How Much of a Threat Is Brexit to the Unity of the UK? | Inside Story

Boris Johnson has been touring the Union as a 'No-deal Brexit’ looms, trying to reassure those worried about the divorce with the EU.

Boris Johnson started the tour in Edinburgh. He was met with jeers and boos from protesters, which forced him to leave by the back door of Bute House, the official residence of Scotland's First Minister. Inside, his host Nicola Sturgeon expressed her discontent with Johnson's Brexit plans. She spoke about a 'catastrophic, almost inevitable path to a ‘No-deal Brexit'.

Then it was on to Wales, where Johnson was seeking support for his Brexit plans from the country's agricultural sector. The Welsh farmers' union has warned him leaving the EU without a deal would cause 'civil unrest' in rural areas. Many British farmers rely heavily on trade with Europe, and a no-deal scenario could be costly for their business.

In Northern Ireland, his last stop, Boris Johnson didn't receive the warmest welcome either. There's broad consensus that leaving the EU without a deal could be dramatic, because of the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which will become a border into Europe.

If no deal happens, the Sinn Féin party says the government must call a referendum on Irish Unity immediately. However, Northern Ireland has been without a sitting government since 2017. So has Boris Johnson convinced the skeptics, or is the Kingdom fracturing even further?

Presenter: Kamal Santamaria | Guests: Alan Wager, research associate with "The UK in a Changing Europe" initiative at King's College London; Jonathan Lis, Deputy Director of "British Influence", a pro-European think tank; Alasdair Soussi, writer on Scottish political affairs

Trump Attacks Another Black Man After Being Called Racist

Donald Trump doesn’t seem to understand the fact that the more he attacks prominent African Americans, the more he’s going to be called a racist. And that is a label that is 100% accurate. The President always reserves his harshest attacks for people of color, and this is no coincidence. We have to start calling it what it is, and it is clearly racism. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.

Dutch 'Burqa Ban' Rendered Largely Unworkable on First Day

THE GUARDIAN: Police and transport companies have signalled unwillingness to enforce face covering ban

The Netherlands’ “burqa ban” has been rendered largely unworkable on its first day in law after both the police and Dutch transport companies signalled an unwillingness to enforce it.

Under the terms of the Partial Ban on Face-Covering Clothing Act the wearing of ski masks, full-face helmets, balaclavas, niqabs and burqas is prohibited in public buildings, including schools and hospitals, and on public transport.

Wearers of the banned clothing are to be given the option to remove the offending item or face a police fine of between €150 and €415. There is no prohibition on wearing such garments in the street.

But the law appears to have been fatally undermined after police said its enforcement was not a priority and signalled their discomfort with the idea that veiled women could be put off from entering a police station to make unrelated complaints. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Thursday, August 1, 2019

Released Tape Features Ronald Reagan Using Racist Slur

In a newly unearthed audio clip, then-California Gov. Ronald Reagan disparaged "monkeys" from African countries in a phone call with then-President Richard Nixon, according to the former director of Nixon's presidential library.

Tim Naftali, who directed the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum from 2007 to 2011, writes that Reagan -- who would later become the 40th President of the United States -- called Nixon in October 1971, the day after the United Nations had voted to recognize the People's Republic of China. In the call, he says, Reagan is heard apparently referencing the way the Tanzanian delegation started dancing in the General Assembly when the UN took the vote to seat the delegation from Beijing instead of Taiwan.

Theologians Under Hitler | Religious Belief Documentary | Timeline

Boris Johnson’s Threat of a No-deal Brexit Will Not Break EU Unity

THE GUARDIAN: The UK government should look instead to changing – but not discarding – the backstop

No matter what Boris Johnson or his new Vote Leave cabinet threaten – and the expectation in Brussels is that no-deal planning will be ramped up in an attempt to intimidate other EU countries – be in no doubt: there isn’t time to limit the damage of a sudden severance from the world’s largest trading block this Halloween.

Unless a further extension is requested, or article 50 is revoked by 31 October, when the current extension of UK membership expires, a dramatic shock awaits the global economy and we all stand to lose. The few who may prosper are the wealthy bankers and hedge fund managers who have bet on chaos.

It is fiction to talk of rewards for citizens or mini-deals to mitigate the damage. Faced with a British government intent on ratcheting up talk of no deal, other European governments have no choice but to prepare for the worst, too – but this is far from a desirable path. In the face of such irresponsible posturing, far from feeling threatened, I fully expect EU governments to remain calm and keep their unity. Attempts to put pressure on Ireland will only be met with waves of solidarity from the rest of the EU. » | Guy Verhofstadt* | Wednesday, July 31, 2019

* Guy Verhofstadt is Brexit coordinator for the European parliament

Republicans Largely Silent after Trump's Attacks on Baltimore and Cummings | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

Facing new claims of racism, Trump attacked Rep. Elijah Cummings and the city of Baltimore Cummings represents. Dems were swift to call Trump out, but Republicans were largely silent. Donna Edwards, Juana Summers, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, and Robert Costa join.

Could a No-deal Brexit Push Wales towards Independence?

Boris Johnson may have given himself a new title of Minister for the Union, but how United is the Kingdom?

In Wales, where he was today, the Tories are out in front in the latest opinion poll. But many in the Welsh independence movement see his premiership as the perfect gift for their campaign.

A no-deal Brexit puts new pressures on Scotland and Northern Ireland, could it change the game in Wales too? Just this weekend thousands gathered to march for independence, so how indy-curious is Wales?

Reinhard Mey - Gute Nacht Freunde (original)

Hamed Abdel-Samad | Islam und Islamkritik | NZZ Standpunkte (2017)

Der Ägypter Hamed Abdel-Samad wurde 1972 in eine streng religiöse Familie hinein geboren und war als Student Mitglied der radikal-islamischen Muslimbruderschaft. Mit der Auswanderung nach Deutschland ging er den Weg der Selbstaufklärung. Er begann die Probleme seiner Herkunftswelt im Horizont der Religion zu begreifen. Heute ist er ein profilierter Kritiker des Islamismus wie des Islam. Angesichts des grassierenden dschihadistischen Terrors diagnostiziert Abdel-Samad eine Gewaltbereitschaft, die im Koran selber durch die Verbindung von Religionsstiftung und Machtpolitik angelegt sei. Er hält es an der Zeit, das Buch einer neuen Lesart zuzuführen.

Mit Hamed Abdel-Samad unterhalten sich «NZZ»-Chefredaktor Eric Gujer und die Politikphilosophin Katja Gentinetta über seinen «Abschied vom Himmel» des Glaubens, seine Kritik der Lehren des Propheten sowie die Möglichkeiten, den Islam für die heutige Zeit zu reformieren.

Helmut Schmidt | Erfahrungen und Einsichten | NZZ Standpunkte (2009)

Er gilt als einer der herausragendsten Politiker in der Nachkriegsgeschichte Deutschlands und Europas, und er hat wie kein zweiter in den letzten Jahrzehnten die politische und gesellschaftliche Debatte seines Landes als Minister, Regierungschef, Intellektueller, Publizistik und Herausgeber der Hamburger Wochenzeitung „Die Zeit“ geprägt: Alt-Bundeskanzler Helmut Schmidt. Mit Helmut Schmidt, der im Dezember 91 Jahre alt wird, unterhalten sich NZZ-Chefredaktor Markus Spillmann und Marco Färber über die deutsche Wiedervereinigung, die Rolle und die Begrenzung Deutschlands in Europa und der Welt, über Freundschaften und ihren Stellenwert in der internationalen Politik und über die Bedrohung und Herausforderungen der Zukunft. Und über das Altern und Gott.

Johnson and Varadkar Clash over Irish Backstop in Phone Call

THE GUARDIAN: Taoiseach tells new PM in first chat that EU will not scrap it as part of reopening Brexit talks

Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar have clashed over the Irish backstop in their first phone call, with the Irish taoiseach saying the EU is united in the view that it cannot be scrapped and the withdrawal agreement will not be reopened.

Johnson finally spoke to Varadkar almost a week after becoming prime minister, telling him the UK would never put physical checks or infrastructure at the border with Northern Ireland after Brexit but demanding the backstop be scrapped.

The British prime minister had been accused of snubbing Varadkar by leaving it so long to speak to him, even though the Irish leader will be central to whether he can agree a new withdrawal deal with the EU.

A spokesman for Varadkar said: “The taoiseach emphasised to the prime minister that the backstop was necessary as a consequence of decisions taken in the UK and by the UK government. » | Rowena Mason, Deputy political editor | Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Boris Johnson et sa compagne emménagent à Downing Street

PARIS MATCH: Lundi, le Premier ministre britannique Boris Johnson emménage dans sa résidence de Downing Street à Londres, avec sa compagne.

Le nouveau Premier ministre britannique Boris Johnson emménage lundi dans sa résidence de Downing Street à Londres, où il vivra avec sa compagne Carrie Symonds, a annoncé l'exécutif britannique. «Le Premier ministre emménage officiellement aujourd'hui et, oui, sa partenaire y vivra», a déclaré à la presse un porte-parole du dirigeant conservateur de 55 ans, qui a pris le 24 juillet la succession de Theresa May. » | La Rédaction avec AFP | lundi 29. juillet 2019

The Guardian View on Boris Johnson and Scotland: State of Disunion

THE GUARDIAN: The prime minister has made visiting Scotland an early priority. But it is getting late to stop Brexit from breaking up the UK

Boris Johnson is insouciantly reluctant to be seen travelling cap in hand to Berlin, Paris or Brussels in pursuit of new Brexit terms. He has not even bothered to make a phone call to the Irish taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, even though the Irish border is the crunch Brexit issue. His attitude to the European Union is to try to make the foreigners sweat, even if the result is a slump in the value of sterling, as it was on Monday. And yet, like Theresa May before him, Mr Johnson felt the need to go to Scotland at the very start of his prime ministership.

Why did he come? Why the exception? It is, after all, improbable that the prime minister will get a political dividend from his meetings in Edinburgh. The first, with the Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, was at best an exercise in damage limitation. Mr Johnson’s casual embrace of a possible no-deal Brexit (which he just as casually denied in an interview) has undermined both Ms Davidson and Tory credibility on the issue in Scotland. Meanwhile, although the brutal sacking of the former Scottish secretary, David Mundell, last week may not have received much attention in England, it has been widely seen in Scotland as an act that pulls the rug from under Ms Davidson. » | Editorial | Monday, July 29, 2019

'Dangerous' UK Government Intent on Forcing No Deal, Says Sturgeon

THE GUARDIAN: Scotland’s first minister criticises Boris Johnson’s ‘hardline position’ on Brexit

Boris Johnson is pursuing a dangerous hardline strategy with EU leaders, with the intention of forcing a no-deal Brexit, Nicola Sturgeon has said following her first face-to-face meeting with the prime minister.

Speaking to reporters immediately after Johnson had left her official residence in Edinburgh, Scotland’s first minister said: “This is a government that is pursing a no-deal strategy, however much they might deny that in public.”

“Behind all of the bluff and bluster, this is a government that is dangerous. The path that it is pursuing is a dangerous one, for Scotland but for all of the UK. He says that he wants a deal with EU but there is no clarity whatsoever about how he thinks he can get from the position now, where he’s taking a very hard line … to a deal.”

Johnson was greeted by boos and heckles from an assembled crowd of pro-independence and anti-Brexit protesters as he arrived at Bute House on Monday afternoon, and chose to leave after the hour-long meeting by an alternative back entrance. » | Libby Brooks | Monday, July 29, 2019

Nine Years On, Greek MPs Agree to Abide by Own Anti-smoking Law

THE GUARDIAN: Metal ashtrays that grace the vestibule off parliament’s cafe are finally being removed

Until not so very long ago Greek MPs thought nothing of lighting up in the august halls of the Athens parliament.

So common was the habit that a thick fog of cigarette smoke often hovered over the building’s cafe, a few metres from the legislative chamber where deputies had once voted to ban smoking in all public spaces, including the 300-seat House.

Nine years, 10 months and 26 days after that ban came into effect, lawmakers are finally being forced to abide by it too.

“There’s definitely been a change,” said Dimitris Tarantsas, who has waited on MPs from behind the cafe’s bench-top bar for the past 18 years. “The law, for the first time, is being upheld.”

By Monday, he says, even the metal ashtrays still gracing the one place where smoking is allowed – a vestibule off the cafe – will have been relocated to the dustbin of history as the building officially becomes a smoke-free zone. » | Helena Smith in Athens | Monday, July 29, 2019

CrossTalk on Boris Johnson: PM BoJo

Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Did you ever think you would say that? It seems we live in a world where anything can happen now. After all, who would have thought Brexit would destroy the premiership of Theresa May? Will the Brexit process do the same to Boris Johnson? CrossTalking with Lee Jasper, Mark Garnett, and James Tweedie.

Boris Johnson in Scotland as Pound Falls amid No Deal Brexit Fears

On a visit to Scotland, the Prime Minister insisted that he did not believe a no-deal scenario was the most likely option. Unlike the man he's put in charge of no deal planning, Michael Gove, who yesterday suggested that it was. And Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, after meeting Mr Johnson today, said she thought he secretly wanted a no-deal Brexit after all.

Pat Buchanan: 300 Nukes in Israel Yet Iran a Threat? (20120

Islamic wars have brought questionable benefit to the US over the last 20 years, former US presidential advisor Pat Buchanan, author of Suicide of a Superpower, shared with RT. ¬A new war in the Middle East will be a disaster for the US and for the world economy, he says. "I opposed the Desert Storm operation in 1991 cleaning Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait because, I said, 'This would only be the first Arab-American war.'" Looking at the number of conflicts in the Islam world that America is taking part in now, one cannot but admit that Buchanan was right 20 years ago. "You cannot replicate the Middle West in the Middle East," Pat Buchanan concluded. From the time of the Cold War the US has military bases all over the world. Today, running a budget deficit of 10 per cent of its GDP, America simply cannot afford to continue "to carry this enormous burden, defending 40 or 50 countries around the world," Buchanan says, "We have to bring troops home." Getting rid of these bases essentially means dismantling the American Empire to help the US survive beyond 2025. America's crusade under the banner of ending tyranny in the world is "utterly utopian".

Glyphosate Banned in Austria as More Countries Become Aware of Weed Killer Poison

Via America’s Lawyer: Austria has become the latest country to completely ban glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, the weed killer. Mike Papantonio explains more.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — July 29, 2019

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif Says 'Nothing Is Inevitable' with US and Iran (July 19, 2019)

In an interview with PBS NewsHour anchor and managing editor Judy Woodruff, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denied the United States had shot down an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, and said ‘nothing is inevitable’ when asked about a military conflict between the United States and Iran.

Todesstrafe auf Wunsch des Präsidenten

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die amerikanische Regierung will im Dezember und Januar zum Tode Verurteilte wieder hinrichten lassen. Die Maßnahme verschärft den Wahlkampf – denn sie spaltet die Lager.

Die Liste der nach amerikanischem Bundesrecht zum Tode verurteilten umfasst im Moment 62 Personen. Sie ist in den vergangenen 16 Jahren stetig länger geworden, weil zwar weiter Todesurteile gefällt, aber nicht mehr vollstreckt wurden. Am Donnerstag teilte die Bundesverwaltung der Justizvollzugsanstalten mit, dass sie fünf Exekutionen für Dezember und Januar in einer Haftanstalt in Indiana angesetzt hat. Die fünf Männer waren in getrennten Fällen verurteilt worden, weil sie Kinder ermordet hatten. » | Von Majid Sattar, Washington | Samstag, 27. Juli 2019

Un Brexit sans accord pourrait mener à une réunification de l'Irlande

PARIS MATCH: Le nouveau Premier ministre britannique Boris Johnson réclame de l'Union européenne un nouvel accord de divorce avec notamment "l'abolition" du "filet de sécurité" irlandais, une demande aussitôt jugée "inacceptable" par le négociateur de l'UE Michel Barnier.

Un Brexit sans accord pourrait mener à une réunification de l'Irlande du Nord et mettre à mal le Royaume-Uni, a déclaré le Premier ministre irlandais Leo Varadkar. "L'une des choses qui pourrait vraiment nuire (au Royaume-Uni), paradoxalement, c'est un Brexit dur, tant pour l'Irlande du Nord que pour l'Ecosse", a déclaré M. Varadkar vendredi lors d'une université d'été dans le comté de Donegal. "C'est un problème qu'il leur faudra affronter", a-t-il ajouté, cité samedi par plusieurs médias dont le quotidien The Irish Independent. » | La Rédaction avec AFP | samedi 27 juillet 2019

Tommy Sheridan: "Don't Unpack Your Bags Boris!"

Tommy Sheridan has a message for the new PM after Ian Blackford MP tells MPs that Boris Johnson will be 'the last Prime Minister of the UK'.

Nancy Wake: Gestapo's Most Wanted | French Resistance Documentary | Timeline

This is the incredible true story of Nancy Wake, the daring allied spy who became the Gestapo’s most wanted woman in WWII. Codenamed ‘The White Mouse’ for her elusiveness, this international femme fatale was a key inspiration behind Sebastian Faulkes’ celebrated fictional spy Charlotte Gray.

'You’d Have to Be Mad to Think Boris Johnson Is the Answer to Britain’s Problems' – George Galloway

As Noel Coward sang, “Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon-day sun.” You could say the same about the Conservative Party, which just chose Boris Johnson to lead it.

Why Algorithms Are Called Algorithms

Growing Alarm in Germany Following Right-Wing Attacks

In June, the fatal shooting of a pro-migrant politician sent shockwaves through the country. This week, there were two more incidents suspected of having right-wing extremist motives. The violence has left political leaders searching for answers

Sweden Hits Back at Donald Trump in Row over A$AP Rocky Detention

THE GUARDIAN: Ex-Swedish PM tells US president political interference in rule of law is off limits

Sweden has hit back at Donald Trump after the US president reacted angrilyto a decision to press assault charges against the American rapper A$AP Rocky, insisting its independent judicial system must do its work.

“The rule of the law applies to everyone equally and is exercised by an independent judiciary,” tweeted former prime minister Carl Bildt. “That’s the way it is in the US, and that’s certainly the way it is in Sweden. Political interference in the process is distinctly off limits. Clear?”

Trump said on Thursday he was very disappointed in Stefan Löfven for being unable to act. He said “Sweden has let our African American community down in the United States. Give A$AP Rocky his freedom.”

The US president also said: “We do so much for Sweden but it doesn’t seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem.” » | Jon Henley | Friday, July 26, 2019

ITV News Exclusive: Jacob Rees-Mogg Issues Style Guide to Staff

ITV: The new Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg has instructed all staff in his new office to use imperial measurements and refer to ‘non-titled males’ as ‘esquire’.

Issuing a style guide in the first week of his job, he also bans colleagues from using various words in correspondence with other MPs and the public.

Among the list of bizarre rules, he asks staff not to use the words “got”, “very” or “equal”. » | Paul Brand, Political correspondent | Friday, July 26, 2019

Boris Johnson: 'The Boy Who Wanted to Be World King' – BBC Newsnight

Veteran political reporter Michael Cockerell profiles the man that will lead the UK through the next daunting steps ahead.

Brussels: Brexit Agreement Is 'Best and Only Agreement Possible' – EU Commission

New Study Predicts Millions of Americans May Become Exposed To "Off The Charts" Heat

Climate scientist Michael Mann discusses the increasing frequency and severity of heat waves, just as the US, Europe, and India are experiencing this Summer

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — July 26, 2019

New British Leader: Boris Johnson's Turkish Roots

The British leader has a strong link to Turkey. Boris Johnson can trace some of his ancestors back to a village about a hundred kilometers from the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Brexit Deadlock as No 10 Insists EU Must Scrap Backstop before Talks

THE GUARDIAN: Boris Johnson’s spokesman says if new deal is not possible, UK ‘will be leaving’

Boris Johnson’s government has played down the idea of fresh Brexit talks with the EU unless Brussels first agrees to reopen the entire withdrawal agreement and scrap the Irish backstop, both of which have been repeatedly ruled out.

In a stance that appears to place the UK more firmly on course for a no-deal departure on 31 October, Downing Street said there were no new Brexit talks scheduled, and that Johnson was “clear what the basis for those discussions needs to be”.

His spokesman said: “I don’t have a date to point you towards. The PM has been very clear that he is ready to begin having those discussions, but obviously the key point is the withdrawal agreement is not going to pass parliament, so that is going to mean reopening the withdrawal agreement.” » | Peter Walker, Political correspondent | Friday, July 26, 2019

US Ambassador: Trump Likes Boris Johnson for 'Calling It As He Sees It'

THE GUARDIAN: Woody Johnson says they have a lot in common and will have ‘sensational’ relationship

Donald Trump respects Boris Johnson for “calling it as he sees it”, the US ambassador to the UK has said, responding to the new prime minister’s 2015 description of the US president as “frankly unfit to hold office”.

Woody Johnson said the relationship between the two would be “sensational”. “I think they do have a lot [in common],” he said. “Both these leaders have their own style, but they have similarities and I think they have clear vision of what they want to accomplish.”

Speaking following the new prime minister’s election as Conservative party leader on Tuesday, the president heaped praise on Johnson, describing him as “Britain Trump”. » | Frances Perraudin | Friday, July 26, 2019

Morning After: Boris Johnson Recovers from Lebedev’s Exotic Italian Party

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: New prime minister refuses to say if he abandoned security for 2018 night in billionaire’s castle

A trip Boris Johnson made to Italy for a party held by a billionaire socialite ended with the then foreign secretary at an airport “looking like he had slept in his clothes”, struggling to walk in a straight line and telling other passengers he had had a heavy night, the Guardian has been told.

Pictures of the now prime minister along with an account from a fellow traveller shed further light on Johnson’s weekend away at the home of the media owner Evgeny Lebedev, who is known for hosting uproarious parties for the rich and famous at his converted castle near Perugia.

Johnson has refused to answer questions about the visit in April last year, including whether he flew to Italy against the advice of his officials and without the 24/7 security detail usually assigned to the foreign secretary.

The pictures, taken at San Francesco d’Assisi airport on Sunday 29 April 2018, suggest he did go to Italy without a police escort. According to another passenger on the flight back to the UK, Johnson was on his own, seemingly without any luggage and very much the worse for wear. » | Nick Hopkins | Friday, July 26, 2019

France Warns Boris Johnson Not to Play Games with Irish Border

THE GUARDIAN: Minister says withdrawal agreement including backstop will not be renegotiated

The French government has warned Boris Johnson against playing games with the Irish border after the new British prime minister demanded the ditching of the backstop.

Amélie de Montchalin, France’s minister for European affairs, said both sides should avoid “games, gestures and provocations” with just three months to go before the UK is due to leave the EU.

Speaking alongside her Irish counterpart, Helen McEntee, during a visit to the Irish border, De Montchalin said the French president, Emmanuel Macron, would hold talks with Johnson in France in the coming weeks.

She said there was “solidarity” with Ireland and reiterated that the withdrawal agreement was “the best we have” and would not be renegotiated. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Friday, July 26, 2019

From Trump to Johnson, Nationalists Are On The Rise – Backed by Billionaire Oligarchs

THE GUARDIAN: The ultra-rich are benefitting from disaster capitalism as institutions, rules and democratic oversight implode

Seven years ago the impressionist Rory Bremner complained that politicians had become so boring that few of them were worth mimicking: “They’re quite homogenous and dull these days … It’s as if character is seen as a liability.” Today his profession has the opposite problem: however extreme satire becomes, it struggles to keep pace with reality. The political sphere, so dull and grey a few years ago, is now populated by preposterous exhibitionists.

This trend is not confined to the UK – everywhere the killer clowns are taking over. Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, Donald Trump, Narendra Modi, Jair Bolsonaro, Scott Morrison, Rodrigo Duterte, Matteo Salvini, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Viktor Orbán and a host of other ludicrous strongmen – or weakmen, as they so often turn out to be – dominate nations that would once have laughed them off stage. The question is why? Why are the technocrats who held sway almost everywhere a few years ago giving way to extravagant buffoons?

Social media, an incubator of absurdity, is certainly part of the story. But while there has been plenty of good work investigating the means, there has been surprisingly little thinking about the ends. Why are the ultra-rich, who until recently used their money and newspapers to promote charisma-free politicians, now funding this circus? Why would capital wish to be represented by middle managers one moment and jesters the next? » | George Monbiot | Friday, July 26, 2019

The EU Will Not Renegotiate Brexit Deal, Juncker Tells Johnson

THE GUARDIAN: European commission president tells PM existing deal is ‘the best and only agreement possible’

European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has told Boris Johnson that the bloc’s member nations will not give in to his demand to renegotiate the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

On Thursday, Juncker – in his first telephone call with Johnson since he took over as British prime minister – called the existing deal “the best and only agreement possible”.

Johnson has insisted that the current agreement to leave the EU and arrangements regarding the Irish border were not good enough and had to be renegotiated.

Juncker the EU would analyse any ideas put forward by the UK, provided they are compatible with the withdrawal agreement, spokeswoman Mina Andreeva tweeted in a readout of the phone call. The pair also exchanged phone numbers and agreed to remain in touch. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Thursday, July 25, 2019

BoJo Cleans Out UK Cabinet, Only Hardliners Remain – Galloway

Newly-minted UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is made his debut in Parliament on Thursday. He fielded questions from a noisy House of Commons, with both cheers and jeers directed his way regarding Brexit. So what’s next for the UK political scene? Former UK MP George Galloway breaks it down.

Protests Erupt in London as Boris Johnson Is Sworn In as New Prime Minister, Promising Swift Brexit

Boris Johnson was sworn in as the new British prime minister Wednesday, pledging to deliver a swift Brexit and spending his first full day in office Thursday packing his Cabinet with hard-line Brexiteers. His election was the first time that a party’s membership directly chose the prime minister. The membership of the Conservative Party who voted for Johnson represents less than 1% of the British population. Johnson, who previously served as mayor of London and foreign secretary, replaces outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May. Boris Johnson is a highly contentious figure in the United Kingdom who has built his career on controversy. He is known for outrageous political gaffes and is a close ally of President Donald Trump. He has vowed to cut taxes for the rich, and positioned himself as a friend to big banks. Thousands of protesters marched through Central London to protest the new prime minister Wednesday. We speak with Ash Sarkar, senior editor of Novara Media, who says Johnson has crafted a public persona for himself as “bumbling, ineffectual, posh but benign,” but says this facade conceals “someone who has always been a very ambitious man.”

'This Is Why He [Trump] Can't Have A Second Term' | Morning Joe | MSNBC

While railing against the Mueller probe this week, the president told audience members at the Turning Point USA Teen Student Action Summit that Article II of the Constitution gives him the right to do 'whatever I want as president.' The panel discusses.

The Donald and Boris Love-in Won’t Last Unless the UK Delivers for Trump

THE GUARDIAN: Johnson is now Trump’s man in Downing Street. But it seems Nigel Farage is the true object of the US president’s affection

We all know about Franklin and Winston, Ronnie and Maggie, and George and Tony. For better or worse, these transatlantic allies enjoyed grand visions, global power and left indelible marks on history. But now we have Donald and Boris, whose grand visions stare back at them each morning in the mirror.

And their concept of global power is – how to put this diplomatically? – incompatible with the concept of intelligent life.

To understand how this DoBo partnership is likely to function, you need to recall Trump’s excruciating explanation of his kind words about Johnson while standing next to the walking dead that was his predecessor this time last year.

“I said, he’ll be a great prime minister,” Trump told reporters at Chequers. “He’s been very nice to me. He’s been saying very good things about me as president. I think he thinks I’m doing a great job. I am doing a great job, that I can tell you. Just in case you haven’t noticed. But Boris Johnson, I think would be a great prime minister.” Trump went on to say how much he truly, madly loved Theresa May. “This incredible woman, right here, is doing a fantastic job, a great job,” he said. “And I mean that.” » | Richard Wolffe | Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Far-right Leaders Join Trump in Welcoming Boris Johnson to No 10

THE GUARDIAN: Italy’s Matteo Salvini and Brazil’s Jair Bolsanaro are among nationalists hailing Johnson

Rightwing, populist and nationalist leaders have welcomed Boris Johnson’s imminent arrival in Downing Street after Donald Trump praised the UK’s new prime minister as a “Britain Trump” who was “tough and smart” and would “do a great job”.

In Italy, Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right, anti-immigration League and deputy prime minister, wished Johnson “all the best”, adding: “The fact that on the left they are painting him as ‘more dangerous than the League’ makes me like him even more.” » | Jon Henley | Wednesday, July 24, 2019