, they did what they could to keep Trump from getting a second term – they voted, they donated, they wrote letters to prospective voters, they worked on campaigns. Having failed, as they see it, they say that they’re done caring. I can understand that attitude and, if I were in their shoes, I might be tempted to do the same. But what I'm certain about is that if we all tune out, there’s no hope at all. Let's be vigilant. Let's do what we can to maintain our national values and what we hold dear.

At the same time, we need to be responsible for ourselves as well. Our needs for making a difference and being a force of good aren’t going to happen if we surround ourself with the bad stuff all the time. But actively seeking the good stuff isn’t about putting your fingers in your ear and singing la la la! Alhough it is pretty tempting at times!. Instead, it’s about prioritising your mental health and knowing that just seeing the bad shit all the time isn’t going to help. I know it’s hard to believe right now, but on the whole, people are kind, people care, and people are sensible. Yes, there's a lot of shit around and it feels as if the dung heap is growing by the day but let's not give up on the world. Instead, let's look for the good stuff and hold on to it as tight as we can. All things must pass and we've got to believe that this will too.