POLITICS MATTERS: Is new opponent winning enough to triumph over Donald Trump?
George Bernard Shaw once famously said that “Britain and America are two countries divided by a common language”.
The American Presidential elections to be held later this year may not create the immediacy and anticipation of a UK General Election for us, but the new occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will have a profound effect on our future security and trade.
Subscribe to receive regular email newsletters
Who will win? My crystal ball is a bit foggy, but former President Trump looked to have a clear route to the White House when facing incumbent Joe Biden.
The President's decision to stand down in favour of Vice President Kamala Harris was a courageous one. Harris has re-energised the Democratic campaign, witnessed by an impressive turnaround in polling and a surge in donations to Harris's burgeoning war chest.
Her decision earlier this week to pick Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate is a shrewd move.
Walz helps the Democratic ticket in the Midwest with his positive programme as Governor to projects in the Presidential campaign.
He has solid credentials as a military veteran and union supporter who enacted generous family aid packages for families in his state.
The Guardian quoted Andrew Cambron, a 34 year old teacher from Delaware, who said that Walz was the best option as Harris's running mate as he's “the kind of guy who resonates with the centre of the country. We finally have a progressive on the Democratic ticket, which hasn't really happened since Obama in 2012.”
Although Sir Keir Starmer has never met Kamala Harris, work will be carried out by civil servants and the Foreign Secretary's office to build up contacts and relationships with both the Democratic and Republican camps in the run-up to the election.
Harris and Starmer have a lot in common as they were both senior prosecutors in their earlier careers.
Vice President Harris was the attorney general of California, the most populated State at 39.03 million, between 2011 and 2017.
Keir Starmer was director of public prosecutions and head of the Crown Prosecution Service in England from 2008 to 2013.
As is the convention, however, the Prime Minister will keep a neutral stand on the American Presidential Election until a victor is declared on Tuesday, November 5.
Some may argue that the new President will have no impact on Scotland and the United Kingdom. I beg to differ.
The special relationship is crucial for our future connectivity and leadership with the rest of the world. The decision on November 5 will have a vital bearing on our future role in NATO and the strength of our trade relationships.
• Since my last column was printed, I have managed to release my inner rocker by attending a Bruce Springsteen concert at Wembley.
It was reassuring to observe other Springsteen fans as we queued to get into the impressive Wembley Stadium - and note that we were not the outliers in the age profile. I was half expecting a specific zimmer zone next to the car park.
The concert was first class and lasted three and a half hours non-stop in blazing London sunshine.
I have to confess that we left a little early to catch the tube back and avoid the huge queues. A case of you can take the man out of Inverness, but never Inverness out of the man!
A fellow Springsteen fan on the tube confessed to me that he was normally in bed by this time - it was 10pm!
