May

Brexit Failure Buries May

May 24, 2019 by GregC

Listen to “Brexit Failure Buries May” on Spreaker.

British Prime Minister Theresa May says she will resign next month over her inability to get a Brexit deal approved by parliament, and a former aide to the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher says new leadership will likely mean a clean exit for the country from the European Union.

May took office in 2016 in the wake of British voters approving Brexit. Prime Minister David Cameron immediately stepped down after vigorously leading the effort to defeat Brexit. Cameron said a supporter should lead the effort to leave the EU, but May’s approach led to one failure after another.

“Theresa May has failed to deliver on Brexit. She has also been seen within the conservative party as incredibly weak in her dealings with the European Union,” said Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation and a former assistant to Thatcher after she left office.

May spearheaded two failed attempts for a Brexit deal to clear the House of Commons. It was clear her third attempt would fare no better. Gardiner says the prime minister suffered loss after loss because she kept pursuing the wrong priorities.

“The agreement between the British government and the European Union is in many ways a very bad deal. It doesn’t guarantee that Britain is able to exit the EU Customs Union. What that means is that Britain would not be able to sign its own free trade agreements. It would be subject to EU tariffs It would be, in essence, still a part of the European Union,” said Gardiner.

“In many ways, Theresa Mayu is the antithesis of Margaret Thatcher. She displayed no real courage in the negotiations with the European Union. She did not stand up to the EU. She caved in to all of their demands. It was a disastrous handling of Brexit and it’s time now for a new prime minister who actually fully believes in Brexit and is going to deliver on it,” added Gardiner.

Conservative Party members already raised two no-confidence votes against May, but she survived both challenges. Gardiner believes efforts to change the party rules to remove May, coupled with a looming disaster in EU parliamentary elections, played a significant role in May’s decision to resign now.

“I think she jumped before she was really pushed out,” said Gardiner.

Former London Mayor Boris Johnson is seen as the front-runner to become party leader but Gardiner expects 10-15 people to run for the position. And he’s confident that whoever emerges will be serious about implementing the Brexit that voters approved three years ago.

“The majority of leading contenders to replace Theresa May are Brexiteers. They’re people who voted for Brexit and believe in Brexit and who are prepared to implement a no-deal Brexit as well,” said Gardiner.

Listen to the full podcast to hear Gardiner explain the specific Brexit idea that sealed May’s doom within her own party and how the leadership change will likely impact U.S.-British relations for the better.

The Brexit Stalemate: What’s In it for the U.S.?

January 23, 2019 by GregC

Listen to “The Brexit Stalemate: What’s In it for the U.S.?” on Spreaker.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is assembling a new plan to pursue the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, but this effort is likely doomed as well since no consensus exists to honor the Brexit wishes of the voters.

May’s most recent Brexit plan was crushed in the House of Commons, largely because her own Conservative Party cannot agree on a strategy and opposing parties don’t want to help her either.

“Within the Conservative Party, there’s a huge split between those who see the deal as a repudiation of what the people voted for. Over 17 million Britons voted to leave the European Union and they don’t see this deal that she put forward to them as actually bringing about a removal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

“Then you have another element within her party I think that believes that this deal does too much,” said Daniel Kochis, a scholar at the Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom.

Kochis agrees with the first argument, that May is trying to force through a plan that will still leave the UK beholden to the European Union, specifically the customs union.

“I don’t think that this withdrawal agreement did enough. It kept the United Kingdom in this sort of de facto limbo or perpetual limbo, where they were going to have to abide by the same sort of regulations and rules emanating from the EU but they would have lost their seat at the table to vote on those to help shape them,” said Kochis.

“Many members of the British public and of Theresa May’s own party saw this for what it was. It was a soft way to keep the UK within the European Union, They rejected that as not something the British people voted for,” he added.

But what is the U.S. interest in all of this British drama? Kochis says a lot could be at stake and the U.S. stands to benefit from a clean Brexit.

“It’s in our interest to have a United Kingdom that is sovereign, that can dictate it’s own trade policy, that can dictate it’s own border policy and not allowing itself to take in hundreds or thousands of people against the will of their own citizens.”

“It would allow them to be a strong defense partner for the United States. For instance, [Britain is] one of the key intelligence allies the United States has. There is some concern that were they to stay in the European Union that that could be damaged,” said Kochis, who also thinks a bilateral trade deal with the British could be a very good thing for our relationship and our economy.

Listen to the full podcast as Kochis explains why the UK leaving the European Union without a deal on March 29 might be the best case scenario. He also explains why Theresa May keeps hanging on to her job despite repeated failures at getting a Brexit deal approved.

The British Battle on Terrorism

June 6, 2017 by GregC

Cherished freedoms make the fight against radical Islam more difficult in the United States and the United Kingdom but the battle can be won through the ideas and by putting an end to cultural coddling of radical ideologies, according to a terrorism expert with extensive ties to the UK.

Frustrations over recent, deadly terrorist attacks in London and Manchester are more aggravated by stories revealing one of the terrorists was featured in a documentary called “The Jihadis Next Door” and made no secret about his support for jihad and that more than 20,000 people in the UK are of concern to authorities.

However, Anglosphere Society Founder Amanda Bowman says rounding up these suspects is much tougher to do in a free society.

“The problem that we are dealing with in the United States and the United Kingdom is that you can’t actually detain people until they do something, because in our countries we respect the right to speak out,” said Bowman, who also ran the New York office of the Center for Security Policy for eight years.

“We are now, both in the U.S. and the UK and in western Europe, the victims of our own tolerant societies and what makes it so worthwhile to be American or to be British,” said Bowman.

But that tolerance has a limit, as British Prime Minister Theresa May said in the wake of the London attacks.

“There is, to be frank, far too much tolerance of extremism in our country. So we need to become far more robust in identifying it and stamping it out, across the public sector and across society. That will require some difficult and often embarrassing conversations,” said May.

Bowman says May is right on target but has also contributed to the problem at times.

“I think she in many ways has, like much of the UK, in the name of multiculturalism, has been tolerant for the intolerant,” said Bowman.

Bowman says there has to be much stronger resistance to the Islamist ideology behind the attacks.

“We tolerate the intolerable and we don;t stand up and make our values the values that they need to embrace if they want to be part of British society. That’s a lesson for Americans as well,” said Bowman.

Bowman says May has a tough balancing act in getting tough on radical Islam while also reaching out to Muslims for cooperation on who is actually planning to carry out deadly attacks. She says May and others should be pointing out that it is in the best interest of Muslims to root out the evil from their midst.

“What she’s recognizing she has to do is to galvanize the more tolerant Muslim population so that they take on this as their problem and not look upon it as our problem. They have to stand up and be British before they’re Muslim,” said Bowman.

A big part of that, says Bowman, is gutting the allure of terrorism.

“Part of the problem is that for a lot of these young people, it all seems very glamorous and it’s not. It’s just wicked and evil and deeply against everything we stand for,” said Bowman.

Bowman says it’s impossible for any nation to marshal the resources to monitor 20,000 people 24 hours a day, but she says having vigilant eyes in key places is important, especially in the mosques.

“If you see something in your mosque, say something. Much of this radicalization, while much of it is online, a great deal of it happens in the privacy of mosques with radical imams. The United Kingdom has allowed radical imams in the name of free speech to speak out and to galvanize and to inspire these terrible acts,” said Bowman.

Bowman does expect May and the Conservative Party to win Thursday’s parliamentary elections, but by a much narrower margin than if the London and Manchester attacks had not taken place. She says Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has his own issues in the wake of the attacks since he has aligned himself very publicly with some radical Islamic figures.

Thus, Bowman does not expect many May supporters to switch sides, but she does fear a substantial number will stay home.

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‘This Is the Difference Between a Culture of Life and a Culture of Death’

May 23, 2017 by GregC

British Prime Minister Teresa May says it is hard to comprehend why anyone would want to indiscriminately kill so many innocent people at Monday’s concert in Manchester, but terrorism victim and expert Brigitte Gabriel says there is a clear explanation for why this happens and she also blasting the UK for worrying more about diversity than condemning radical Islam in the wake of the attack.

On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister May condemned the attacks and was at a loss of words for how anyone could want to kill children.

“We struggle to comprehend the warped and twisted mind that sees a room packed with young children not as a scene to cherish but as an opportunity for carnage,” said May.

Gabriel, president of Act for America and author of “They Must Be Stopped,” says there is a clear explanation for such a mindset.

“This is the difference between a culture of life and a culture of death. The reason this Islamic radical would target such a location is because they look at things differently than we do,” said Gabriel.

In the case of Monday’s Arianna Grande concert, Gabriel says Islamic radicals and westerners see the event very differently. Whereas most people in the West view the concert as young people having fun on a lovely night, she says our enemies see something very different in Grande and her fans.

“He sees a skanky young, what they call a bad word, somebody dancing on the stage with a bunch of wannabe, will be as they grow up, women that will become just like her who are of no value. He saw no value in their life and that’s why he killed them,” said Gabriel.

The terrorist is identified as 22-year-old Salman Abedi, the son of Libyan refugees. Gabriel says this appears to be another example of refugees coming west and refusing to embrace the culture of their new home.

“These refugees who are coming into our western countries are not really assimilating, even though we give them homes, we give them jobs, we give them money, and we welcome them with open arms,” said Gabriel.

“These radicals are not grateful. A radical like this person, even though he was taken in, he was given refuge, given money, given support by the tax dollars of the parents of these same girls that he blew up,” said Gabriel.

While condemnation among UK leaders has been swift, Prime Minister May and others have been quick to ascribe responsibility to the bomber alone. In her statement, May did not address the larger threat posed by radical Islam.

Greater Manchester Chief Constable Ian Hopkins was quick to cheer the diversity in the city and promised reprisals for any mistreatment of specific groups.

“More than ever, it is vital to have diverse communities that make Greater Manchester such a strong place that actually stand together and support each other,” said Hopkins. “We will, therefore, not tolerate hate towards any part of our community. Should communities be suffering from hate incidents or crime, then I would please urge them to report it to us.”

Gabriel is disgusted by that approach.

“We are tired of being lectured about, ‘Oh, this is not a time for hate.’ Who’s hating anybody? If there is any hate directed towards anybody it’s from that Islamic radical and the Islamic radicals that support him, that harbor him, that finance him, that encourage him, that encourage him to go out and kill innocent, young, beautiful young girls, enjoying a beautiful evening,” said Gabriel.

She says there is great unity where it ought to matter most.

“We are already diverse. We are already unified as people who love freedom. We come together as Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and everybody who loves our freedom and condemn the terrorist attacks conducted in the name of Islamic terrorism,” said Gabriel.

“It is Islamic terrorism. It is not Buddhist terrorism, Mennonite terrorism, Maronite terrorism, or any other terrorism other than Islamic terrorism,” said Gabriel.

Gabriel says British officials and anyone else who chooses to ignore the central issue in these attacks is begging for more of them.

“If Europe is going to continue going down the path of speaking nonsense and empty words and feeling sorrow and seeing the British flag reflected on the Eiffel Tower on everybody’s Facebook and #WeStandwithEngland and #We StandwithManchester, that doesn’t change anything. It’s about time they come up with solutions for how they’re going to control the problem. Otherwise, they’re going to end up getting exactly the same thing,” said Gabriel.

So what are those solutions? Gabriel says all governments need to ramp up their technological expertise to keep up with terrorists and, preferably, stay a step or two ahead of them. She also recommends greater scrutiny of where incitement breeds, starting with the mosques.

“Start monitoring the mosques. A person cannot live in a vacuum. A person like this, who is very devout, is a part of a community that harbors and preaches that kind of violence,” said Gabriel.

“When you attend mosques in Europe on any given Friday, they are talking about killing the infidels and going on jihad. It has already been documented how radical Islamic mosques are, especially in Europe,” said Gabriel.

She says social media is another area where counter-terrorism officials must get serious.

“Start working with the communities of social media and the companies that own social media, where they can immediately crack down on all these people that are posting these things on their websites or tracking them as saying something suspicious on Twitter,” said Gabriel.

She says without getting proactive, people like Abedi – who was reportedly known to police – are harder to stop.

“The lesson for us is where there is smoke there is fire. If there is anybody being monitored by the FBI, by the CIA, by the intelligence community, whether here or any other country in the world, if somebody is on your radar do something before it’s too late,” said Gabriel.

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