Anti-immigrant backlash leads to Brexit

The people of Britain -- well, England and Wales at least -- gave the two-fingers-up sign to their kingdom's elites. (For our American readers, two fingers up is the British equivalent of flipping the bird.) In yesterday's referendum on the European Union, the Brits voted by a margin of 52% to 48% to head for the Brexit -- leave the failed experiment in one-worldism and go back to their old xenophobic ways.

Walt was able to watch the rolling commentary on ITN, and was greatly amused by the expressions of shock and horror on the faces of the analysts, experts, pundits, celebs and other members of the chattering classes. How, they asked, could the hoi polloi have been so stupid as to ignore the pleas of the Davids -- Cameron, Beckham et al. -- to remain in the (soon to be) Islamic States of Europe? Why, they must be nothing but a bunch of narrow-minded racists!

Well, no! IMHO the majority of Brits simply wanted to take back their country from the overbearing, out-of-touch Eurocrats. One of the leaders of the "Leave" campaign
Former London mayor Boris Johnson, said Britain will continue to be a "great European power" even when it leaves the EU. "We cannot turn our backs on Europe. We are part of Europe," he said, "but there is simply no need in the 21st century to be part of a federal system of government based in Brussels.... It was a noble idea for its time. It is no longer right for this country."

Mr Johnson was being rather diplomatic. In fact Britons have never really wanted to be part of Europe. They have never really felt like Europeans. The English Channel might as well be 1000 miles wide, for in the minds of the average Brit "the wogs [foreigners] start at Calais". Today that is more true than ever as British border guards patrol the outskirts of Calais -- that's in France -- to turn back the hordes of African and Arab "refugees" waiting there for a chance to jump on a truck bound for Britain.

Make no mistake about it. The influx of millions of foreigners -- symbolized by the ubiquitous "Polish plumber" -- provoked the anti-immigrant backlash which was the chief factor which propelled the "Brexiteers" to victory. John McDonnell, deputy leader of the Labour Party, who campaigned for the "Remain" side, said "A lot of people's grievances are coming out and we have got to start listening to them." Britons want out of the EU, and they want the foreigners out of Britain. Or at least, they don't want any more allowed in, and that's why they voted to regain control of the country's border.

Donald Trump saluted the Brexit vote as he arrived at his golf course in Scotland today, saying the British " took back their country; it’s a great thing." He said, "People are angry all over the world," and that the UK vote was driven by worries about "the borders". Mr Trump also said that people were angry about similar things in the United States. He suggested that other counties may follow the UK's lead. "This will not be the last," he added.

Indeed. The politicians who should be listening now to the voice of the real people are the leaders of Germany, France, and the USA. Walt is somewhat bemused by the anti-immigrant feelings of the Brits, considering that most of the Polish plumbers are white, Christian and able and willing to work. It could have been a lot worse, as has been the case in France and Germany, now being overrun by Arab and African Muslims who know no "work" other than begging, stealing and waging jihad against their hosts.

Nationalism is resurgent, not just in Britain but in the rest of Europe, and America too. Leaders who are in touch with their people are listening. One of the first to congratulate Britain's Leave campaign on the win and the pending separation was Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Freedom Party, who tweeted, "Hurrah for the British! Now it is our turn. Time for a Dutch referendum!" And Marine Le Pen, leader of France's Front National, called Brexit "a victory for liberty". And so it is. Well done, John Bull. Let the rest of the world take note.

Dear Amy: watch your language!

Agent 17 sent the following e-mail to syndicated advice columnist Amy Alkon.

In today's Palm Beach Post you were quoted numerous times using "I am like".
This is what I would consider more dumbing down of our language.
This seems to be an affliction of today's youth but I cringe when I see it in print from an educated adult columnist.
If you could explain this trend, I would appreciate it.

Here, as it appeared in pbpulse, is Leslie Gray Streeter's article ["puff piece", surely? Ed.] "Syndicated advice columnist and author Amy Alkon wants you to mind your manners!"

And here's what Ms. Alkon said that provoked Agent 17 to write to her. "So there were these kids in there riding on a Razor scooter, and the workers weren’t saying anything, so I told them that they needed not to do that. And their mother scowled at me like 'How dare you parent my child.' And I was like, 'Well, you weren’t doing it.'"

I agree. I'm...like...so pissed when smart people...like...pepper their speech with these...like...y'know...

I'm tempted to blame the decline of our written and spoken language on American education, but British and Canadian speakers do it too. Yes, George W. Bush, an educated man, drops his g's when speaking from the stump. But Tony Blair (M.A., Oxon.) affects the dreadful glottal stop characteristic of the "Estuary English" spoken by the likes of David Beckham. And Mr. Blair commonly prefaces a sentence with "Hey, look...", just as Ms. Alkon starts with "So..."

This debasement of the language of Shakespeare must be deliberate. I believe it's an attempt by the speakers to bring their discourse down to the level of "the common people".

In other words, "dumbing down". Why? So those whose comprehension stops at the second syllable can "relate" to the speaker. Of course. As Prince Charles might say, "It really is...like...appalling."

Tiger, Tiger burning bright

Between 5 and 8 p.m. yesterday I watched four TV newcasts: two local, one national and one "ethnic" -- in a language spoken by a large ethnic group. The lead story on all four was -- you guessed it -- the return of the Tiger and his "news" conference.

Why would this be the top news story of the day? It's not as if it was a slow day. The U.S. consulate in Peshawar was bombed. There was a mine accident in West Virginia. Over 100 coal miners were rescued from a flooded mine in China. A 7-year-old was gang-raped in Trenton NJ.

A sex abuser was pardoned in Canada. And of course there was gang violence and gun crime as usual. But hey, Tiger Woods is returning to the golf tour. Now that's news -- even in an ethnic community with little interest in golf!

Sadder still, Mr. Woods is big news not because he did something good, but as a result of frequent and serious moral lapses...or "bad choices" as we say these days. I'm not condemning him. If I was as "gifted" (as the term was used in Blazing Saddles) as the Tiger, I'd probably be putting it about too. But it seems to me that would be a personal affair between me and Mrs. Walt, and probably a divorce court judge. Why is it such a big and public deal?

The answer seems to be that we are obsessed with celebrity and celebrities. We celebrate their peccadilloes. In the case of Mr. Woods, we are delighted to see that his feet are indeed made of clay, even though other appendages seem to be of sterner stuff.

He has joined the ranks of David Beckham and Britney Spears -- past his prime in his chosen field by still at the top of the League of Great Train Wrecks. He is now, truly, famous for being famous.