United Kingdom
December 3, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Actually, of course, we were anything but down and out. Rather, on vacation. Our plan was to spend a week in Paris, where we had never been, followed by a week in London, where we go pretty often. It didn’t quite turn out that way. Here are a few observations for those who might be interested: * We saw absolutely no political activity–no pro-Hamas demonstrations, in particular. On the contrary,
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November 29, 2023 — John Hinderaker
In 2019 Britain’s Conservative Party won in a historic landslide, but since then its fortunes have dimmed to the point where the party is universally expected to be ousted from power in the next election. This is not because Britons have again become fond of socialism. It is because the Tory government has failed to listen to the voters on the issue of immigration. In the Telegraph, Sherelle Jacobs writes:
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November 28, 2023 — John Hinderaker
On Sunday there was a major demonstration in London, in opposition to anti-Semitism. It was peaceful and dignified, and stood in stark contrast with the pro-Hamas, pro-genocide demonstrations that engulfed the city on previous Saturdays. But the anti-anti-Semitism demonstration was controversial; too controversial for BBC employees to attend. Some did anyway. Dozens of Jewish BBC staff defied a ban on attending last weekend’s march against antisemitism, it has been revealed.
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November 14, 2023 — John Hinderaker
You may have heard that Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been forced out of the British Cabinet, apparently because she correctly complained about the fact that London’s Metropolitan Police show favoritism toward Muslim demonstrators (often, rioters) compared with other groups, like the “far right.” Braverman’s critique was not gratuitous; as Home Secretary, she had ultimate responsibility for the Metropolitan Police. Nevertheless, it was enough to get her fired. Braverman did
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November 14, 2023 — Scott Johnson
According to their publisher, Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey collaborated to help achieve the biggest electoral success for socialism in recent British history. They think that’s a good thing. Corbyn is the former Labour leader. McCluskey is the British trade unionist and author of the memoir Always Red (now available in paperback). Corbyn and McCluskey have also collaborated on the new anthology Poetry For the Many. Warning: All royalties from
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November 11, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Today is Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom. Remembrance Day is a big deal, with poppies being a tradition that goes back many years. Pro-Hamas forces planned a major demonstration for today, and there was some talk of banning it out of respect for Remembrance Day. But that didn’t happen, and one of the largest demonstrations in London’s history, estimated between 150,000 and 500,000
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November 10, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Douglas Murray is visiting Israel to cover the war. He reports today in the New York Post column “On a visit to Israel, I have seen the horror that the world must never forget.” Piers Morgan also interviewed Murray speaking from the Gaza-Israel border on Piers Morgan Uncensored, which I take it is broadcast on a variety of platforms including one in the United Kingdom. In the course of the
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November 5, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Yesterday, many thousands of Islamofascists and leftists turned out across the globe for pro-Hamas demonstrations, celebrating the massacre of October 7 and demanding the extermination of Jews. Trafalgar Square was packed to overflowing: Hundreds of thousands turned out in Paris: Some might find the idea of a “kill the Jews” rally in Berlin alarming: And, of course, many thousands rallied to support genocide against the Jews in Washington, D.C. It
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October 13, 2023 — Scott Johnson
The genocidal war on Israel undertaken by Hamas has had the effect of flushing out the many Nazis around us at home. Douglas Murray notes the phenomenon in the New York Post column “Hamas horror quickly reveals the bigots in our midst.” Some practical response is necessary. At the least we can keep our eyes open and take it all in. Speaking at an event with Jewish leaders in London
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September 19, 2023 — John Hinderaker
I had never heard of Russell Brand until recently. I take it that he is a British comedian and actor who has generally, for quite a few years, had a terrible reputation. Within the last week or two, several women have “come forward” and alleged that Brand raped them, or otherwise assaulted them, between 2006 and 2013. I subscribe to the London Times and the Telegraph, and they have followed
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September 14, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Has there ever been a time in world history when so much stupidity has been generated by a patently false ideology? Well, sure, socialism. But climate hysteria is making a run for it on the outside, now closing rapidly with socialism. The latest is the United Nations telling us to completely revamp how we construct buildings. Actually, its message is to stop building at all. So as to achieve “net
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September 10, 2023 — John Hinderaker
There is a financial crisis in the wind industry. You can see it in headlines like Support for offshore wind sinks as costs soar, and The ill wind of offshore wind projects. At the Telegraph, Matt Ridley sums up the ineluctable reasons for the current crisis: The MPs who have forced Rishi Sunak into a U-turn on onshore wind power love to repeat the favourite slogan of the wind industry:
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September 5, 2023 — John Hinderaker
I wrote here about the fact that Mississippi, America’s poorest state, has now surpassed the United Kingdom in per capita GDP, linking to an article in the Telegraph by Douglas Carswell. Carswell is a tremendously interesting guy: a Member of Parliament for 12 years, one of the founders of the Brexit movement, who left the U.K. to run a free market think tank in Mississippi. Last week was the State
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July 26, 2023 — John Hinderaker
The story that has consumed the United Kingdom over the last week or two is the cancellation of Nigel Farage by Coutts, an exclusive private bank owned by National Westminster Bank, commonly known as NatWest. Farage, as you may remember, was a driving force behind Brexit, and Britain’s establishment has never forgiven him. Coutts precipitously fired Farage as a client and canceled his accounts. Later, Coutts lied about the incident,
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July 22, 2023 — John Hinderaker
I suppose America’s work ethic peaked in the late 19th century and has declined somewhat since then. Still, compared with Europeans, Americans are considered hard-working. Thus the Telegraph headlines: “How hard-working US is getting rich while the UK struggles on benefits.” The world’s biggest economy has pulled ahead of the UK and the rest of Europe on an array of economic measures since the financial crisis of 2008. What began
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July 10, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Joe Biden is in London, kicking off a European trip. He has just engaged in “climate talks” with King Charles. I will hazard a guess that these talks will have zero impact on the Earth’s climate. Meanwhile, Biden is not getting a positive reception. In the Telegraph, Nial Gardiner unloads with both barrels: “Here comes Biden, the world’s worst diplomat.” No president in modern American history has done more to
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June 25, 2023 — John Hinderaker
There could be a worse way to generate electricity than by implanting giant windmills in the ocean, but it is hard to think what it might be. Not surprisingly, Britain is finding its plans for offshore wind to be illusive: How Britain’s offshore wind industry ran out of puff. Championed by politicians as a controversy-free alternative to onshore wind and solar farms, the Government wants offshore wind capacity to surge
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