As relief sweeps over Europe and many other parts of the globe at the news that Joe Biden is president-elect, there is likely to be little euphoria in Downing Street (‘This is the time to heal’: Joe Biden addresses Americans in election victory speech, 8 November).
No one forgets where they have buried the hatchet and Biden is unlikely to have forgiven the unpleasant slur by Boris Johnson against Barack Obama in 2016. Johnson’s message to the president-elect, in which he said the US is Britain’s most important ally, is a plea that may fall on deaf ears in the White House.
Biden has strong Irish roots and the sanctity of the Good Friday agreement will be key to all interaction between the UK and the US. When Johnson stated that he would override the Brexit withdrawal agreement on Northern Ireland, he cast doubts on the integrity of all British agreements globally, and the US will not forget this.
If Johnson has an ounce of understanding of global politics, he must cast out the charlatan consultants and jingoist sycophants who are giving such poor advice, and bring back the statesmen whom he sacked for disagreeing with his tantrums.
Matt Minshall
Batz-sur-Mer, Brittany, France
• Happy days are surely here again. Joe Biden’s victory will surely bring cheer to the majority of people inside and outside the US.
As Martin Luther King said, the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. The US can now resume being what it was in the past: a beacon of hope in a troubled world.
Hopefully the change in tone across the Atlantic will presage something similar here in the UK. Here, too, in recent times, a worrying populist surge has been discernible. Let us hope that, as in the US, there is now a majority for traditional British moderation and good sense.
Rev Andrew McLuskey
Ashford, Middlesex
• Jonathan Freedland’s piece (Donald Trump’s malignant spell could soon be broken, 6 November) was moving and let us hope, for the sake of the world, it pans out that way. However, I find it worrying that nearly 50% of US voters still chose Donald Trump as their leader.
Joe Biden has a tough time ahead – there is a lot resting on his shoulders.
Norman Thomas
Bishops Itchington, Warwickshire
• America is not my country, but the results of the US election have made my heart soar. I believe it is a cause for joy in these uncertain times, for me as well as other British people.
For the past several years, America has been an easy target for ridicule, criticism and mockery. I am not saying this was deserved or unjustified: I just simply believe the American people deserve a break.
I am thinking of the minorities who have suffered the last four years under a president who did not want them, did not respect them, and undermined their existence – not only as American citizens, but also as human beings.
As a Muslim woman myself, I understand the constant pressure of trying to disprove every cruel and absurd stereotype society has about you. It is a burden that no one else sees, but one that I hope has become lighter for these minorities.
In no way has America been fixed overnight. But I do hope that for the most part, Americans will be able to breathe a little easier.
Yusra Dahri
Tilford, Surrey
