WHAT THE BRITISH VOTE MEANS
TO U.S.
For people with short memories the aftermath of World War II was both a triumphant and scary time for Britain. The nation had been involved in two major World Wars in less than twenty two years. A forcibly retired Churchill was even calling for a formation of a European confederation of states similar to the U.S. But Churchill, deposed from power had no takers. As a matter of fact for years Britain had held itself at bay from the other nations. And that was fine with them. Remember that Britain was denied admission to the Union until 1973 and when it did join it kept their own currency.
Much has been said about England being our cousins because the U.S. after all founded it’s own nation. It is my belief that we became greater than Britain because our founding fathers had the vision to form a strong federal Government that consisted of states. Many Constitutional experts yammer on about gun rights and the second amendment but I can assure you that there was more on their minds when the nation was founded than that. The formation of a Federal government came from wise men who were not afraid of taking a chance.
Europe has always fought a united identity. And who can blame them given the long history of each country. The American experiment worked because we were newborns. Europe had entrenchments. It could not.
When this union was formed no one would ever pick Britain to be the first to bail. But they did.
This campaign to stay or leave has all the earmarks of an influence of one Mr. Donald Trump. That is true.
The campaign on behalf of Leave was full of lies and misrepresentations.
One of the big whoppers was to seniors who were told the money saved from leaving the EU would go to health care. The leader of the group admitted on BBC that it wasn’t correct. When the presenter pressed him on why this was part of the campaign, he admitted it was part of the act. Sound familiar?
Immigration was also touted as the big bad factor but in fact Britain has the least amount of immigrants. But the point was made that people from other countries were taking the jobs away from Brits. Just like here.
When the history of the 21st century is written the way that people who were different, who were immigrants will go down as one of the most shameful episodes in our Republic.
The issue in Britain and the U.S. is that people are trying to protect the nation they are comfortable with. The world has changed and there are segments who wonder where their place will be. It is ironic but the whole way of thinking is ass backward. People who voted Leave in Britain and those Trump supporters in the U.S. are actually threatened by those with less than they have. Pretty pathetic for “Christian” nations, heyna?
One day the 52% who voted in this election are going to wake up and see what a travesty this vote was. Here’s why:
1. The EU will be glad to see Britain go but they will make an example out of them to dissuade other nations from trying it. The benefits enjoyed by the union will be compromised.
2. Watch for no more free movement of Britain citizens to other part of Europe. The UK Ex Pats are going to be in for the shock of their lives.
3. The Leaves are similar to Trump because they are short on specifics.
4. Every trade deal will have to be re negotiated. Now trade will not drop down to zero….but things will get complicated.
This is essentially a divorce. Having avoided one and having friends who have gone through them, I can tell you they get messy. Multiply that by a million when t comes to a country and a continent.
This election had a 72% turnout and that’s a good thing. But the level of discourse, like here was not great. When I see the campaigns conducted I think of how people say that they distrust the establishment, ie the people in power. Fair enough but what are their plans?
We have become a world of haters of educated people. There’s a name they call them, “the elite”. Elite and educated have become bad words in this political culture. The elite become elite by busting their asses, going to school and rising through the corridors of power in business and industry. The resentment against experts as I heard on the radio today is worn as a badge of honor and has become a campaign slogan here and in Britain.
For this country, Britain is the canary in the coal mine. No one thought the Leaves would win, not even some of the Leaves, but they did. No one thinks Donald Trump will win here but he might because he is using Immigration and Nationalism as a battering ram for those angry, disaffected, uneducated, envious voters who latch on to slogans and catch phrases. The British voted Leave because they wanted to take their country back. The U.S. might be doing the same thing. But we have keep asking the question just who are we taking the country back from? And who do we want to give it to? A guy who goes to Scotland and touts his golf course while all the money markets are crashing over this event? A guy who stands in Scotland and tweets that they voted the right way when in fact they didn’t?
The Leave campaign succeeded by using fear and deception. Apparently that’s okay in this culture because as someone on CNN said Friday night, we are in the age of the Death of expertise and the Death of fact.
The Leave campaign and Donald Trump are the Funeral Directors.
TWIN MINE SHAFTS CEREMONY SATURDAY
On Sunday, June 28, 1896, 58 men and boys were killed when the roof caved in at the Red Ash Vein of the Newton Coal Company’s Twin Shaft Mine. The victims were buried 434 feet below the ground. In their wake, they left 31 widows and 101 orphans. Because of the cave in, no bodies were ever recovered.
The tragedy was is considered one of the largest coal mining disasters in Pennsylvania history, even larger than the Knox Mine Disaster, which occurred in January 1959 near Port Griffith.
During the ceremony, there will be a reading of the names of all the victims. (Source: Sunday Dispatch, LuLac)