| Kensington Review |
17 June 2026 |
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Cogito Ergo Non Serviam |
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Latest Commentary: Makerfield By-Election Sees Left United, Right Divided -- Tomorrow, the voters in the constituency of Makerfield (which is near Manchester and includes parts of Wigan) will go to the polls to elect a new MP. The reason for the by-election was the sudden resignation of their sitting MP as part of the slow moving leadership challenge (which has not officially started yet). Andy Burnham, who is currently Mayor of Greater Manchester, wants to be an MP so he can challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for the keys to Number 10 Downing Street. Based on current polling, Mr. Burnham will win the by-election because the right is divided while the left is united behind him. [17 June] US-Iran Peace up to Netanyahu -- Chess players are familiar with the concept of a "fork," a position on the board whereby a piece can attack two or more pieces of the opponent on the next move. The opponent must decide which loss he would prefer to suffer, losing a rook instead of a queen for instance. The recent announcement from Pakistan that the US and Iran have agreed on a memorandum of understanding regarding peace talks has forked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The PM must either continue his war in Lebanon and wait for Iran to blow up the peaec talks or he must stop his war against Hezboallah right before an election, risking defeat for being soft on the enemy. The peace memo with succeed or fail based on what he does. Right now, he is more likely to blow things up than acquiesce, but that could change instantly. [16 June] US, Iran Exchange Fire -- The United States and Iran continue fighting each other during the ceasefire that allegedly came into effect in April. The Iranians appear to have shot down a US helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, despite the White House claiming Iran has no military left. So, Mr. Trump felt he had to retaliate, striking several targets in Iran, including two reservoirs leaving many non-combatants without drinking water. Iran, therefore, let fly some missiles that hit US bases in the Gulf. If Mr. Trump wants to escalate, here is his chance, but it is TACO day everyday at the White House. Trump Always Chickens Out is why this will peter out here. [10 June] Belfast Erupts in Violence -- That headline looks like something from the 1970s or 1980s, before the Good Friday Agreement that ended the sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics. Today, that headlines speaks to a more recent issue, the inability of the immigrants who have settled in Northern Ireland to find a place in a new land. Anti-immigrant feeling is, of course, stupid, but that does not prevent it from being widespread. Despite the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, one need not love each and every neighbor; toleration is an acceptable response. If Northern Ireland is to avoid a return to violence, this nonsense has to stop now. [2 June] Dems, Not GOP, Looking for Post-Trump Paths-- The United States has begun its primary season in earnest, setting the stage for the November general election. With Mr. Trump done as president after this term, both parties are looking for a formula, package or simply an image that will help them succeed after he is gone. Do the Democrats run toward the center as they did in 1992 (prefering Bill Clinton to Jerry Brown – a poor decision) or do they go full-blown AOC, Mamdani Bernie Sanders? Does the Republican't Party continue as a cult of personality without the personality? Or does it return to its pro business, small government mantra? Or is there some other thing lurking out there? The results of the primaries suggest that no one really knows, yet. [10 June] © Copyright 2026 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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23 Years Online Volume XXIV, Number 87
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