Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Nigerian Protests on Pause, Not Over -- Youth protested against another police killing of a black man. This time, it was not in the US, but rather in Nigeria. The Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigerian police was, until it was disbanded a few days ago, a crime family that plundered mostly young people to make up for lousy police pay. Sometimes, the victim resists, and in those cases, sometimes, the citizen winds up dead. The streets of Nigeria's southern cities have been filled with protesters, but the government has threatened a crackdown. For now, it appears the kids will stay home. However, the problems in Nigeria mean that the day of reckoning has only been postponed. [26 October]
Tory Resigns from Government After Voting to Feed Kids -- The idea of resigning over principles is a quaint old notion that is anathema to most of today's careerist politicians. When one actually stands up for what is right, that person deserve recognition. Britain's Caroline Ansell, who represents Eastbourne and Willingdon in the House of Commons, is a member of the Conservative Party and until a short while ago was also a parliamentary private secretary in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She voted with the Labour Party today and resigned as PPS. Four Conservative backbenchers also voted with the oppostion. The issue was feeding hungry kids. Three cheers and an MBE for Ms. Ansell, and OBEs for the other brave four. [22 October]
Trump Trails in Campaing Funding -- The Trump campaign was supposed to have a massive financial advantage in this election season. With an alleged billionaire able to write himself a check and with unlimited corporate donations thanks to the Citizens United decision, the president's re-election bid was supposed to swamp the Democrats with a tsunami of funding. Instead, the campaign has spend a billion or so dollars to be almost 10 points behind Joe Biden. In the last two weeks, they are going to be outspent, and that is having effects on where they spend what they do have. [21 October]
Brexit Negotiations Still Dead -- The pandemic has taken up most of the political oxygen in Britain, with a three-tiered system for not addressing the problem effectively. However, Brexit is still going ahead, and the negotiations between London and Brussels are up against a deadline just over two months away. The transition period ends as 2020 becomes 2021 on December 31. Then, the agreement between the two kicks in, except there is no agreement. Moreover, the Johnson government says the negotiations are dead. The EU has just yielded on all the pre-conditions the government asked for, but the negotiations are still dead, just like Monty Python's parrot. [20 October]
New Zealand Re-Elects Ardern -- New Zealand's Labour Party has just won the latest election. It garnered 49% of the vote, and it will have about 64 of the 120 seats in the country's unicameral legislature. It is the party's best result in 50 years, and it is the best result since the nation switched to proportional representation almost a quarter of a century ago. The victory for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is the result of one simple thing: competence. She and her cabinet have faced serious difficulties, and they managed to get the right things done to protect the nation. [19 October]
© Copyright 2020 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
Volume XVIII, Number 197
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