Boris Wins Big. Will History Echo?

I begin writing Thursday night under the influence of a bit of beer and a lot of schadenfreudein celebration of Labour and the LibDems getting their just desserts.  But I retain enough wisdom to review and rewrite this morning.  Still, I cannot resist wondering if history is, if not repeating, at least echoing.

No, it’s not just booze that has me pondering this.  I am barely old enough to remember Margaret Thatcher’s groundbreaking victory in 1979.  Labour had power for much of the 70’s thanks to the foolish and dishonest Edward Heath.  But Labour blew their chance with obnoxious Leftist policies that ground the UK economy into the ground.

Thatcher’s victory turned out to be a precursor for the election of Ronald Reagan the following year.  The Democrats had power since 1974 thanks to the foolish and dishonest Richard Nixon.  But the Democrats blew their chance with obnoxious Leftist policies that ground the US economy into the ground.  Reagan won in a landslide, and Republicans took the Senate.

Fast forward, in June 2016,British were fed up with the establishment of both major parties who did not listen to them but who were instead beholden to EU Brussels bureaucrats.  So in a shocking upset they voted for Brexit; they voted to leave the EU. 

In 2016, Americans were fed up with the establishment of both major parties who did not listen to them but who were instead beholden to the Washington establishment. So, after dispatching Jeb! and Co. mercilessly in the Republican primaries, they in a shocking upset elected Donald Trump as President of the United States.

In the years since, neither the Left nor the establishment of the UK and US have respected those 2016 votes and have worked tirelessly to undermine them.

So we get last night.  Yes, there are significant differences from Thatcher’s election and even Brexit, but Labour did have some power before the election thank to the weak and duplicitous Teresa May.  But they blew their chance with obnoxious Leftist policies with a strong dose of anti-semitism and, probably most importantly, by disrespecting the 2016 Brexit referendum result.  And the LibDems were even more all in on undoing Brexit.

And you know the result last night (with one seat undeclared): Labour loses 42 seats; the LibDems lose almost half their seats; Boris Johnson and the Tories gain 66 seats, a strong majority, and, barring any egregious foolishness, he will be PM for at least five years.  Contempt for Brexit and for democracy were thoroughly punished.

Here in the U. S. the Democrats have some power, holding the House, most cities, several states, the “news” media, and most cultural institutions.  But they are blowing their chance with obnoxious Leftist policies with a strong dose of anti-semitism and, probably most importantly, by still disrespecting the 2016 election of Trump, even to the point of the current absurd impeachment effort.

And . . . you can probably guess what I am hoping and praying for next year – the Democrats being thoroughly punished for their contempt for democracy.  Last night in the UK may yet again be a precursor for the US.  I am not quite yet to the point of expecting that.  But I did not entirely expect the 1980 Reagan landslide or Trump either.

So history may yet again echo.  We shall see.

Boris Johnson Off to a Roaring Start

Contra his many detractors, some of whom I greatly respect, I think Boris Johnson will prove to be a great Prime Minister. Both on politics and policy, he is brilliant. And I am pleased beyond even my expectations with his start. 

He has cleaned out most of the Wet/Damp/Remainer Tories from his cabinet and significantly upgraded.  Don’t take my word for it.  Scottish MP Pete Wishart has given a glowing endorsement:

Boris Johnson’s nightmare Tory government is shaping up to be the worst since Thatcher – packed full of extreme Brexiteers and rabid rightwingers who want to drag us back to a bygone era….

This is a Tory cabinet from hell, which Donald Trump or Nigel Farage would be proud of…

Sounds good to me! Labour Lefty John McDonnell also gives it a heartfelt endorsement, calling it “the most right-wing cabinet in my lifetime.” I am particularly pleased that Jacob Rees-Mogg is now on the front bench.  Watching him is already proving to be as fun as watching Boris.  If he is “Victorian values,” then we are amused!

Teresa May and her failure theatre has been a drag on the UK and has come precariously close to giving the world Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn.  Boris Johnson is the remedy to pull the UK and the Tories out of the May morass. Granted, his margin in Parliament is so narrow thanks to May and treacherous Remoaner Tories, he may have to call an election.  But if he can’t pull off Brexit and a UK revival, I don’t know who can.

And, as a bonus, it will be great fun to watch.

Tory Choice: Boris or Bust UPDATED

As Tories choose their leader, they had better look long and hard at the results of the EU MEP and Peterborough elections.  The Conservative Party did horrifically in both.

And the reason is clear to all but those who do not want to see. Three years after voters chose Brexit, the Conservative Party is still fumbling and bumbling in carrying out the voters’ will.  It looks suspiciously like failure theatre from Theresa May (Now gone and deservedly so.) and company.  But whether from intent or incompetence or both, the failure to carry out Brexit has alienated voters, including much of the Tory base.

Yet, as Mike Shedlock as pointed out, this has not resulted in Labour strength.  Labour is losing voters, too, although not as badly as the Tories.  The very new Brexit Party has taking voters from both in historic fashion.

To get the Conservative Party out of the May morass, it will take (1.) a confidence inspiring leader who will (2.) carry out Brexit no matter what.

Only one man who is running meets both of those qualifications: Boris Johnson.  And he is politically savvy to boot.

If Boris Johnson is chosen to be the next Tory Party leader, I predict the Conservatives will win the next parliamentary election whenever that is called.  Yes, things look bleak now.  But Boris is that good at both politics and policy. (And Labour is that awful.)  

But if the Tories choose another leader, especially one who will not get the UK out of the EU by Halloween, then God help the UK to survive Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn.

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UPDATE: Boris has just told the EU to negotiate in good faith or forget that 39 million pounds the UK “owes” them.

Does any other Tory leadership candidate have to guts and the savvy to do this?  Normal people love a leader who stands up for their country like that.  That is exactly the kind of leader the Tories must elect unless they want to hand the UK over to an Anti-Semite Marxist.

SIX WEEK old Brexit Party Wins EU Parliamentary Elections in Landslide

Sorry – or not – for shouting in the headline. But I do not know what is more astounding – that a party formed six weeks ago, Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, would win an election by over 10 percentage points or that the “news” media would downplay that.  Come on, this is a historic event!  Who has ever heard of a six week old party winning an election, any election, in a landslide?

Some of the efforts to downplay that are comical, including dodgy math.

But even with this resounding result, it is not guaranteed that the UK will finally leave the EU.  The EU is like the Hotel California (You can check out, but you can never leave.).  In the EU elections are only respected if they have the correct result, don’tcha know.

Nonetheless, the Brexit Party victory is a big punch in the face to the UK and EU establishments.  It will be interesting to see how they once again try to thwart the will of the people.

Liberal Conservatives are Just Flocking to the CUK Party

No, this is not satire.  It really is not.

First, MPs who left the Labour and Conservative Parties because they want to stay in the EU call their party the Change UK Party.  Yes, they want the change . . . of staying in the EU.  And the short name of this already absurd new party?

CUK.

No, again, this is not satire.  I’m not making that up.  They really are that clueless.

And longtime wet Tory backstabber Stephen Dorrell, who has just joined CUK calls himself “a liberal Conservative.”

Yes, they are a rather Orwellian party, too.

Is satire dead yet?

Anti-Semitic Incidents Up in UK

I’ve noted here the revival of anti-semitism in the West.  So it is with sadness that I see there continues to be a marked increase of anti-semitic incidents in the UK:

CST has today published our 2018 Antisemitic Incidents Report, which shows that CST recorded a record high total of 1,652 antisemitic incidents in the UK last year. 2018 was the third year in a row that CST has recorded a record high incident total and means the problem of rising antisemitism in our country continues to grow.

Remembering the East Yorkshire Regiment in World War I

In the past when I visited English churches, I’ve rarely paid much attention to war memorials. I hope that is not because of callousness on my part. My focus has been much more on older, especially medieval aspects of church buildings.  But with this year being the 100^th anniversary of the end of World War I, I am making a point to pay more attention.

So two days ago, I noticed a cenotaph style memorial in a small chapel of Beverly Minster.  Around all sides are the names of those who died in “The Great War” from the East Yorkshire Regiment.  I walked around it and saw all. the. names.  From just one regiment. 

It was overwhelming.  I had to sit down for a few moments to regain my composure.

Us Americans came in late to World War I.  And today we frankly suck at history.  So most of us do not get how devastating WWI was.  But I am at least beginning to get it in recent years.  Being in England certainly assists with that.  I was chatting with some gentlemen in York, and they told me a big reason the term “Lost Generation” came about.  When the English went off to war, they wanted to be together with their buddies and brothers, of course, (And I’ve noticed this desire reflected in some of C. S. Lewis’ letters.) and to a large extent this desire was accommodated. So during some of the worst battles and/or in some of the worst hit regiments, the male youth of whole towns were decimated.

And some of that decimation is documented, name by name, in that memorial in Beverly Minster.