Heinrich Bunting, Map of Europa Regina, ca. 1581
Recent links of note:
Everything has gone right for the Eurosceptics. So why are they in crisis?
James Forsyth, The Spectator
Europe is in crisis. The ecumenical experiment whereby millions of migrants were accepted into unsecured borders with nary a background check has proved disastrous. The Eurozone economy is continually unsound and new tax proposals have member states upset. In short, those supporting the so-called “Brexit” could not have drawn up more favorable conditions in which to make their case for Britain leaving the Eurozone. And yet, the “out” vote trails the “in” by a not insignificant margin. This week in The Spectator, James Forsyth expounds on the ways in which the “out” camp has squandered its dream opportunity. Chief among them is the lack of a unified voice; as Forsyth puts it, “The arguments for Brexit are all there, waiting for someone persuasive to marshal them.” Pray that someone does.
Donald Trump is the Mussolini of America with double the vulgarity
Andrew Roberts, The Telegraph
Despite the continuous reports of his demise, Donald Trump remains a competitive candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election. At every turn he has been declared dead: his intemperate comments surrounding John McCain; his loutish statements regarding Megyn Kelly; his second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses—each of these was heralded as the end of Trump’s peculiar sojourn. And yet he remains the leading candidate in New Hampshire. How to understand Trump? The always-entertaining Andrew Roberts offers a historical parallel: Mussolini. “Where Mussolini was hard to pin down in the political spectrum between the socialist newspaper editor and right-wing dictator, Trump has embraced universal healthcare for all, then said that it’s too expensive, then said that he was in favor of comprehensive health insurance for every American. Where Mussolini made comparisons between his Italy and the Roman Empire, Trump promises to make America great again without saying how.”
Slash City
Matthew Hennessy, City Journal
We keep hearing from the mayor’s office that crime in New York has never been lower. According to Matthew Hennessy of City Journal, that claim is statistically true. Then what to make of the recent rash of slashing attacks on subways? They are, of course, proof that the statistics aren’t gospel: “New Yorkers . . . are savvy enough to know that statistics never tell the whole story. And they don’t mean much when someone pulls a knife on you in the subway.” Reported crime may be down, but is the city any safer when cops are afraid to do their jobs because of potential political blowback? Anyone who rides the subway knows the answer to that question.
From our pages:
The globalist legal agenda
Andrew C. McCarthy
On Justice Stepehen Breyer’s new book.