BRITAIN TURNS TO THE LEFT AS EUROPE TURNS TO THE RIGHT

Supporters of French far-right National Rally react at the party election night headquarters, Sunday, June 9, 2024 in Paris. First projected results from France put far-right National Rally party well ahead in EU elections, according to French opinion poll institutes. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly) https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/made-big-gains-european-elections-matter-110995112

As predicted, the second biggest election in the world (India is first) saw gains for the far right.

In France, President Macron dissolved parliament and announced a general election June 30th.  His gamble is predicted to fail.   His hope was that the rightist party of Marine LePen would be in disarray, meaning there would be less of them and more of Macron’s own party, in the national parliamentary election. 

Meanwhile, the Belgian prime minister resigned.

There will be repercussions from the federal election in the coming weeks and months.

Meanwhile, the British election (purely an internal matter as Britain left the EU some years ago), continues predictably.  Labor is favorite to win.

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MUSLIMS HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS

Falls Church, Virginia Imam Farhan Siddiqi: Building Alliances With LGBT Groups Has Not Benefitted Us, Has Only Confused Our Children; Homosexuality, Sodomy, And Transgenderism Remain A Huge Issue For Our Community; We Do Not Have To Work With Certain Groups

Imam Farhan Siddiqi discussed alliances with LGBT groups over common issues such as Gaza, in his May 24, 2024 Friday sermon at Dar Al-Hijra Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, which was posted on the Islamic Center’s YouTube channel. He said that the issue of Gaza has overshadowed the biggest issue in the Muslim community, which was dealing with homosexuality and transgenderism. Siddiqi said that while the Muslim community does not seek to harm homosexuals, sodomy is forbidden in Islam, and the community cannot accept homosexuality. He said that there are “certain endorsements” the Muslim community doesn’t care for, nor need. Siddqi added that during its ten years of cooperation with gay groups, the Muslim community has not benefited from its alliances.  (MEMRI, 6/7/2024)

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HAMAS AGAINST PEACE DEAL.   ISRAEL TOO?

Hamas responded Tuesday to the US cease-fire proposal for Gaza, reportedly requesting a change to the timeline for a permanent cease-fire and “complete halt” to the war, not just a six-week or phased truce. “The ball is now in the Israeli courtyard,” a Hamas official said. At least one Israeli official said that Hamas’s response effectively amounted to a rejection of the deal laid out by President Joe Biden.

The full details of Hamas’s response remain unclear, but it appears that the militant group is making demands that will be unacceptable to Israel, including the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. That would leave the door open for Hamas to stay in power in Gaza, which Israel will see as an unacceptable security threat.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly committed to Biden’s cease-fire plan — even though Sec. of State Antony Blinken has said Bibi was onboard. The Israeli leader has repeatedly said the war can’t end until Hamas is destroyed, and the far-right members of his flimsy coalition government have threatened to skedaddle if the plan moves forward.

Hamas may be deliberately making demands it knows Netanyahu won’t agree to in an attempt to prolong the war, boost the Palestinian national cause, and further damage Israel’s global image as the civilian death toll rises. Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s military leader, reportedly recently told followers that they have “the Israelis right where we want them” and that civilian deaths are “necessary sacrifices.”

We’ll be watching to see how negotiators react to Hamas moving the goalposts. The White House on Tuesday said it’s “evaluating” the response.  (Gzero Signal, 6/12/2024)

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A NEW ALLIANCE BETWEEN ROME AND BRUSSELS?

As the dust settles from last weekend’s EU Parliament elections, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is holding all the cards, and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is preparing to kiss the ring.

The EU undeniably shifted right in the election, with support for Meloni’s right-wing coalition climbing to more than 47%. Meanwhile, for von der Leyen, the center held — but barely. Her coalition of mainstream parties won a narrow 400-seat majority, but with many threatening to defect, so she will need to pull votes from Meloni’s camp to secure the 361 votes she needs to win a second term as commission president on July 18. For Meloni, supporting von der Leyen could further cement her influence in Brussels.

These women aren’t diametrically opposed. While Meloni’s party traces its roots back to a neo-fascist group, and her 2022 victory set the tone for far-right gains across Europe, she’s moderated her position on the international stage and dropped her previous anti-EU rhetoric. She is also a fervent Ukraine supporter, which could make her a key bridge to the far right for von der Leyen, who announced on Tuesday that the EU will send €1.4 billion to Ukraine and that it will begin accession talks this summer.

Meloni is gearing up to host the G7 meeting on Thursday, and Ukraine will top the agenda. We will be watching to see whether she and von der Leyen team up on securing more aid, which could signal a deepening partnership in parliament to come. (Gzero Signal, 6/12/2024)

BREAKING NEWS: POPE TO ADDRESS G7 IN ITALY. This will be the first time a pope will speak live to the G7 (the richest countries in the world).

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HUNTER BIDEN VERDICT

Hunter Biden was convicted on Tuesday of three felony charges related to a 2018 gun purchase, capping a high-profile trial that could impact the 2024 presidential election.

A federal jury found President Joe Biden’s son guilty of making false statements on paperwork to acquire a handgun while struggling with drug addiction and of illegal possession of a firearm. The verdict followed testimony from several of Hunter’s romantic partners and his daughter Naomi about his substance abuse issues around the time of the purchase.

With a potential appeal looming, Hunter’s sentencing hearing is likely to take place in about four months. He could face up to 25 years in jail on these charges, though legal experts think it’s unlikely he will face more than a few months, if any. He is also set for trial in September on separate tax evasion charges.

Republicans have signaled they will seize on the conviction to portray the Bidens as corrupt, though the president has pledged to let the judicial process play out and ruled out pardoning his son. But the verdict also provides Democrats a counterpoint to Republican claims of a politically motivated Justice Department: A Trump-appointed prosecutor charged Hunter.  (Gzero Signal, 6/12/2024)

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BRIEFLY

• Germany and Europe are on the brink of a second ‘Zeitenwende’ – another epochal turning point. At least this is a scenario predicted by the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in a recent study. The think-tank points out the likelihood of a significant reduction in US military activities in Europe after the US presidential election on 5 November – not only if Donald Trump wins but also if Joe Biden emerges victorious. When it comes to the crunch, Biden will, according to the SWP’s analysis, prioritise preparation for a war against China over Taiwan over any future support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. The authors argue that ‘the main task’ of German foreign and military policy should be to ‘secure’ the EU and the NATO states of Europe against Russia in the future. ‘All aspects’ of the ongoing arms build-up in Europe must be ‘geared to this objective.’ Berlin should, therefore, step away from small-scale military missions all around the world. This policy recommendation dovetails with strategic deliberations in the US on the feasibility of waging three wars simultaneously: against Russia, against adversaries in the Middle East, and against China. The threat of such a military scenario could only be realised with the support of US allies and a massive arms build-up.  (German Foreign Policy, 6/11/2024)

• Recently, French President Emmanuel Macron came to Jerusalem, where he told Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza. “The ordeal of the Palestinians in Gaza must end,” Macron said, without even bothering to demand the release of the remaining hostages as a precondition for his fever-dream of a ceasefire. So far, Hamas has rejected all proposals but one, and that came only after extreme military, not diplomatic, persuasion.  (Robert Williams, Gatestone, 6/11/2024)

• Conspicuously, the same Macron who is ordering Israel to lay down its weapons in Gaza has been silent when it comes to asking that of Hamas and Iran.  (RW, Gatestone, 6/11/2024)

• Al-Qaeda top dog urges jihadis to go to Afghanistan for training and then strike Israeli and Western targets. (Jihad Watch, 6/12/2024)

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ONE MORE THOUGHT

IS HAPPINESS FOUND IN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC POLICIES?

With so many elections going on right now, the question must be asked:  Is happiness found in social and economic policies

I asked myself this question while I was watching the British Labour Party present its manifesto.   You would think the answer is yes.

With a lead of 20 points over the ruling Conservative Party, it’s almost certain that Labor (the socialists) will win the general election on July 4^th.

As I watched, all I heard was promise after promise to create a fairer society.   While doing so the leader of the party, Sir Keir Starmer, largely avoided the obvious question:  how is the UK going to pay for it?   This – at a time when it is widely believed that the country is broke.

As Mrs. Thatcher once famously said, “The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples’ money.”

So the choice seems obvious.   Or not.  The Conservative Party is really no better.   Its spending has been all over the place.  And its record on government is nothing they can boast about.

But the real problem is that the parties are competing to promise the people everything.

Everything, that is, except your personal relationship with God.   The answers to most questions can be found in your Bibles.  The problem with Britain (and other countries, too) is spiritual, not physical.

Here is what the psalmist observed:   Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.  (Psalm 33:12)

DIVERSITY ISN’T WORKING

A Palestinian uses a slingshot during an anti-Israel protest over cross-border violence between
Palestinian militants in Gaza and the Israeli military, near Hawara checkpoint near Nablus.
(Image: Reuters)

The news is increasingly biased.   Most reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is pro-Palestinian.  The Palestinians can do no wrong whereas the Israelis can do nothing right.  As conservative Jew Melanie Phillips put it in a recent article: “Hamas commits war crimes.  Israel is blamed.  Of course.”

We are reminded in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah 5:20 “ Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”

The mantra “diversity is a strength” is being disproved everywhere.   In Israel, Israeli Arabs have taken to the streets and clashed with Israeli Jews, viciously and violently. 

In England, anti-semitism has reared its ugly head.  And here in the US racial strife continues in our big cities.  Yet our leaders still say diversity is our strength.

PIPES WARNS OF CONFLICT WITH ISRAELI ARABS ……………….. 20% of Israel’s citizens are Israeli Arabs, citizens of Israel

L’Informale:  The conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to a new phenomenon: widespread riots by Israel’s Arab citizens. Do you agree with Israeli historian Benny Morris’ 2004 assessment that Israeli Arabs are a “time bomb”?

Daniel Pipes:  Very much so. I have written on Israeli Arabs since 1986 and argued since 2006 that they represent Israel’s “final enemy” and an “existential danger.” After foreign states and external Palestinians are neutralized, the Arab citizens of Israel remain as the enemy that cannot be defeated but must be integrated, a far more difficult task.   (“Israel’s policy should be victory,” Daniel Pipes, 5/16/2021)

• The Palestinians are upset because Jews are being permitted to tour the Temple Mount. The Palestinians do not want to see Jews visiting their holy site; they do not want to see Jews in Jerusalem, and they do not want to see any Jew at all in the land that stretches from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.  (Bassam Tawil, Gatestone, 5/11/2021)

• There is one sure-fire way of guaranteeing that Hamas will continue to employ terrorism against Israel . . .   That sure-fire way is to reward the terrorists who employ this tactic and to punish their intended victims who try to fight back.

• The real root cause of terrorism is that it is successful – terrorists have consistently benefited from their terrorist acts. Terrorism will persist as long as . . . the international community rewards it, as it has been doing for the past [many] years. (Alan M. Dershowitz, Gatestone, 5/14/2021)

• Now, with Palestinian militants once more targeting Israeli civilian areas with rockets and missiles, the folly of Mr. Biden’s ill-advised approach to the Middle East has been exposed . . .   Indeed, the extent of Iran’s military support for Palestinian militants was revealed by an official with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation who boasted last week:  “The rockets we use to pound Tel Aviv, our weapons, and our food are provided by Iran.”   (Con Coughlin, Gatestone, 5/17/2021)

Pressure is mounting on the Biden administration to strengthen its public stand on the violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories – and specifically, to speak out and act more forcefully in the defense of Palestinian lives and human rights. With key Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez this weekend describing Israel as an “apartheid state,” the progressive left is stepping up its campaign for a pivot in the US’s long-held commitment to Israel first and foremost.   (Andrew Naughtie, Independent, 5/17/2021)

Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades Calls For General Mobilization In West Bank, Instructs Fighters To Make Life ‘An Unbearable Hell’ For Israelis (MEMRI, 5/17/2021)

Diversity isn’t working in the UK, either

Video from UK ‘Palestinian’ demo:  ‘F*** the Jews, rape their daughters’  (Jihad Watch, 5/16/2021)

CNN CONTRIBUTOR ANTI-SEMITIC

A longtime contributor to CNN found himself in hot water after tweeting, “The world today needs a Hitler.” The inflammatory tweet, which could be interpreted as a call for the extermination of the Jewish people, was posted to Twitter on Sunday amidst the rising tensions and violence between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East.

The CNN contributor quickly deleted the post, but it sparked social media users to comb through his Twitter profile. Adeel Raja, who has written dozens of articles for CNN, also appears to have a history of posting anti-Semitic messages on Twitter.

Donald Trump Jr. posted screenshots of the “Hitler” tweet as well as a CNN article that indicates Raja as a co-author, and his LinkedIn profile, where he describes himself as a “Freelance Contributor at CNN.”   (The Blaze, 5/16/2021)

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SAUDI-IRAN GET CLOSER

Washington is one reason. In a dangerous world, the Saudis are worried about the Biden administration. “Saudi Arabia can no longer expect the same backing that they had under Trump,” says Ahmed Al-Omran, editor of the (very good) Riyadh Bureau newsletter.  Since coming to office, Smokin’ Joe has cut support for Saudi Arabia’s ruinous military campaign against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, chided Riyadh over its lousy human rights record, and launched a full-bore diplomatic effort to revive the Iran nuclear deal — something the Saudis always opposed.

Given Biden’s broader push to reduce American involvement in the Middle East, the Saudis might be keen to find a better modus vivendi with their main regional rivals. The Saudi overtures to Tehran come amid fresh thaws with Syria and Turkey as well.

Meanwhile, from Iran’s perspective, easing tensions with the Saudis is one way to mollify Riyadh’s opposition to a revived nuclear accord. What’s more, al-Omran says, it could open the way to broader economic ties with the Arab world after a new deal is done. (Israel’s misgivings about a new nuclear deal, of course, may be harder to overcome.)   (Gzero Signal, 5/13/2021)

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SWISS VOTE TO BAN BURQA

On March 7, the Swiss narrowly voted to ban all face coverings in public.  The initiative behind the referendum was launched in 2016 by associates of the Swiss People’s Party and the Egerkingen Committee, that had in 2009 successfully pushed for a vote to ban the building of new mosque minarets in the country.

With the outlawing of the Islamic face veil, Switzerland joined 18 other nations that have to some degree banned the burqa. They include Austria, Denmark, France, Belgium, Tajikistan, Bulgaria, China, Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Latvia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

It is now time to ban the burqa in Canada as well.   (Tarek Fatah, Toronto Sun, Middle East Forum, 5/10/2021)

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PRIORITY ON CHINA

• “Our purpose is not to contain China, to hold it back, to keep it down. It is to uphold this rules-based order that China is posing a challenge to. Anyone who poses a challenge to that order, we’re going to stand up and defend it.” — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, 60 Minutes interview, May 2, 2021

• For American diplomacy, this is a significant admission that America no longer wants to lead the world, but instead gracefully back away as the world’s reigning superpower.  (Peter Schweizer, Gatestone, 5/13/2021)

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UK

Nicola Sturgeon is Scotland’s First Minister.   She is singularly focused on bringing independence to Scotland.

• Is Nicola Sturgeon now the main threat to Boris Johnson? She’d like you to think so but in this week’s issue Douglas Murray and I take another look at the narrative of SNP resurgence. Support for independence is back down to where it was in the 2014 referendum and the party has fewer votes than a decade ago.   (The Spectator, 5/13/2021)

• Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, says another independence referendum for Scotland is now a matter of “when not if,” and that after leaving the UK, Scotland will launch a bid to rejoin the EU. But there are formidable obstacles ahead. Getting to a vote will force a complex game of chicken with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. If a majority of Scots then vote for independence — hardly a sure thing – the process of extricating their new country from the UK will make Brexit look easy. Next, come the challenges of EU accession. In other words, Scotland’s journey down the rocky road ahead has only just begun.  (Gzero Signal, 5/14/2021)

• The British Labour has accused the prime minister of a “reckless failure to protect our borders,” saying he acted too late in banning travel from India to prevent the spread of B16172.  (The Week, 5/17/2021)

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USA

DailyKenn.com — Even though our national family and individual families rely on energy, White House occupant Joe Biden is prepared to shut off more energy pipelines. 

Even following fuel shortages from shutdown pipeline, Jen Psaki says Biden is still considering canceling existing pipelines (pic.twitter.com/TeBU6ZlNJa) (RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 11, 2021)

Biden’s announcement came via White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. Even as Psaki spoke gas shortages were plaguing much of the southeast where ransomware hackers disrupted the fuel flow through the Colonial Pipeline.   Effectively, she admitted that the administration looks at each pipeline project individually and isn’t making a sweeping policy towards pipelines in general; a dark harbinger of things to come.

It turns out that Biden and his gang are no different than the DarkSide Russian gang that hacked Colonial. Biden may be worse. DarkSide targeted only one pipeline and didn’t close it permanently. Biden is eyeing multiple pipelines whose closure could seriously cripple the nation’s economy. Seem like Russian collusion?

• Biden’s decision to deny Americans full access to energy seems rooted in the discredited man-made climate change “science.” Biden, along with many on the far-left, also seem to embrace other fake science tenets such as a plethora of genders (in reality, there are only two) and an absurd notion that race is a social construct. (Daily Ken, 5/13/2021)

• “But the defining crisis of the Biden presidency may be the crisis on America’s southern border . . . an annual rate of 2 million people walking into our country uninvited, the advance guard of a Third World invasion that will change the character and composition of the United States.”  (Pat Buchanan, 5/14/2021)

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TRUTH DIES IN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Museum claims it’s putting on the most important show in its 194-year history. And it’s right: This proves that truth is now officially dead. That is a huge deal for a museum. On Saturday, the Australian Museum will open Unsettled, an exhibition about the “devastation” of colonisation that it says “illuminates the power of truth-telling.” But truth-telling is the last thing to now expect in a museum we funded for generations to promote it.

For one, this exhibition treats as true the “stolen generations” – the myth that “generations” of children were stolen from caring parents just because they were Aboriginal.

I’ve challenged activists for two decades to name even just 10 such children. Prove they were taken because they were Aboriginal, not because they were neglected, abandoned, abused or sent away to school.

But worse is this museum’s fact-lite promotion of atrocity claims.

Its exhibition includes a huge map of Australia claiming to show where whites massacred Aborigines. We are asked to believe that in 1921 almost two-thirds of Australia was a massacre site.   (Australian Museum’s ‘Stolen Generation,’ show proves that truth is officially dead,” Andrew Bolt, SMH, 5/16/2021)

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Ministers in ‘furious’ row over Australia trade deal

UK cabinet ministers are locked in a “furious” battle over whether to sign off on a trade deal with Australia that would grant Australian farmers tariff-free access to UK markets.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss is pushing for the deal but she faces “stiff opposition” from Environment Secretary George Eustice, who fears a “backlash” from the UK farming industry, according to the Financial Times.   (The Week, 5/18/2021)

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JUST A THOUGHT

After my comment last week that you can’t trust the French, a comment was posted by a fellow Englishman who asked if you can trust the British.   Good point.   The British joined the EU in 1973, signing the Treaty of Rome.  They have since reneged on this.  Now, they are breaking the Brexit rules.  

There’s a famous patriotic song called “Rule Britannia,” sung every year at the Last Night of the Proms, which contains the words “Britannia rules the waves.”  These words were inspired by Britain’s naval supremacy, which ended with World War II.   Sometime after the war, a short book was written titled “Britannia waives the rules,” as Britain turned its back on its former dominions.

Clearly, you can’t trust the English, either.

It was a Frenchman, the Marquis de Ximenès (1726–1817), who first coined the term “Perfidious Albion,” claiming that England could not be trusted when it came to international relations.  Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain.

This reminds me of a British TV series a few years ago about Anglo-French relations.  It was called “With Friends Like These.”

Perhaps the problem is democracy.  Governments change hands regularly – and policies, too.   The US is no different as we are witnessing right now under President Biden.

Maybe you can’t trust politicians?  Or maybe it’s just human nature!