lock him up
While it’s still unlikely given the turnout of young Brits, the sight of PM Corbyn dumping Farage off on Mueller’s doorstep would be hilarious.
I give Mueller some credit thus far. Whether he has simply freed up McCabe and Boente to move more aggressively or whether he is taking this on himself with his team, this investigation seems more organized and is more communicative with the public than the Comey led investigation. Farage is an obvious target. He was at the GOP convention, went to TT multiple times, and knew/met every single Russian asset in the US (as well as the UK). He is at the nexus of a lot of contacts between Russia and Trump, particular as it relates to the hackers and social media assets that RU used.
Farage needs to consider looking into whether the London Ecuadorian Embassy guest quarters have bunk beds.
Regarding the UK election, I lived in the UK for 2 years and go back frequently. I sense a different climate this time around as compared to 2015. Theresa May could actually be in some trouble. YouGov polls might be the canary in the coal mine, not the outlier that many in the UK think. Keep in mind that the Tories don’t have to actually ‘lose’ to lose. Their system is as messed up as our own. If the distribution of votes in swing districts favors non Tories, then her absolute majority could be at risk and there is a non-trivial possibility that Corbyn could form a minority coalition gov’t with other partners with the largest party, the Conservative party, being cut out.
A few things jump out at me in this upcoming election as compared to 2015:
- Energy seems to be stronger than expected on the Labour side. They’re way more active on social media and have done a good job of marketing a bad brand in Corbyn.
- The economy has not improved since Brexit. They haven’t performed well in comparison to other European countries over the same time period. That compare/contrast matters in Europe.
- May didn’t show up for the debate and is running on Brexit. I think she thinks Brexit is more popular than it actually is. Brexit has a strong following on the right, but in the center and left, the issue averages out to ambivalence. People want Brexit to deliver results (like the soft Trump voter or O to T voter).
- Labour isn’t targeting Brexit but is targeting specific issues like wages, poverty, health care and immigration. So a Labour voter who was pro-Brexit might think that they can vote Labour to secure the safety net and domestic investment and still keep their Brexit.
- Corbyn’s tax plan, as described in the debate, sounded much closer to those of center-left Dems like Obama and Clinton than far left. I think he might not come off as quite as extreme.
- The reaction of England to the Manchester attack didn’t strike me as a country moving to the far right. It was a much more responsible and balanced reaction than I was expecting.
All this said, I’m not predicting a Labour win. But I think this could be a narrower Tory win that costs them seats in the parliament, and maybe enough to cost them an outright majority where they will have to scramble to form a coalition with UKIP. The worst case scenario for the Tories is that they fall below the threshold even with UKIP help to form a government and Labour gets a crack at forming one with the Lib Dems and SNP.
It sounds to me like the dots are being connected. I’m finding myself less and less doubtful that they’ll be able to prove collusion at the top.
I know it can’t happen, but it’s still fun to imagine how Farage would do in prison.
Too late. Analogous to the airlines, that venue is double-booked for the next several years. They’ll have to have the neighborhood rezoned multi-family and several wings added on by the time Mueller is through.
What I found amusing was his protest that he has never been to Russia. But whether or not he’s been to Russia really isn’t relevant to the POI inquiry. Perhaps he’s never been to Zambia also.
In this semi-global drama, he’s essentially (Little) England’s Trump.
Louder:
Lock him up!
The NSA seems to have already established collusion. I suggest more people pay attention to John Schindler’s eye-opening reporting on this in the Observer.
At the intersection between Brit and Twit, I give you Nigel Farage!
If anyone deserves a comeuppance it’s Farage.
If Trump has a fellow traveler on the road to helping Russia, this is the guy.
Neither does Farage dispute the FBI’s interest in him. He merely complains about a vast left wing conspiracy.
I was there during the Brexit vote last summer, which devastated every one of our friends all being Labourites or Greens. Except for, it is hoped, reversing some tax policies and saving the NHS, a left victory next week will not reverse the UK leaving the EU, which is a huge blow. Further, Corbyn was anti-EU, so even if a Labour led government pushed through a second vote, it would be suicide for whatever post-election coalition is cobbled together.
If the Tories score a less than 51% majority, I don’t believe there is enough support left for UKIP to work out a coalition. I believe parliament will end up with a Labour-LibDem coalition and, if they are smart, they will throw enough bones to the Greens to bring them in. Labour and the Greens actually hold the same positions on a lot of issues.
I really hope it works out this way as my friends are not happy and have legitimate concerns about the future of the UK. If the Tories continue down the destructive road they have chosen, I really hope that Scotland and N. Ireland leave the UK in order to stay connected to the EU.
This is sweet. IF there is anyone I cannot abide worse than Trump himself it’s Farage.
Yes. I don’t see Labour reversing Brexit. But, I think they’ll slow it down, think it through and maybe do it in phases, with a more humane approach on immigration.
Me too. I has always looked to me like the perfect set-up for Ireland to become one country and I hope they do.
Nonetheless, again, most of my friends will be sorry to lose Scotland in the process and most seem to like Ireland better than Northern Ireland.