United Kingdom
November 1, 2017 — John Hinderaker
I hope you’ve noticed that I haven’t written anything for a while. This is because I have been on vacation in England, and generally offline, for the last 11 days. So, did anything happen while I was gone? Just kidding. I’ll have more to say about events of recent days before long, but for now just want to comment on conversations I had with Brits about politics while on vacation.
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July 29, 2017 — John Hinderaker
There have long been similarities between politics in the United States and politics in the United Kingdom. For example, one could argue that Ronald Reagan = Margaret Thatcher, George H.W. Bush = John Major, and Bernie Sanders = Jeremy Corbyn. Recently, though, the parallels have been rather uncanny. Here in the U.S., Democrats have refused to accept the results of the November 2016 election. They view President Trump as illegitimate
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June 11, 2017 — Steven Hayward
I don’t know what’s ahead for Britain after this total cluster-you-know-what election, but can we please, PLEASE have this man as the next prime minister? I mean, c’mon, why is this even a question?
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June 8, 2017 — Steven Hayward
I haven’t had time yet to compose my “Five Ways To Think about ComeyCon,” then the shocking U.K. election pops up to overtake the Comey Conundrum. Some observations: 1. Hindsight is always 20/20, but calling this snap election was a mistake. Don’t say we didn’t warn you that May was in danger of blowing it. Analysts will slice up Theresa May’s mistakes and how the recent terrorist attacks may have
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June 3, 2017 — John Hinderaker
The details are even murkier than usual, but multiple terrorist attacks, apparently coordinated, killed at least seven people in London tonight. Five or more Muslims apparently collaborated in the attacks, which employed a vehicle that ran down pedestrians on London Bridge as well as knives and possibly one or more firearms. With Britain’s election scheduled for June 8 and Labour supposedly closing rapidly, the attacks, along with the recent mass
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May 26, 2017 — John Hinderaker
Can a Western welfare state defend itself against Islamic terrorism? Perhaps, but it will require fundamental changes. The Telegraph reports that last week’s terrorist attack in Manchester was funded by the British government: The Manchester suicide bomber used taxpayer-funded student loans and benefits to bankroll the terror plot, police believe. Salman Abedi is understood to have received thousands of pounds in state funding in the run up to Monday’s atrocity
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April 21, 2017 — John Hinderaker
Democrats may sometimes feel like an endangered species, but they haven’t fallen as low as Britain’s Labour Party. Prime Minister Theresa May has called an election, and, with a lot of Labour MPs deciding not to stand for re-election, the party has over 400 vacant slots to fill. Where can Labour find good candidates? On Twitter, they hope: Could you be a brilliant local MP? We’re looking for parliamentary candidates
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February 2, 2017 — Steven Hayward
It isn’t just in the halls of Washington where Trump has everyone in an uproar. In the House of Commons over in Britain, the Corbynite Labour Party had a conniption fit, culminating in this nice exchange between Corbyn and Prime Minister Theresa May, who I must say is reminding me more and more of Margaret Thatcher all the time (about 1:30 long): There was a similar debate up in Canada
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September 2, 2016 — Steven Hayward
We haven’t been keeping up sufficiently with the meltdown of the Labour Party over in the UK under Jeremy Corbyn, who makes Bernie Sanders look like a Ripon Society Republican. (Actually, come to think of it . . . never mind.) Anyway, what till you get a load of Corbyn’s latest: Corbyn wants to ban ‘sexist’ after-work drinks for quite sexist reason By Ashitha Nagesh Jeremy Corbyn has said after-work drinks
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July 21, 2016 — Steven Hayward
While we await the summa of Trumpismo tonight, it’s worth a look across the pond at the early outings of Britain’s new prime minister, Theresa May. I’d never heard of her before the Brexit vote, but at least two early moves look promising. First, she appointed Boris Johnson foreign secretary, which is more recondite punishment for John Kerry. Second, May has indicated her government will shut down or downgrade climate
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July 2, 2016 — Steven Hayward
Like most sensible people I found Piers Morgan completely insufferable when he was on CNN. I didn’t think anything could make me miss Larry King—until Morgan began his haughty huffings. I’d rather watch a Justin Bieber concert than listen to Morgan speak another word about the Second Amendment. I’d submit to listening to the Oak Ridge Boys sing “Elvira” for a month nonstop rather than listen to Morgan (though I
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June 28, 2016 — Steven Hayward
There’s just so much good material on Brexit piling up that it can’t wait for Saturday. So here’s “Brexit Week in Pictures.” Enjoy! And finally (okay, so there’s no gun, but this is close enough for Brexit work, as it explains why Brexit won):
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June 26, 2016 — Steven Hayward
Well, one more thing, but surely not the last. Anyway, if you think there are parallels between sentiment in Britain and in the U.S., and recall how Margaret Thatcher’s victory in 1979 was a harbinger of Reagan’s victory the following year, consider this: If Boris Johnson is the next prime minister of Britain, and Trump is the next president of the United States, they’ll have something in common beyond ideology.
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June 26, 2016 — Steven Hayward
We’ve already had plenty of coverage here about the elite left’s unhinged whingeing about the Brexit vote, and I predict the Brexit vote will become for Europolitans what the sainted Citizens United decision is for lefties here in the U.S—a source of perpetual rage and blame for everything that bothers them about human existence in the 21st century. I had thought that the scare campaign would succeed, and indeed between
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June 25, 2016 — Steven Hayward
This Wall Street Journal story this morning about how the Brexit vote unfolded in the Labour Party stronghold of Sunderland wins Power Line’s Understatement of the Year Award. Keep in mind that it was the Labour government under Tony Blair that pushed for expanded immigration to bolster the ranks of Labour voters, just as Democrats in the U.S. want expanded immigration to swell the ranks of Democratic voters: SUNDERLAND, England—Labour politician
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June 24, 2016 — Steven Hayward
Gerard Baker of the Wall Street Journal offers the best summary this morning of the larger meaning of Brexit. Gerry, as his friends and colleagues call him, is a subdued fellow not given to hyperbole, which is why this judgment is so bracing: Levels of dissatisfaction with leadership have reached revolutionary levels. It’s a paradox of mass modern democracy that voters feel themselves governed by rulers who “neither see nor
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June 24, 2016 — Steven Hayward
Wow. That’s all I can say right now. I’ve been out all evening, among other things watching a socialist argue vigorously with an even further left socialist, which allowed me to grab an extra bag of popcorn and enjoy the show. It’s like watching your ex-wife argue with your ex-mother-in-law. Brexit is Britain’s equivalent of Proposition 13 and the tax revolt of the 1970s in the U.S. I expect anti-EU
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