Day: June 27, 2016

All Dressed Up And No One To Speak

I have been watching the news about the GOP convention that is coming up……first the Never Trump people have hired staff and looks like they intend on being some sort of spoiler during the event…..

Next….if you ever watched a convention then you are aware that they have endless supply of boring tools speak….some even try to set the stage for their next election bid…..but this year there seems to be a slight hole in the amount of speakers willing to show up……or should that be….throw up?

Almost as bad as a party no one RSVPs to: a national political convention where you’re the presumed nominee and people are either reluctantly attending, turning down high-profile speaking opportunities, or not coming at all. That’s what Politico reveals after a somewhat cringe-inducing inquiry into who’s interested in speaking at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland next month, noting that after placing calls to more than 50 big-name senators, governors, and House reps, the usually coveted speaking roles aren’t garnering much interest in “the year of Trump.” “Only a few said they were open to it—and everyone else said they either weren’t planning on it, didn’t want to, weren’t going to Cleveland at all, or simply didn’t respond,” the site notes. It documents a list of “terse to abrupt” reactions from pols, with some noting they’d declined long ago; others giving noncommittal answers like “I haven’t thought about it”; and still others citing previous engagements, like Rep. Trey Gowdy, who will be going to the beach instead.

Even Trump’s former rivals are hedging on an RNC speaking gig, usually seen as a “precious commodity,” per Politico: Marco Rubio doesn’t think he’ll even be asked (and he says he won’t Trump-stump if he is), while a John Kasich rep gave a “no comment.” All of that falls under “passive GOP” news: Per a Sunday conference call, a more active group—what Politico deems “anti-Trump forces”—is dispatching an “advance team” to Cleveland this week to try to keep Trump from nabbing the nomination. It will try to “unbind” delegates so they’re free to “vote their conscience,” resulting in seeming confusion among delegates on exactly how to do that, as well as pushback from pro-Trump delegates, including one who calls attempts to derail Trump a “desperate, selfish attempt at self-promotion by a very tiny minority of the national Republican delegates.”

The GOP is hemorrhaging members worse then a gun shot to the femoral artery…..are we witnessing something historic….or is it just something pathetic?

Brexit’s Implications for the United States

Sorry for hitting everyone over the head with the “Brexit” stuff…but I have major pain issues today and I am depending on drafts to get the day done…….hopefully tomorrow will be a better day….

The big vote last week when Britain decided to leave the EU has brought about a wealth of speculation…..as usual Americans do not have much of an opinion basically because they cannot see the big picture just the momentary snap shot in the news….

This will be one of my last posts on the “Brexit” story…….I will try and present as much info as possible on this situation for those that may be interested enough to read……(like that would ever happen)…..

The United States remains the world’s indispensable nation — indispensable to international peace, security, and stability, and indispensable to safe-guarding and advancing the ideals and principles we hold dear.

Source: FPI Resources: Brexit’s Implications for the United States | Foreign Policy Initiative

This source has multiple sources to help understand the event….

Could this vote be the end of the United Kingdom?

While the results of last night’s Brexit referendum put a square majority of voters in favor of leaving the European Union, the vote split starkly across geographic regions, with Northern Ireland and every single district in Scotland voting decisively to stay. Ultimately it was England and Wales that carried the night.

That’s not necessarily the end of things, however, with Scotland’s First Minister calling the Brexit referendum “democratically unacceptable,” and vowing that the Scottish government would immediately move toward another independence referendum.

Scottish independence lost a vote in 2014, but at the time the narrative was that voting to remain within the UK was vital to staying in the EU, with the corollary that Britain might not let an independent Scotland into the EU. That argument was seen as a major centerpiece of the anti-independence movement. Just a year and a half later, remaining part of the UK has meant Scotland being dragged out of the EU against its will, and with the belief that Scotland was sold a bill of goods, the SNP is pushing to re-do the referendum on the basis of the new reality.

Northern Ireland might not be far behind, with the major Sinn Fein party calling for a vote within the region to withdraw from the United Kingdom and unite with EU member Ireland,. a long-time ambition for many in Northern Ireland at any rate.

Even tiny Gibraltar, which voted over 95% to remain in the EU, might be up for grabs, with Spain pushing for Britain to allow joint control of the tiny region as a way to keep the rock within the European Union’s economy.

But what about the rest of the continent?  Who will follow and who will stay?

Brexit dominated the Greek media on Friday. After so much drama over Greece’s potential exit from the EU and its heroic efforts to remain in the bloc, it was British voters who elected to leave.

Following international trends, the Athens stock market plunged, and Greek tour agencies expressed concerns about whether the result would hurt the flow of British tourists.

(antiwar.com)

Source: After Brexit, could there be Grexit? – News from Al Jazeera

With the European Union still reeling after last night’s British referendum coming out solidly in favor of withdrawing from the Union, Euroskeptic movements elsewhere on the continent are gaining momentum, with calls for votes in several nations.

French presidential front-runner Marine Le Pen is openly threatening a “Frexit” vote if elected, saying she would push for negotiations to expand French sovereignty within the EU and, if unsuccessful, move straight on to leaving the union, saying Britain “is setting a precedent.”

If Dutch MP Geert Wilders has his way, the Netherlands would be the next to hold a referendum. Recent opinion polls in the Netherlands show a major in favor of holding such a referendum, and while there’s not an overall majority in favor of leaving yet, analysts believe the British departure will add to that movement.

Italy’s Northern League, another Euroskeptic group, is also calling for a law that would allow such a referendum to take place. The Italian constitution currently does not allow referenda on international agreements, so such a law change would need to take place before they could hold any sort of binding vote

(antiwar.com)

Speaking of the Netherlands……

The referendum result puts the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, and the mainstream political parties supporting him in an awkward position. After Ireland, no country in the eurozone has closer economic and financial ties to the UK, with both nations favouring free trade and close relations to Washington. The Netherlands has huge investments in the UK and followed Britain into its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Royal Dutch Shell, Unilever and Elsevier are all successful Anglo-Dutch multinationals.

Source: Why the Dutch won’t rush to Nexit and follow Britain out of the EU | Joris Luyendijk | Opinion | The Guardian

Please read and if you have any questions I will try and answer them as best I can….if not I have several regulars that have opinions on this situation and I am sure they will be thrilled to share those with you.

“Brexit” The Sequel

Last week the world went batcrap crazy…..you see Britain voted to leave the EU and that set off days of speculation by the media….especially who would be the next nation to choose the path of exit……will it be Greece (my choice) or maybe Holland or Italy or Denmark…even France because they were never completely on board with the whole EU thingy……

I could write about these wannabes but instead I would like to write about the “exit” thing here in the US.

I know what could I possibly be talking about, right?

Texas fools!

How many times has the subject come up in the news with Texas attached to it?

After the “Brexit” vote and all the news coverage and all the worthless speculation….the whole secession thing has once again come up and Texas  center…….

Not content with celebrating liberty on July 4, a group of Texans has gleaned inspiration from Brexit—the UK’s decision to leave the EU—with its own push for independence. The similar-sounding “Texit” movement, which gained significant support online Friday, is mainly being pushed by the Texas Nationalist Movement, which is basically the US soulmate of the UK secession initiative, according to its leader, David Miller, right down to the “Leave” campaign slogan that TNM says it’s been using for years. With a motto of “Texas First, Texas Forever,” the group, like those behind Brexit, advocates for “self-government,” Miller tells News.com.au. “At this moment, we don’t enjoy that right,” he says. “The vast majority of the laws, rules, and regulations that affect the people of Texas are created by the political class or unelected bureaucrats in Washington.”

Vocativ decided to see how often the phrase “Texit” has been used in 2016 and found that online references spiked after the Brexit tally came in. Nearly 1,800 people tweeted something Texit-related in the hour of the announcement, with thousands more tweets following. Some of the posts are frighteningly serious, others are somewhat clever (cue the “most likely to secede” memes), and still others can’t do anything but virtually shake their heads. It’s not the first time some of the state’s residents have vied for a breakaway: Right after President Obama’s reelection, the White House turned down a petition signed by 125,000 people calling for Texas’ freedom, Fox News reported. One Texit supporter tells the Guardian that a secession would bring back “Texas solutions” on issues such as gay marriage, gun rights, and immigration. (Here, a fewlegaltakes on secession rules.)

I am sick of hearing this crap from Texas…I say if they like then by God let’s let them go……but first build that Trump wall around the state and only put in a couple of in and out gates….and then we will see just how serious these fools are about leaving the union……

If they do not want to be part of the US then let the f*ckers go!  I am sick of listening to these whiney twats……let them GO!

UK: Wassup Now?

Last week the people of the UK voted to leave the EU by a small margin…..(and the peasants danced)…..now that Cameron is gone and the UK is leaving….what will it take to slip out of town?

Britain has voted to leave the European Union, but any such split is still years away. Here’s a look at what happens next:

  • Thursday’s vote isn’t legally binding, meaning Britain must still formally notify the EU of its intention to leave. To do so, it would invoke the never-before-used Article 50 of the EU treaty, which in turn sets off a two-year period of negotiations over the exit, explains CNN.
  • But when that two-year clock starts ticking is still unclear. In theory, outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron could inform the EU at a meeting as early as next week. But Cameron said Friday he thinks it makes more sense for his successor to do so, notes the New York Times. That would push back the notification at least a few months.
  • Even after the clock starts ticking, the exit won’t necessarily be figured out within two years. A quote from the BBC: “It’s not possible to predict exactly how long it would take, but comparable international trade deals have taken on average between four and nine years.”
  • The Telegraph: “Untying Britain from the old membership is the easy bit. Harder would be agreeing [on] a new trading relationship, establishing what tariffs and other barriers to entry are permitted, and agreeing on obligations such as free movement. Such a process, EU leaders claim, could take another five years.”
  • Why are things so vague? “The Treaty of Lisbon was drafted with the idea that [Article 50] would not be used, and to make it pretty hard to exit in a smooth way,” a Cambridge lecturer tells the Independent.
  • And there’s this: Because Thursday’s vote isn’t legally binding, “there are a few ways it could theoretically be blocked or overturned,” notes Vox. The Guardian suggests one: Parliament could instruct the prime minister not to invoke Article 50.
  • Also possible: A second referendum to undo the first.

Wait!  Article 50?

Glad you asked……Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty……

Article 50

  • 1. Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.

2. A Member State which decides to withdraw shall notify the European Council of its intention. In the light of the guidelines provided by the European Council, the Union shall negotiate and conclude an agreement with that State, setting out the arrangements for its withdrawal, taking account of the framework for its future relationship with the Union. That agreement shall be negotiated in accordance with Article 218(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It shall be concluded on behalf of the Union by the Council, acting by a qualified majority, after obtaining the consent of the European Parliament.

3. The Treaties shall cease to apply to the State in question from the date of entry into force of the withdrawal agreement or, failing that, two years after the notification referred to in paragraph 2, unless the European Council, in agreement with the Member State concerned, unanimously decides to extend this period.

4. For the purposes of paragraphs 2 and 3, the member of the European Council or of the Council representing the withdrawing Member State shall not participate in the discussions of the European Council or Council or in decisions concerning it.

A qualified majority shall be defined in accordance with Article 238(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

5. If a State which has withdrawn from the Union asks to rejoin, its request shall be subject to the procedure referred to in Article 49.

And that’s the name of that tune!