Labour Pains

Labour have imploded, the Limp Dims have lost more ground, the SNP have lost seats despite Labour’s travails. Only the Tories have had a good local election, gaining 164 council seats in Jockland. Meanwhile, in England, Labour have fared worse than Alex Salmond at a marathon. The Limp Dims continue their decline. UKIP have all but disappeared. Oh yes, a very satisfactory local election indeed. Let’s hope that the Delightful Mrs May continues her winning streak next month.

What a shame

Phil the Bubble is retiring

War hero, constant companion and consort to Good Queen Bess, founder of his great eponymous awards scheme and all round good bloke, the Duke of Edinburgh is finally retiring from public life at the grand old age of 96 (he is retiring after his birthday).

If anyone deserves a good retirement it is he, but there is only one downside. I will miss all of his off the cuff remarks and jokes that so upset the snowflakes of this world. I hope some other public figure picks up his baton!!  🙂

Clutching at straws

northern-ireland-customs-post-390x285Before German unification, the EU agreed a ‘GDR clause’, allowing easy access in the event of liberation. And now could N. Ireland be offered a similar deal when Brexit bites? Apparently the diplomatic community thinks so.

Just a couple of details to consider though. The province is fiercely British and unlikely to vote for integration with Eire; and Eire would be taking responsibilty for the N.I. economy – which is hardly high on their wish-list.

Recent reports however suggest that many EU leaders might be starting to see the folly of aggressive negotiations with London, perhaps under the influence of big business which will demand a seamless transition to the new order, and the growing threat from Beleavers in other EU states. Will they agree a strategy when they get together this weekend?

 

La Pauvre France

France has survived the first round of its obtuse presidential election system. Little Manny Macaroon and Marine Le Pen survived and France will have to choose between these two underwhelming specimens next month. Le Pen does not actually openly despise France and wish for it to be dissolved in an EU fantasy empire, but her economic manifesto is an absolute catastrophe. 1930s statism and protectionism failed then and they’d fare worse now. Even if she’s wrong about many things, and that her desire to withdraw from the eurozone and EU would be legally complicated to say the least, she is still motivated by a love for la France profonde. Little Manny Macaroon, the school boy who ran away with his French teacher, is favoured to win. He, naturally, has no clue about governance. However, he at least has a basic grasp of economics. He does, sadly, openly despise France having publicly denigrated it abroad. His idea of a foreign policy is the destruction of France as a sovereign state, being an even bigger euro-fanatic than Hollande. Neither candidate is what France needs. France needs strong and spirited leadership to end its drift — it needs someone who can read the mood outside Paris and Brussels. Neither, ultimately, does this. It seems as if Little Manny Macaroon is favoured to be the next president. He will have little support in parliament and his views on the EU and immigration are about as popular in France as a bad case of the clap. Should he, as he apparently intends to, emulate Blair and Obama France will be a year past its collapse in 2022.