Watching American news [ I choose Fox News most because it's right next to al-Jazeera and the Russian News service, my real favourites, on our satellite service], it's evident that the candidates of both sides are set on stopping Hillary. If so, is this unusual in American politics ? It must have the effect of encouraging the electorate into thinking that she must be the toughest and best, if all the others are gunning for her, most frightened of her, mustn't it? All she has to do is sit calm, avoid disastrous faux pas, and await her coronation doesn't she? The others are doing her work for her.

She is portrayed by all commentators (not just on Fox but even the dear old BBC) as being perceived as a 'divisive' candidate .How does that matter? In our politics Mrs Thatcher was as divisive as you could get, but a winner because you knew what you were getting (uncompromising but principled) and a heck of a lot of people liked that, far more than wanted anyone else.She won over a lot of undecideds.

[Mrs Clinton is no Thatcher, in one respect. Thatcher never laughed in answering a question in her whole life:Hillary seems to laugh all the time, whatever the question (or that just my misunderstanding?)]