Tag: Great Britain

Why Does The United Kingdom Exist?



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Let me begin by I have nothing against the nation of Great Britain. This is just me thinking out loud about something that is somewhat obvious — why does it exist? To most Americans, the UK is like our hometown. We have a sentimental attachment to it. It’s also kinda like a smarter, older relative who occasionally slipped us Playboys when we were younger.

My suggestion as to the possible break up of the UK is twofold. One is, Brexit. The Scots should be allowed to stay in the EU if they want to. As such, they should be allowed to leave the UK as well. As an aside, it’s at least possible that if the United States is having a massive clusterfuck over the 2020 election in late 2020 that the UK’s own Brexit clusterfuck might get thrown into the mix. Or not. Who knows.

Meanwhile, the other thing is, if you look at the map of Europe, the UK is the only multi-ethnic state remaining. The crown is really the only thing keeping the country together at this point. And when Queen Elizabeth II shuffles off this mortal coil, it’s likely the internal forces tearing the UK apart will only accelerate.

The surreal thing about it all is it’s my impression that the Boris Johnson’s government has all but given up trying to keep the country together in the first place.

Anyway, it’s not really my place to worry about such things. Not my country. But it will be quite jarring if the UK doesn’t exist anymore in the next 10 t0 20 years (or earlier.)

A Jeremy Corbyn Victory In Great Britain Would Be A Political Thunderclap

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I am just a clueless American when it comes to British politics. I know just enough to get myself in trouble, but let me prepare you: if Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn wins this week, be prepared for the instant political experts to pop out of the woodwork on Twitter, saying this is a huge win for The Resistance and may indicate that a “Blue Wave” may yet reach American shores.

I know enough about British politics that it is often seen as foreshadowing political trends in the States. So, in a way, it’s kind of like the Virginia governorship race. Since it’s the first big race after the presidential race, it’s come to be seen as a de facto referendum on whomever is in power.

In the late 1970s, Margret Thatcher in Britain was, in fact, an indication that the center-Right across the globe was ascendant and that the United States was ready for the Reagan Revolution of 1980. Given how much it seems the political establishment in Great Britain hates Corbyn, even a near-victory at this point would be enough to leave
experience political watchers in daze for a few days.

A lot of people in Washington and beyond would look at each other mouths agape at what had just happened. In real terms, it wouldn’t mean squat for Trump’s political fortunes. And it’s not like your typical Republican Trump supporter is going to be phased at any event beyond their parking lot.

So, really, at least in the United States, a Corbyn victory won’t mean much. It will definitely rattle around in our political system some, but Trump will still be president and we’re still going to be fucked. Yet it is an example of how the people who supported Trump thinking something would happen to him and Mike Pence would become president and usher in a new era of love and peace might have gotten more than they bargained for. At least, I really hope that’s the case. Those people really piss me off. They were really to be enormous hypocrites for no other reason that they wanted power, they wanted just the possibility that Mike Pence might be in line to be president.

Meanwhile, Rome burns.

Regardless, I hope Corbyn wins. As a moderate American liberal, the shock of a Corbyn win would be an actual cold hard political fact that I could cling on to while the good ship USS America continued to sink and its mad captain continued to rant at the helm.

But maybe Corbyn won’t win. I don’t know. I’m no expert, but Trump sure is doing everything in his power to piss the people of Great Britain off so they vote for Corbyn in defiance.