| Kensington Review |
9 October 2024 |
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Cogito Ergo Non Serviam |
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Latest Commentary: Cleverly out of Tory Leadership Race -- In the game of political prognostication, it is rare when just about everyone is wrong. Yet, that is exactly what has happened in the Conservative Party leadership fight in the UK. The ballot today was to whittle the last three candidates down to two, and the conventional wisdom until an hour or so ago was that James Cleverly (a moderate) would go through on the strength of the surge his support showed yesterday. The other candidate would be either Kemi Badenoch of the far right and Rob Jenrick of the hard right. Mr. Cleverly, though, is out, and the activists will get to choose between Ms. Badenoch and Mr. Jenrick. It also means the Tories have lost the next election, which is still more than four years away. [9 October] Tories Drop Tugendhat from Leadership Race -- The marathon hunt for a successor to Rishi Sunak as leader of the British Conservative Party is moving again after a hiatus to allow for the party conference. Today, the 1922 Committee (the backbenchers of the Conservatives) voted to whittle the four contenders still in the race to three. Tomorrow, the three will become two. After that, the parliamentary party is done, and the party members in the countryside get to vote for the leader in a head-to-head, two-horse race. The candidate who finished fourth today is Tom Tugendhat, and he is out. That is a shame because he is the last of the One Nation Tories in the race. [8 October] Gaza War Turns One Year Old -- The war in Gaza began a year ago today when hundreds of Hamas fighters crossed into Israel from Gaza by hang gliders, motorbikes and on foot. They killed over 1,200 people and kidnapped another 250 or so. Then, they retreated to Gaza whence they came. In reply, the Israeli Defense Force has spent months reducing Gaza to rubble. In the process, they have killed around 42,000. The Israeli-Lebanese border has also seen activity with Hezbollah firing rockets into Israel, and Iran has thrown a few into the mix as well. So, Israel has sent its troops into Lebanon as well. The assessment here is that no one has achieved anything they really hoped to achieve, and there is no end in sight. Everyone is losing. [7 October] Unsealed Filing Shows Trump at Heart of Insurrenction -- Special Prosecutor Jack Smith filed a long motion with the federal court that is dealing with the January 6 rebellion a while ago. It addresses the Supreme Court's idiotic decision to give sitting presidents immunity from prosecution for official deeds. The issue is whether any of his plotting can be considered an official duty. Yesterday, Judge Tanya Chutkan unsealed a redacted version. It makes for horrifying reading.In showing why the actions are private, and therefore liable for prosecution, Mr. Smith has shown just how awful the behavior of the former president was on that day. It is disqualifying to say the least. [3 October] Israel Invades Lebanon, Iran Fires Missiles -- The mess in the Middle East got messier yesterday as the Israeli Defense Forces crossed the border into Lebanon in an attempt to push Hebollah's missile batteries farther back. Iran finally responded to the attacks on its territory by Israeli intelligence, launching 180 missiles at Israel. Israel has vowed to retaliate despite the fact that the only fatality from the missile barrage was a resident of Gaza. If the Israelis were to respond, the all-out war no one really wants will be that much closer. De-escalation makes sense, but the Netanyahu government and the mullahs in Iran do not seem to see it that way. The next few days will determine a lot about the future. [2 October] ©© Copyright 2024 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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21 Years Online Volume XXII, Number 149
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