The British Conservative Party Ousts Prime Minister Theresa May, but It's Still a Long Way to Tipperary

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY -- WITH A LOOK AT THE EUROPEAN ELECTIONS AND THERESA MAY'S EXIT FROM POLITICS. I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day, with lots of BBQs to jump start summer, and with a moment of silence at 11 AM this morning and another at 3 PM this afternoon to remember and pray for America's fallen heroes. • • • THERESA MAY'S UNHAPPY TIME AS BRITISH PRIME MINISTER. I have always thought Mrs. May was given a nigh unto impossible job in bringing in Brexit. First, she was a loyal cabinet member during then-PM David Cameron's badly miscalculated referendum scheme to end Brexit talk forever. He thought, as did everyone, that a referendum would produce "stay in the EU" results. It didn't and he abruptly resigned, leaving the Conservative Party to find a new leader and prime minister. Theresa May won, but without going to the British voters in a general election. Nevertheless, she had a solid majority in Parliament and could have held tight until the next scheduled general election in 2021. Instead, Mrs. May called for a snap general election and ended with the slightest of majorities, needing Northern Ireland's Unionist Party to hold her majority together. With a Labour Party badly divided in Parliament opposition, Mrs. May might have hung on, but she was not Margaret Thatcher, as she seemed to flit from one Brexit idea to another in an effort to try to silence Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's taunts and demands. It just didn't work. Her Conservative members of Parliament knew it. The British people knew it. She had been given by David Cameron what was popularly called "a poisoned chalice," and she drank it instead of tossing it across the aisle into Corbyn's big mouth. • American Thinker's Monica Showalter wrote harshly on Saturday about Theresa May's fall form grace : "The UK's long national nightmare is finally over. Prime Minister Theresa May is finally getting out. But not without dragging it out, which is what she does. CNN reports : 'UK Prime Minister Theresa May finally gave in to the intense political pressure over her failure to secure Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, announcing her resignation in an emotional address to the nation on Friday. Standing at a lectern in Downing Street, May said she deeply regretted not being able to deliver Brexit, the issue that brought her to power in 2016 and which consumed her premiership in the three years since. May said she would quit as leader of the Conservative Party on June 7, but would stay on as Prime Minister until a successor is chosen. That process will be completed by the end of July, her party said.' She was pictured weeping about it, which can only provoke scorn given that she doesn't see herself at fault. But she is, because the hard fact remains, she was an utterly miserable failure, leaving Britain in awful shape as the European Union continues to lord over it and Brexit still amounts to something that never happened. The voters wanted it, and recent reports suggest that they are digging in harder than ever. But from May all they ever got was delay, delay, delay and calls for more time. Like, why?" • Showalter's analysis runs along these lines : "Maybe the fact that she was against Brexit and promised to get Brexit done anyway if she could just be prime minister over some worthier candidates was the problem. Her whole premise was wrong and putting her in that position (and not by popular vote), right after the stunning result of the Brexit vote, to get Britain out, was a recipe for failure. A revolution was ignited with Brexit - and the feckless Tories put the equivalent of a NeverTrump in the top leadership position to helm the ship outward. It's like they believed the Brits were crazy for voting to leave the European Union and therefore in need of 'proper control.'....Did she achieve Brexit? Nope, she kept wanting to please the eurotrash back in Brussels. Did she threaten to walk out on them? Not in any serious way -- it raised suspicions that she secretly liked them, because she was so bad at this. A clean break with the European Union would have been a preferable thing to what she had on offer and Britain could have bounced right back on the trade front by now -- with Donald Trump in the wings offering Britain a 'first in line' free trade deal, and the old empire nations that would have loved to sign a free trade deal with Britain to make up for any lost trade with the continent. Never happened because May was always enmired with Brussels, and it should have been done a long time ago." • Surprisingly, with the Brexit issue the only thing that mattered to the British people, and with the British media hammering away at Brexit hourly, Showalter reminds us that "...on her watch, the British parliament never spent much time at all debating about Brexit -- it was just too embarrassing, too Nigel Farage-y. They opted to talk about leftwing stuff....almost like she was a non-lunatic left Labourite ruling the place. Here is BBC's list : 'Non-Brexit achievements Mrs May would point to include forcing companies with more than 250 employees to reveal the average pay of men and women, increasing the NHS budget by £20.5bn a year by 2023 -- a real-terms average increase of 3.4% a year -- and a 25-year environment plan that will see the sale of diesel cars and petrol cars phased out by 2040. She also scrapped the 1% freeze on public sector pay, brought in a cap on energy bills and introduced house building targets, including more affordable homes. But, despite pledges, she has failed to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands she promised and a much-delayed social care green paper has still not been published.' " • Showalter shows no mercy : "Every last one of these things -- raising bureaucrat pay, enacting global warming measures, raising taxes, letting migrants in -- is something leftwingers like. There was one other thing not named by the BBC -- the growing evidence of her government's complicity in spying on Donald Trump through the Russian collusion lie. All you can conclude from this record is that May was a leftist in conservative clothing." • • • THE BBC VERSION OF THERESA MAY'S TENURE. The BBC titled its Friday article "Theresa May: Premiership in six charts." What did the six charts show about Mrs. May's time as PM? : "1. She hasn't been in office long. Mrs. May has developed a reputation for surviving in almost impossible circumstances, but she is still among the UK prime ministers with the shortest time in office....She survived a leadership challenge last December, but, alongside poor local election results, has had her Brexit deal rejected on three separate occasions by MPs in the House of Commons. Her latest plan to publish the Withdrawal Agreement Bill on Friday -- the legislation required to bring the agreement into UK law -- angered many Tories. She also failed to win Labour Party support....2. She didn't win the hearts and minds of voters. While Mrs May had a brief honeymoon period in 2016, her decision to call a snap election in 2017 left her humiliated, ending with fewer seats than before she called the vote. This caused her ratings to plummet. The resulting tiny Commons majority left her little room for manoeuvre on any issue, including Brexit, and her time in Downing Street has, inevitably, been dominated by Europe. Mrs May's popularity fell to an all-time low in May, ahead of the EU elections....3. She has lost a lot of staff. The turmoil over Brexit has also caused Mrs May to lose many key ministers over a short period of time. In fact, she has seen more resignations (36) than Tony Blair (29) or Margaret Thatcher (25) saw in 10 years [12 years for Thatcher]. Such levels of ministerial turnover have been described as "unprecedented" by the Institute for Government....4. She suffered many large defeats -- including a record-breaker. Theresa May has suffered a series a big defeats in the Commons over her Brexit deal, including the largest for a sitting government in history. MPs voted by 432 votes to 202 to reject her deal back in January -- a larger margin of defeat than the previous record held by the minority Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald....5. Brexit has dominated her time in office, but not Commons debate. In her first speech as prime minister, Mrs May stood on the steps of Downing Street pledging to tackle the 'burning injustices' in modern society. Although Brexit has overshadowed her time in office, analysis by the Institute for Government shows the vast majority of parliamentary time -- 83% of it -- has been spent discussing matters other than leaving the EU....despite pledges, she has failed to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands she promised and a much-delayed social care green paper has still not been published....6. Rivals have been snapping at her heels. Mrs May has not enjoyed much loyalty from her remaining Cabinet colleagues. Divisions have been one of the hallmarks of her premiership. Now that she has announced she will be leaving, a leadership contest will take place. Any Conservative MP can run and the winner will become party leader and prime minister without the need for a general election. So far, former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, ex-Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey, former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart and ex-Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom have said they will run. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Home Secretary Sajid Javid and former Home Secretary Amber Rudd, among others, are also expected to join the race. The new PM is set to be in post by end of July." • • • THE AMERICAN VIEW OF MAY'S DEPARTURE. The New York Sun wrote an article on Sunday title "With May Leaving, The Hard Part Of Brexit Begins." The NY Sun says this : "Nothing so embodies Mrs. May’s premiership as her leaving of it -- grudging, acrimonious, and interminable. Not to mention vainglorious, pompous, and disingenuous. Nevertheless, Britons can take satisfaction that she will soon be gone. Just don’t uncork the champagne. Brexiteers have yet to secure Brexit. They’ve simply cashiered one known antagonist for many unknown aspirants to power, each awaiting his chance to climb what Disraeli dubbed the 'greasy pole.' This is, however, an opportunity for the Conservative party to begin redeeming itself. With Nigel Farage’s Brexit party polling at 37% and Tories languishing at 7%, Britain’s natural party of government has much for which to atone." • The NY Suin has some suggestions going forward : "First, a blanket amnesty is in order for Leavers who, in moments of weakness, voted for Mrs. May’s Withdrawal Agreement for fear of something worse. While there are many, if all too few, Tory MPs who kept the faith, it is doubtful these members have sufficient clout to assume the leadership. Come to terms, too, with Nigel Farage and his nascent party. Let Conservatives not close ranks against him, lest they jeopardize 'the full Brexit.' Second, it is best to eschew unrepentant Remainers and Cabinet ministers as leadership material. For to be a member of Government has meant supporting not only Mrs. May’s flawed negotiation strategy with the EU, but her contumely toward the Brexit cause. It is also wise to steer clear of those candidates who, while promising to pursue a deal with Brussels, aver that, if need be, they will accept 'no deal.' To be clear, the need for a no deal Brexit exists -- and has from the start. Credulity in respect of the EU suggests that leading the Conservative party exceeds a candidate’s ken. Let us go for WTO Brexit and be done with it. Third, avoid the notion that securing Britain’s exit from the EU is to be the culmination of Brexit. It is merely preliminary to fulfilling the dream of independence -- not only from Europe, but also from the Nanny State, French dirigisme, and socialistic ills. Brexit is not the end but only the beginning of 'taking back control.' " • For the NY Sun, "A reinvigorated Conservative party would involve not only embracing the Brexit but translating it into limited government, sound money, and prudent fiscal policies. Incentivizing individuals toward entrepreneurship, stewardship, and responsibility have been the animating reason for Brexit from the start. Were Conservatives simply to realize Brexit -- assuredly no mean feat -- and carry on as before, it would do mischief to Margaret Thatcher’s justly famous Bruges speech. Let us echo her sentiments by saying : "'We have not successfully rolled back the frontiers of the state from Brussels, only to see them re-imposed at Westminster.' Far better for Tories to remember Mrs. Thatcher’s reply to those who wanted her to reverse her political and economic reforms -- 'the lady’s not for turning' -- and let the spirit of Brexit transform Britain from a declining sclerotic state into a dynamic civil society." • • • NIGEL FARAGE IS BACK WITH A PASSION FOR BREXIT. The Evening Standard wrote on Monday : "Theresa May has spoken out about her party's humiliating night in the European elections, saying she 'sincerely hopes these results focus minds in Parliament.' The Prime Minister, who announced she was resigning as Tory leader on Friday, described the result as 'very disappointing.' The Conservatives have won just four MEPs, securing just 9.1% of the of the vote -- their worst ever national election share. Mrs May tweeted : 'Some excellent MEPs have lost their seats, some excellent candidates missed out. But Labour have also suffered big losses. It shows the importance of finding a Brexit deal, and I sincerely hope these results focus minds in Parliament.' " • The Standard quoted Nigel Farage, who said he wanted to "change the shape of British politics" by taking his Brexit Party to a general election after storming to victory on Sunday night. His party have won 29 seats, overtaking the 24 MEPs that Mr Farage's former party Ukip sent to the European Parliament in 2014. Mr Farage said this morning : 'If we don’t leave in October the Brexit party will go on to a general election. We are happy to help any leader who is genuine about us leaving the EU. We would like to be part of the negotiating team, use us and give us some responsibility, but they need to be prepared to leave with a clean break Brexit. Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab, Michael Gove -- all of them voted for Mrs May’s European treaty." • That pretty clearly lays out the upcoming battle. Will Nigel Farage and his "beginning of a new political movement" win the day when not if, a general election is called. Will the Liberal Democrats, reduced to just a single MEP in 2014, but winning 16 MEP seats after their best ever European results, finally take a major position on britich politics? Has Jeremy Corbyn played his last hand as Labour leader, as Labour won only 10 MEP seats, halved from 20? Will the British Greens -- supported by pro-EU voters -- and their 7 MEPs, up from 3 in 2014, make common cause with the surging Greens all over the EU? Or, will the badly scarred and downtrodden Conservatives rise to the occasion and prove once more that they are the "natural" political leaders of Great Britain? • • • BORIS JOHNSON HAS HIS CHANCE NOW. Bosir Johnson has wanted to be the Conservative Prime Minister since he was elected Mayor of London. That was a long time ago by political standards, and Johnson has come a long way since he was the madcap mayor with the uncontrollable blond hair. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has the same goal : "The priority at the moment, I think, is for this Government to call for a general election and actually have a general election so we can decide the future." BUT, Boris Johnson is an astute politician and he says candidly that the Conservative Party could be "fired from running the country" if it does not deliver Brexit : "If we go on like this, we will be fired: dismissed from the job of running the country." Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Johnson said voters in the EU election issued a "crushing rebuke" to the Conservatives. Fellow PM candidate, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, said the party faces an "existential risk" over Brexit. • With Northern Ireland and a few other pockets still to declare their results, the overnight count has seen Conservative voters deserting the party, with the party scoring less than 10% of the total vote -- compared to nearly 25% in the last EU election. BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said it was the worst performance for the Conservatives as a party since 1832. Johnson said the message from the results was clear for the Conservatives and the party risked a "permanent haemorrhage" of support. The only way to avoid that outcome, he said, was to "come out of the EU; and that means doing it properly." • Wannabe PMs are divided about a no-deal Brexit -- several say they are prepared to let the UK leave the EU on the new deadline on 31 October without a deal if necessary.But, in his Telegraph column, Johnson said that "no one sensible" would aim exclusively for a no-deal Brexit, adding that "no one responsible would take no-deal off the table." However, some Conservative candidates stress the need to get a Brexit deal passed in Parliament. Writing in the Times, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Conservatives had to deliver Brexit through Parliament, "whether we like it or not....The brutal truth is that plans that cannot command the confidence of Parliament would risk a general election. We would be punished for our failure to deliver Brexit and under any leader this would risk Corbyn by Christmas." • • • DEAR READERS, the successful candidate who becomes the next British Prime Minister will undoubtedly face the same Jeremy Corbyn who unseated Theresa May. There has been no bolt of lightning that has changed the hand to be dealt to the next PM. Corbyn knows that with the current razor thin majority held by the Conservatives in Parliament, no Brexit deal has much chance of passing. Is there an angel in the wings to save Brexit and the Conservatives? Boris Johnson, with a 32.4% support level among Conservatives offers the best chance of pulling the party and Parliament together around a reasonable Brexit deal. But, that will require support from the thus-far unbending Northern Ireland Unionists who oppose any deal that cuts them off by means of customs borders from the south of Ireland. Will Nigel Farage and his "beginning of a new political movement" win the day if a general election is called. Will the Liberal Democrats, reduced to just a single MEP in 2014, but winning 16 MEP seats after their best ever European results, finally take a major position as the centrist party of British politics? Has Jeremy Corbyn played his last hand as Labour leader, as Labour won only 10 MEP seats, halved from 20, causing the divide to open even more between those who support Corbyn and the half of the Labour Party who see him as a marxist-socialist rope around their necks? Will the British Greens -- supported by pro-EU voters -- and their 7 MEPs, up from 3 in 2014, make common cause with the surging Greens all over the EU and offer a 'doable' Brexit deal -- don't count on it? Or, will the badly scarred and downtrodden Conservatives rise to the occasion, find a way to deliver Brexit, and prove once more that they are the "natural" political leaders of Great Britain? It's still a long way to Tipperary.