For North American farmers, it’s basically a choice between green (John Deere) or red (Case IH) tractors and combines. The European brands of Agco don’t really figure and neither do New Holland or Claas. The presidential election was equally simple; it was Trump or Clinton and the others didn’t count.

Now if I was an American farmer, I’d definitely opt for the red brand, Case IH, and I’d probably have voted for Trump.

It’s not that I particularly like either Case IH machinery or indeed Donald J Trump but more that I dislike the alternative. I’d rather drive an ancient John Deere 2130 naked on a frosty morning than have voted for Hillary.

But, in fairness, it has to be said, many Americans prefer the green giant John Deere as indeed they did Hillary Clinton. In truth, the latter group is probably the sensible people but I’m more of a renegade. Any Irish farmer who has owned two Case IH Axial Flows is definitely a renegade.

Having now strayed into political hot water, I’d better try to cover myself. Whatever else, a vote for Trump was a vote for strong leadership. Yes, he’s wacky, but are we not becoming weary of whinging populist left-wing politicians and political correctness? Why not a little of the opposite? We’ve become so politically correct that we’re even afraid to be in any way associated with Donald Trump.

Strong leadership

Yes, dislike Trump we may, but still there’s something comforting about strong political leadership, which we haven’t had in this country for years.

The trouble with Trump is that he is a bad influence on fellows like me, which isn’t good, but while I’m not supposed to talk politics in this column, I’ll cloak it in farmers’ language.

Just imagine for a moment what this country would be like if we had strong leadership. Brexit would be much less of a problem because we would stand up for ourselves and oppose any trade sanctions that Angela Merkel may seek to impose on the UK. If she doesn’t like that, then we threaten to hold a Government-backed in-or-out referendum here. Simple as.

It’s called standing up for yourself and not creeping around Brussels trying to be the friend of everyone and thinking you’re a great fellow. In tractor terms, our Taoiseach is like a spruced-up 1979 John Deere 3130 – looks good but is outdated and underpowered for today’s heavy work. Hitch it to a modern six-furrow plough and there’ll just be spin and more spin and then quickly bury itself in mud.

We need a Case IH Magnum-type Taoiseach – a big, tough and reliable workhorse that’s unstoppable when conditions are at their worst. Think big Phil Hogan on steroids.

Just consider the benefits Magnum-type leadership would bring to Irish agriculture threatened with global warming restrictions.

The green element which wants to stifle agricultural progress because of livestock methane emissions would be told where to go and not to come back. All this stuff about Irish agriculture’s effect on climate change is a load of rubbish Our agricultural emissions are lower now than they were in 1990.

The fact is that Irish farmland and forestry is a well-managed carbon sink.

Agriculture may produce 32% of Ireland’s greenhouse gases, but that is irrelevant because we have no heavily polluting industry other than a couple of cement factories and coal-fired Moneypoint.

There would be more carbon emissions within an hour in Germany than in a decade here.