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UK election 2024: Nigel Farage could deliver another profound shock to the establishment

Published

2 days ago

10 minute read

From LifeSiteNews

By Frank Wright

With Nigel Farage and Reform U.K. from the right, and George Galloway and his Workers’ Party from the left, the populist element threatens to make the cheerless pantomime of British politics entertaining – and interesting – again.

The United Kingdom’s general election is days away. Thursday, July 4, a memorable date for American home rule, may see a degree of self-rule return to Britain as the liberal establishment is shaken in its heartland by populists from the right and left of the center of permanent government.

Last week current Conservative Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on video that British policy on Ukraine was “fixed” and that nothing would change if Labour won the election – as many expect they will.

Yet a rising tide of populism led by two charismatic figures has complicated the situation.

Despite attempts routinely seen in European nations to “lock out” populists from mainstream media, Nigel Farage’s Reform continues to surge. Mass rallies across the country combine with several polls showing his party now pushing the Conservatives into third place nationally in three polls.

When the first poll showed Reform a point ahead of the Tories, Farage claimed his party was now “the real opposition to Labour.”

Farage has complained that his party is not being given fair media coverage. Reform have cautioned against believing mainstream media polls, as their own claim to show far stronger support – such as this from July 1.

Almost all polls exclude Galloway’s Workers’ Party from their calculations, locking his voice out on screen. But it is his voice which has resonated with many who share his support of Gaza against Israel’s ongoing genocide.

Galloway claims that the established parties have “abandoned the working class.” He claims to stand against “the uniparty” of British politics, having denounced the “one-party state” of Britain in colorful terms in the past.

His recent sentiments on the merits of both the Labour and Conservative leaders will be shared by many.

With Galloway from the left, and Farage from the right, the populist element threatens to make the cheerless pantomime of British politics entertaining – and interesting – again.

Farage came to prominence as a leading figure in the “Brexit” movement, which following then Prime Minister David Cameron’s decision to hold a referendum, saw the U.K. vote in it to leave the European Union.

Many British voters – known as “remainers” – sought to remain in and seek to rejoin the E.U., and hope that a vote for the Labour Party will realize this ambition.

British Christian commentator Peter Hitchens criticized the referendum at the time, saying that it introduced a conflict over sovereignty that replaced another. He said that the referendum made the popular vote sovereign at the expense of Parliament, and that the membership of the E.U. had also done the same. This, he said in 2023, had diluted the power of Parliament overall.

Hitchens concluded that the referendum really contested the supremacy of Parliament in determining the fate of the nation.

Election as referendum on Parliament?

This election can be seen as a sort of second referendum – on the legacy of that Parliament and how its determination to act against the nation should be judged by its population.

The Conservative Party has ruled Britain for the last 14 years. It has attacked Libya (in 2011), unleashing waves of mass migration, which saw the party then call for integration and diversity as scandals over child sexual abuse (2010-2014)  and the public execution of a British soldier (2013) by immigrant populations hit the press.

The Conservatives, as with many other parties of the liberal consensus in the West, strongly supported lockdowns and burdened the nation with record borrowing to fund the destruction of the high street businesses, community groups and the education and development of children and young people. They aggressively promoted the so-called “vaccines,” with conservative commentator Andrew Neil saying it was “time to punish the unvaccinated.”

With its “winner takes all” system of “first past the post,” the party with the most votes in each constituency wins. This means Reform may take millions of votes, but still end up with very few seats.

Elections are not only a matter of who counts the votes. They are also determined by who draws the boundaries – in reality and in the media.

Mass migration breaks the game

Yet it is mass migration – and its profound effects on the politics, policing, and practices established in Britain which is mainly driving support to Farage’s Reform. Why is that the case?

It is a reality which can no longer be ruled out of bounds by the politics and media of the establishment.

Mass migration has increased significantly under the Tories, as the Conservatives are known. So have laws against free speech, including a National Security Act which threatens to criminalize investigative journalism. Nigel Farage was himself “debanked” under measures permitted by Conservative rule. The party of law and order has marked the nation by the absence of both. 

READ: Press freedom under threat as UK National Security Act could put journalists in jail

Christians have been prosecuted and cautioned by police for praying, preaching the Gospel, and singing hymns. In May 2024, the Daily Telegraph reported that “Christians are the most despised minority in Britain” as a result.

The U.K. now has the highest tax burden in 70 years, and it is set to rise higher still. Taxes have risen in the U.K. more sharply than in the U.S. or the E.U. in the last five years.

For these reasons the most vociferous opponents of the Conservative Party are now its own former core voters.

This election will be lost by the Conservatives. It may finish them. But a massive Labour victory is not guaranteed, and the chaos created by Labour and the Tories in Britain is driving people towards populism to secure a meaningful change – from the politics of national suicide.

A guide for Christian voters

The U.K.’s Christian Institute has produced a guide to all the parties’ policies, showing where each faction stands on issues of concern to the near 60 percent of the population which identifies as Christian, per the most recent census in 2021.

Nigel Farage’s Reform is the only party to oppose the LGBTQI agenda in schools. Reform also supports marriage with a proposed raise in the marred couples’ tax allowance. It wishes to abolish “hate crimes,” including repressive measures on speech, and has pledged to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits most meaningful action against mass migration. 

The elephant in the room

The migration issue remains one which dominates ordinary life in Britain, but whose mention has been routinely and deliberately excluded from mainstream debate and media coverage for the decades during which it has taken place.

Nigel Farage has won one referendum – on Britain leaving the E.U. in 2016. Most polls said he would lose that one. One said “Leave” would lose by 10 points.

With the elephant of migration now dominating what little room is left in Britain, Farage may be on course to deliver another profound shock to a system designed to conduct business as usual – regardless of the interests and opinions of its people.

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International

Bill O’Reilly predicts Biden will drop out of presidential race ‘sometime soon’

Published on July 3, 2024

By

From LifeSiteNews

Former Fox News star Bill O’Reilly predicted President Joe Biden will soon drop out of the race after a disastrous debate performance. Biden’s aides and liberal news outlets have also suggested the president should stop his re-election bid.

President Joe Biden will soon drop out of the 2024 presidential race, longtime conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly suggested recently.

“Expect this. Sometime soon, President Biden will step aside as President Johnson did in 1968. Vietnam got him. But first, the K Street Democrats in D.C. have to quietly float replacement names with the top liberal media moguls,” O’Reilly said on his website Monday. “Something as monumental as this is not done spontaneously. The liberal media and Hollywood money people will have input.”

“What is absolutely certain is that Joe Biden is finished as a powerful man,” O’Reilly added. “Shortly, he will have to go quietly into the night, pretty much dragging Jill Biden with him.”

O’Reilly, who was host for more than two decades of the popular The O’Reilly Factor on Fox News and now comments at his own website and for NewsNation, made the prediction following an underwhelming performance by Biden at last week’s debate against Donald Trump.

His prediction mirrors the desire and speculation of prominent liberal voices and outlets, including The New York Times editorial board, which urged Biden to drop out just one day after the presidential debate.

The board wrote:

He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. He struggled to respond to Mr. Trump’s provocations. He struggled to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his lies, his failures and his chilling plans. More than once, he struggled to make it to the end of a sentence.

Biden is currently engaged in a “reckless gamble,” according to the Times, because if he continues down this path, Trump will likely win.

“There are Democratic leaders better equipped to present clear, compelling and energetic alternatives to a second Trump presidency,” the editorial board argued. “There is no reason for the party to risk the stability and security of the country by forcing voters to choose between Mr. Trump’s deficiencies and those of Mr. Biden.”

“It’s too big a bet to simply hope Americans will overlook or discount Mr. Biden’s age and infirmity that they see with their own eyes,” according to the liberal newspaper.

After reiterating how much it despises Trump, the editorial pleaded with Democratic strategists to convince Biden to drop out of the race.

“Democrats who have deferred to Mr. Biden must now find the courage to speak plain truths to the party’s leader,” the editorial board wrote. “The confidants and aides who have encouraged the president’s candidacy and who sheltered him from unscripted appearances in public should recognize the damage to Mr. Biden’s standing and the unlikelihood that he can repair it.”

Biden has also lost the support of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Georgia is considered a swing state in the 2024 presidential election. “The 81-year-old president has shown a greater capacity to tell the truth than his opponent, former President Donald Trump,” the editorial board wrote on Saturday, June 29. “But the unfortunate truth is that Biden should withdraw from the race, for the good of the nation he has served so admirably for half a century.”

Some Democratic activists and aides have expressed concern about Biden in recent days.

“They’ve just been trying to skate to the general election with as minimal exposure as possible to the public. And now it’s blown up on them,” former Democratic National Committee delegate Thomas Kennedy told The Intercept. The news outlet reported that chances are low Biden will drop out of the race.

But concerns remain.

“Biden is toast,” one Democratic activist told Politico after the debate.

“In text messages with POLITICO, Democrats expressed confusion and concern as they watched the first minutes of the event,” the news outlet reported. “One former Biden White House and campaign aide called it ‘terrible,’ adding that they have had to ask themselves over and over: ‘What did he just say? This is crazy.’”

Some family members are blaming Biden aides for the president’s poor performance, according to a Sunday article in Politico. “First lady Jill Biden and his son Hunter Biden were the loudest voices urging the president to stay in the 2024 contest,” the outlet reported, based on unnamed sources.

Biden’s “cognitive health” remains an issue for many voters.

“For months before the first debate, the nation’s voters repeatedly expressed doubts over whether President Biden had the cognitive health enough to serve,” CBS News reported today. “Today, those doubts have grown even more: now at nearly three-quarters of the electorate, and now including many within his own party.”

Among registered voters, only 27 percent think Biden has the “mental & cognitive health to serve as president.” About 50% of registered voters, or twice as many, say Trump does.

The post-debate poll found in general, registered voters trusted Trump more. For example, 18 percent said Biden “inspired confidence,” while 44 percent said Trump did. Similarly, 21 percent said Biden “presented ideas clearly,” while 47 percent said Trump did.

The differences were not as large when it came to the question of a candidate’s ability to explain “plans & policies,” with 35 percent of respondents saying Biden did and 43 percent saying Trump did.

Among Democratic registered voters, 55 percent said he should continue running, while 45 percent said he should not.

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for August 19 through the 22nd.

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Economy

European Voters Are Taking Sledgehammer To Continent’s Radical Open Borders And Climate Agenda

Published on July 2, 2024

By

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By RICHARD HOLT

 

The results from both the recent European Parliamentary elections and France’s snap legislative elections have surprised our socialist friends across the ocean.

Despite the consistent rejection of climate activism in national elections, the ultra-left European Union Parliament has continued to loom darkly on its subjugated member states with failing “climate” and “open border” policies. The election results are more than just a passing trend: they are a clear repudiation of the left-wing policies on immigration and climate that have dominated the EU’s agenda in recent years.

Voters across Europe have expressed their dissatisfaction with these policies, which they perceive as economically burdensome and socially disruptive. In Germany, for example, center-right Christian Democrats (CDU) secured 30.2% of the vote, while the conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged to 16%, a significant increase from their previous performance​​. This rise in support for the AfD is a direct response to the German government’s aggressive climate policies and its handling of immigration.

The German government’s climate agenda — particularly the Energiewende, has placed a heavy financial burden on households and businesses. Within the framework is a policy called “Marginal Pricing.” This means that the price of electricity at any given time is set by the most expensive power plant needed to meet demand at that moment. The overall transition to renewable energy has led to some of the highest electricity prices in Europe, with German households paying significantly more than the European average​​. These high costs have not only strained family budgets but have also impacted the competitiveness of German industries, leading to job losses and economic uncertainty.

Moreover, the decision to phase out coal and nuclear energy without adequate alternatives has left the country reliant on costly and inconsistent renewable sources. This dual energy system has created inefficiencies and further driven up costs​​. The frustration over these economic pressures has been a significant factor in the rise of conservative parties, who promise to alleviate these burdens by rolling back stringent climate regulations.

Immigration policies have also played a crucial role in the electorate’s shift to the right. Germany, and indeed much of Europe, has experienced a significant influx of asylum seekers over the past decade. The public’s growing concern over immigration, coupled with the perceived inability of left-wing parties to manage this influx effectively, has driven voters toward conservative alternatives. The AfD, for instance, has capitalized on these concerns, positioning itself as the defender of national borders and cultural identity​​.

This trend is not confined to Germany. In France, the legislative elections held this weekend show a significant shift to the right there as well. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally garnered over 33% of the vote, a dramatic win reflecting public dissatisfaction with Macron’s failed policies. Macron’s policies in regards to taxes, pensions and immigration coupled with long-term protests has eroded support for his centrist alliance, which only received about 21% of the vote. The left-wing New Popular Front, including La France Insoumise and the Socialist Party, trailed with around 28% of the vote. This rightward shift is part of a broader European trend where voters are increasingly turning to conservative parties in response to economic strain and immigration concerns​.

The success of these parties underscores a growing demand for policies that prioritize national sovereignty and economic pragmatism over ideological commitments to climate activism and open borders. Voters are increasingly skeptical of policies that they perceive as detached from the realities of everyday life. The economic strain of high energy costs, combined with the social challenges of integrating large numbers of immigrants, has fueled a backlash against the left-wing establishment.

The rightward shift in the elections for the European Parliament is a powerful statement against the dubious feel-good policies from a failed left-wing activism on climate and immigration. It is a demand for a more market-centered approach that considers the economic and social realities faced by regular Europeans. The rise of conservative parties across the continent is not just a political realignment but a profound demand for sanity.

Richard Holt is an ambassador for Project 21, an initiative of The National Center for Public Policy Research to promote the views of African-Americans whose entrepreneurial spirit, dedication to family and commitment to individual responsibility have not traditionally been echoed by the nation’s civil rights establishment. He is also a political consultant at Sirius Campaigns with over two decades of experience working on campaigns for local, state and federal offices across the country.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Featured image credit: Marine Le Pen (Screen Capture/CSPAN)

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