'Suddenly, banks have been left grudgingly weighing the benefits of a party run by neo-Marxists, radical union leaders and lawmakers with a history of supporting communist regimes...'

You can't be serious?!

You gotta read this piece on Britain's Labor Party, and especially how open Labor is to what's essentially a communist political economy.

At the New York Times, "Jeremy Corbyn or No-Deal Brexit? The U.K. Might Have to Choose":

Why are capitalists warming to the leftist Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn? “The Tories are promising the most radical and extreme economic intervention probably in 200 years,” says one analyst. “Any of Labour’s policies pale in significance." https://t.co/JSPBQGPrBK

— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) October 6, 2019

LONDON — He is the bane of bankers, a bearded, teetotaling socialist often derided in the British press and in Parliament for his efforts to suppress dissent inside the Labour Party and his radical plans to remake the British economy.

But in the unmitigated chaos of Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn, the opposition Labour leader, is trying to remint himself as a safe pair of hands, and an unlikely salve to jittery British markets panicked by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans for an abrupt split with the European Union.

And, surprisingly, it might be working.

“‘What method of execution would you prefer?’ is basically the question,” said David Willetts, a Conservative former minister who was once an aide to Margaret Thatcher. “Corbyn would in normal circumstances look like an off-the-scale risky gamble. However, Brexit is the single biggest change in Britain’s economic and political relations in 40 years, so Brexit itself is an off-the-scale economic gamble.”

With an early election looming, Mr. Johnson’s Conservative Party, once a friend to big business and a refuge for establishment figures of all types, has torched one convention after another, creating dust-ups with Queen Elizabeth II, the Supreme Court and Parliament. The prime minister’s proposed Brexit deal, proffered last week to Brussels, was met with so much dismay that most analysts believe he is fully resigned to Britain leaving the bloc without one.

That has turned Mr. Corbyn — a lifelong rabble-rouser and one of the most left-wing leaders in Labour’s century-long history — into an improbable figure of restraint. He is implacably opposed to a no-deal Brexit and promises a second referendum that could reverse the split altogether...

Keep reading.

Belgian Carnival Float Features Puppets of Grinning Jews and Money Bags

Following-up, "Labour Party MP Chris Williamson Warns of 'Dark Forces' Undermining Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn; Theresa May Calls for His Suspension (VIDEO)."

I shouldn't be so optimistic that citizens of democracies will rebuke the hate, if Belgium is any example.

At JTA:

Half a lifetime ago, I lived in Belgium. I have never seen something more shocking and yet, been totally unsurprised. https://t.co/E97MONGaiF

— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) March 4, 2019

Labour Party MP Chris Williamson Warns of 'Dark Forces' Undermining Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn; Theresa May Calls for His Suspension (VIDEO)

Background here, "Chris Williamson warned of 'dark forces' undermining Corbyn, as councillor joked about 'Jew process': Exclusive: Shocking recording reveals Cllr Jo Bird joked that 'due process' should be dubbed 'Jew process'."

And at the BBC, Williamson was indeed suspended, "Labour activists backlash over anti-Semitism row."

It's bizarre to me that hatred of Jews has become so mainstream and central to leftist politics, but it is what it is, and the bright side is that such hatred should keep them out of power. It should, that is, as long as the general electorate in democratic societies rebukes exterminationist ideological anti-Semitism.

BREAKING: Prime Minister @theresa_may calls for @DerbyChrisW to be suspended from @UKLabour to show that @jeremycorbyn "actually wants to take action against racism".

She also praised the work of @CST_UK, in response to a question from @JamesCleverly.#LabourAntisemitism #PMQs pic.twitter.com/nNTM6QeX8M

— Jewish Telegraph (@JewishTelegraph) February 27, 2019

Rachel Riley's Powerful Speech to the Holocaust Education Trust Reception (VIDEO)

From David Bernstein, at Instapundit, "WHO WOULD HAVE PREDICTED IN 1945 THAT THE UK’S LABOUR PARTY WOULD BE THE CLOSEST IDEOLOGICAL DESCENDANT OF THE NAZIS IN THE WEST? British t.v. presenter Rachel Riley describes the anti-Semitic abuse she’s encountered since publicly criticizing rampant Jew-hatred in Labour."

Video at the link above.

Also at the Jewish Chronicle, "I thought the horror of the Shoah would mean no more antisemitism. I was wrong: Read Rachel Riley's powerful speech to the Holocaust Education Trust reception in Westminster."

Jeremy Corbyn is Too Extreme to Be Prime Minister

From Sohrab Ahmari, at Commentary, "Never Corbyn."

Dear Britons: For the love of all that is good and just, please don't elect Jeremy Corbyn--the Hamas-hugging lunatic from the People's Republic of Islington--to No. 10 Downing Street. https://t.co/KRhvs7j2dT

— Sohrab Ahmari (@SohrabAhmari) August 14, 2018

'I'm literally a communist, you idiot...'

This is something else.

From Douglas Murray, at the Spectator U.K., "Does Teen Vogue understand what it means to be ‘literally a communist’?"

Nobody ever went to Teen Vogue for moral or political enlightenment. But who would have thought it would become an exemplar of a wider moral sewer https://t.co/da3QkaTPEv

— The Spectator (@spectator) July 18, 2018

International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism

Here's the statement, at IHRA's home page, "Working Definition of Antisemitism."

I'm posting in response to the controversy of the U.K. Labour Party's rejection of the IHRA definition, with the significant political fallout thereof, as well as the push by the far-left Jewish Voice for Peace to redefine hateful racist criticism of Israel and acceptable and non-anti-Semitic.

See the Jewish News Service, "Three-dozen far-left pro-BDS Jewish groups urge rejection of anti-Semitism definition":

I have no words... Disgraceful.

Three-dozen far-left pro-BDS Jewish groups urge rejection of anti-Semitism definition https://t.co/YcbvTb0EHi via @JNS_org

— Andreas Fagerbakke (@afagerbakke) July 17, 2018

(July 17, 2018 / JNS) Three-dozen far-left pro-BDS Jewish groups from around the world have signed a statement rejecting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s definition of anti-Semitism over its alleged conflation of anti-Semitism and criticism of Israel.

The statement, spearheaded by the anti-Israel U.S.-based group Jewish Voice for Peace, said that the IHRA definition, which has been adopted by a number of Western countries, “is worded in such a way as to be easily adopted or considered by western governments to intentionally equate legitimate criticisms of Israel and advocacy for Palestinian rights with antisemitism, as a means to suppress the former.”

The statement said the conflation “undermines both the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality and the global struggle against antisemitism.”

“It also serves to shield Israel from being held accountable to universal standards of human rights and international law,” the statement said. “Israel does not represent us and cannot speak for us when committing crimes against Palestinians and denying their UN-stipulated rights.”

Among the other U.S.-based groups that signed the letter are Jews for Palestinian Right of Return, Jews of Color & Sephardi/Mizrahi Jews and Jews Say No!

The statement by the far-left Jewish groups comes amid an intense debate within the United Kingdom’s Labour Party over the adoption of the IHRA definition...

And see the Jerusalem Post, "Outcry by UK Jewry as Labour adopts controversial antisemitism guidelines."

And just today, at Sky News, "Jeremy Corbyn to take action against MP Margaret Hodge, who branded him an 'anti-Semite'."

And Tal Ofer, on Twitter:

It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to terminate my membership of the Labour Party – A party I have supported throughout my life, a party I stood for as a candidate in local elections, a party that that was the natural home for British Jews #LabourAntisemitism pic.twitter.com/QfCLemaKmw

— Tal Ofer (@TalOfer) July 17, 2018

'The Labour party was my home – but anti-Semitism is forcing me to leave it'https://t.co/zSCRSqeGHX @NewStatesman @LabourAgainstAS @AntisemitismOut #LabourAntisemitism #EnoughIsEnough @BoardofDeputies

— Tal Ofer (@TalOfer) July 18, 2018

Marxism Didn't Die

From Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit, "OH, TO BE IN ENGLAND: Marxism didn’t die. It’s alive and well and living among us. New Labour was a triumph of the reborn left, made to seem like a takeover by the right..."

Democrat Party Following Britain’s Labour Party Down the Anti-Semitic Rat Hole

From Caroline Glick, "Democrats, Labour and the anti-Semitic sewer":

GOP Lawmaker @ToddRokita: Dems, 'Media Elites' Stopped Farrakhan-Obama Photo From Coming Out @foxandfriends https://t.co/u14uuQedoV

— FoxNewsInsider (@FoxNewsInsider) March 15, 2018

The Democratic Party is following Britain’s Labour party down the antisemitic rabbit hole.

Today, with the British Labour Party firmly under the thumb of its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, Britain is one election away from being led by a man who has spent decades in the company of some of the most prolific and noxious antisemites in the world.

Allegations of anti-Jewish bigotry have hounded Corbyn for decades, and with good reason. It isn’t simply that he has associated with notorious antisemites, and referred to Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists as “my friends.”

It is that Corbyn has whitewashed antisemites in Labour. He has made Labour a warm and welcoming home for them. And at the same time, under his leadership, prominent Jewish pro-Jewish and pro-Israel voices have been marginalized while antisemitic Jews have been organized and empowered as a political weapon to sanitize the antisemitism that permeates the party.

Last week, British researcher David Collier published two reports (here and here), documenting in granular detail the postings at a virulently antisemitic secret Facebook page called “Palestine Live.”

Corbyn was a member of the group until shortly after he was elected leader of the Labour Party in 2015. While anyone can be placed on any Facebook page whether he wants to be there or not, and Corbyn claims that he was “joined” to the group without his knowledge, Corbyn was not a passive member. The leader of Labour was active on the wildly bigoted group.

The muck on the “Palestine Live” page runs the anti-Semitic spectrum from medieval to pogromist, from Nazi to Communist to anti-Zionist.

The group’s 3,200 members routinely post propaganda justifying the Holocaust, denying the Holocaust, and blaming the Jews for the Holocaust. They accused Jews of killing Palestinians to steal their organs and of controlling the global economy, the governments of every country on earth, and the media. They assign Jews responsibility for every major terrorist attack in the world.

As for Israel, group members accuse Israel of every possible crime against humanity. The Palestinians of Gaza are referred to as “Holocaust survivors,” while Israelis are “terrorists” and “Nazis.”

As Collier put it, “Palestine Live is a sewer, full of anti-Semitic ideologies.”

Members of the secret group were well aware of its bigoted nature. Jacqueline Walker, the a former member of Labour’s pro-Corbyn Momentum faction’s steering committee, who was twice suspended from the party over allegations of anti-Jewish bigotry asked Elleanne Green, Palestine Live’s founder and one of its administrators, “How safe is this group?”

Green responded, “Very…no one is allowed in who is not trusted…I am very careful…and it is a Secret Group…so it really is as safe as you will be able to find anywhere.”

As to Corbyn, whereas other prominent British leftists were inactive members, and could reasonably claim they were unaware that they had been added to the hate group, Collier documented multiple instances where Corbyn actively engaged with it.

In September 2014, members of the group asked Corbyn to host a lecture by noted American anti-Israel conspiracy theorist Max Blumenthal. Corbyn was happy to oblige. The event took place in early October 2014.

Green, like the other two group administrators, regularly posted antisemitic conspiracy theories. Anyone who had a glancing familiarity with her and with her posts on the hate group she established had to know that she is a fire breathing Jew hater.

In October 2014, she asked Corbyn on the page if he would invite prominent Israel basher and conspiracy theorist Dr. Mads Gilbert from Norway to speak at the British Parliament. Corbyn responded enthusiastically.

“Have huge respect for my friend Dr. Mads Gilbert and would be delighted to invite him to Westminster,” he wrote.

Gilbert has likened Israel to Nazi Germany. He also hates America and has justified the 9/11 attacks specifically and terrorism against the US generally.

“The oppressed … have a moral right to attack the USA with any weapon they can come up with,” he said.

When Corbyn responded to the Collier’s reports, he said his posts were limited to some replies, including “a suggestion on the vote on recognizing Palestine, which I supported, and inviting a doctor, [that is, Gilbert] to speak at an event.”

Since Collier published his reports, Labour suspended a few of its members who posted on the page. Corbyn denied seeing antisemitic postings and said, “Obviously, any anti-Semitic comment is wrong. Any anti-Semitism in any form is wrong.”

Corbyn’s unqualified rejections of antisemitism are a rarity. He almost always gives himself an escape hatch which is often itself antisemitic. For instance, in 2016 in a statement ostensibly about rejecting anti-Jewish bigotry, Corbyn said, “Our Jewish friends are no more responsible for the actions of Israel or the Netanyahu government than our Muslim friends are for those of various self-styled Islamic states or organizations.”

Which brings us to the Democratic Party.

Corbyn’s statement recalled a statement then-Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) made during the 2008 presidential campaign.

“There is a strain within the pro-Israel community that says unless you adopt an unwavering pro-Likud approach to Israel that you’re anti-Israel,” Obama told an audience in Ohio.

Likud is Israel’s ruling party. It won the last three elections. By insinuating that Likud is illegitimate, Obama rejected the legitimacy of Israelis who elect Likud to lead them.

In addition, during the 2008 election and throughout his presidency, Obama diligently obfuscated his associations with antisemites.

Keep reading.

BONUS: At the Other McCain, "Jew-Hating as ‘Intersectionality’? The Women’s March Farrakhan Problem."

Richard Seymour, Corbyn

At Amazon, Richard Seymour, Corbyn: The Strange Rebirth of Radical Politics.

This looks especially interesting in light of that Mark Penn op-ed the other day at the New York Times, and the American left's visceral response to it (at Memeorandum and Twitter).

Democrats See Growing Split Between Party and Base

With Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party basically coming out the winner in Britain's general election, we saw all kinds of quick hot takes about how Democrats should have nominated Bernie Sanders (at least on Twitter).

I also saw someone (I've forgotten who) arguing that the populist/nationalist wave has crested (at 538?). I guess that means hardcore socialists are about to come to power, right?

Actually, no. The fact is Corbyn's still the leader of the shadow cabinet. We'll see if we have another election in Britain this year, as some have argued, but in the U.S. it's well over a year until the congressional midterms. A lot can happen in the meanwhile. And for 2020? Won't Bernie be pushing 80 by then? The Democrats need to deepen the bench. Sheesh.

In any case, at the New York Times, "Democrats in Split-Screen: The Base Wants It All. The Party Wants to Win":

Democrats are facing a struggle between the demands of their liberal base and the limits of their power https://t.co/0amCdyaUDY

— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 11, 2017

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Democrats are facing an open breach between the demands of their political base and the strict limits of their power, as liberal activists dream of transforming the health care system and impeaching President Trump, while candidates in hard-fought elections ask wary independent voters merely for a fresh chance at governing.

The growing tension between the party’s ascendant militant wing and Democrats in conservative-leaning terrain, where the party must compete to win power in Congress, was on vivid, split-screen display over the weekend: in Chicago, where Senator Bernie Sanders led a revival-style meeting of his progressive devotees, and in Atlanta, where Democrats are spending colossal sums of money in hopes of seizing a traditionally Republican congressional district.

It may be essential for Democrats to reconcile the party’s two clashing impulses if they are to retake the House of Representatives in 2018. In a promising political environment, a drawn-out struggle over Democratic strategy and ideology could spill into primary elections and disrupt the party’s path to a majority.

On the one hand, progressives are more emboldened than they have been in decades, galvanized by Mr. Sanders’s unexpected successes in 2016 and empowered by the surge of grass-roots energy dedicated to confronting an unpopular president and pushing the party leftward.

Mr. Sanders rallied his youthful, often-raucous coalition Saturday night at a gathering named the “People’s Summit,” where supporters hailed him in worshipful language. One Colorado couple hauled a small banner through the hangar-size McCormick Place, pleading with Mr. Sanders, a still-independent Vermont senator, to create a new “People’s Party.”

Mr. Sanders and many attendees enthused over the surprise showing of the British Labour Party, under the left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn, in last week’s election. Democrats can electrify voters, they warned, only by embracing the Sanders agenda of universal health care, free college tuition and full employment.

Speaking for just under an hour, Mr. Sanders — who was met with chants of “Bernie, Bernie” and pleas of “2020!” — crowed that while he may have lost the 2016 primary, “we have won the battle of ideas and we are continuing to win that battle.”

He assailed President Trump in blistering terms, but earned some of his loudest cheers for attacking the party whose nomination he sought last year. “The current model and the current strategy of the Democratic Party is an absolute failure,” Mr. Sanders said to booming applause, arguing that Democrats need “fundamental change.”

“The Democratic Party must finally understand which side it is on,” he said.

Yet the party’s elected leaders, and many of its candidates, are far more dispassionate, sharing a cold-eyed recognition of the need to scrounge for votes in forbidding precincts...

Pfft.

It's all baloney.

It's going to take a massive wave election in 2018 to topple the Republican majority in Congress, especially in the House.

And it's about 18 months until the 2018 midterms. Dems should curb their enthusiasm a little, heh.

Still more.

Xenophobia and Islamophobia on the Rise in Great Britain

Actually, they're not. It's just that leftists have nothing left in the quiver to push back against righteous populist nationalism.

But see Zaheer Kazmi, at Foreign Affairs, FWIW, "Islamophobia and the New Britishness: How Brexit Revealed the Conservative Establishment's Intolerance."

Frankly, this guy Zaheer's recycling a lot of lies surrounding the Brexit debate, but this is what passes for "informed comment" on the left.

Pathetic.

Xenophobia and Islamophobia are on the rise in the United Kingdom: https://t.co/hjuHxmeHGC

— Foreign Affairs (@ForeignAffairs) August 5, 2016

David Cameron Hums a Tune as He Heads Into 10 Downing Street (VIDEO)

Following-up, "Andrea Leadsom Quits Leadership Race (VIDEO)," and "U.K. Home Secretary Theresa May Set to Become Britain's Prime Minister (VIDEO)."

Watch, via Sky News, "David Cameron Hums a Tune After Resigning."

More, at Telegraph U.K.:

From being booed on Centre Court to bidding farewell to Downing Street: David Cameron's final 72 hours as Prime… https://t.co/65OvTyPvE7

— Telegraph News (@TelegraphNews) July 11, 2016

U.K. Home Secretary Theresa May Set to Become Britain's Prime Minister (VIDEO)

Following-up, "Andrea Leadsom Quits Leadership Race (VIDEO)."

At the Telegraph U.K., "Live - 'Together we will build a better Britain': New Tory leader Theresa May delivers vision for the country ahead of coronation as Prime Minister on Wednesday":

Theresa May will become Britain's second female prime minister on Wednesday evening after David Cameron makes his final Commons appearance as premier.

Mr Cameron hailed his successor as "strong and competent" as he announced he would go to Buckingham Palace to offer his resignation to the Queen following Prime Minister's Questions.

Mrs May's coronation follows rival Andrea Leadsom's shock decision to pull out of the Tory leadership race.

The Prime Minister said he was "delighted" that the Home Secretary would succeed him in Downing Street.

Mr Cameron will chair his last Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning and will take his final Prime Minister's Questions at noon on Wednesday.

In a statement outside the Commons following her election as Tory party leader, Mrs May praised May Cameron for his stewardship of the party and country.

Mrs May also hailed Andrea Leadsom, whose shock decision to pull out of the Tory leadership race paved the way for her coronation, for the "dignity" she had shown...

Still more.

Andrea Leadsom Quits Leadership Race (VIDEO)

Leadsom cried in an interview with the Telegraph on Sunday. There's no crying in politics!

Maybe that's why she quit?

I'll check, but meanwhile, at the New York Times, via Memeorandum, "Theresa May Poised to Be Britain's Next Premier as Andrea Leadsom Quits Race."

Nigel Farage Resigns as Leader of U.K. Independence Party (VIDEO)

From Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit, "NIGEL FARAGE RESIGNS AS HEAD OF UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY."

I'm not linking, but they're absolutely tipsy at the news over at the far-left Guardian UK.

The Myth of Cosmopolitanism

It's Ross Douthat, at the New York Times.

Not bad:

The myth of cosmopolitanism: Ross Douthat on the global elite, a tribe like any other. https://t.co/lOveYA0SJT pic.twitter.com/Hxb7oRur23

— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) July 3, 2016

@DouthatNYT Douthat on the Global Elite Tribe. https://t.co/psSE3KwKpQ pic.twitter.com/SxRxEIvzK0

— Instapundit.com (@instapundit) July 3, 2016

"But no less than Brexit-voting Cornish villagers, our global citizens think and act as members of a tribe." https://t.co/HApwkMxmY6

— (((Mark Krikorian))) (@MarkSKrikorian) July 3, 2016

"more genuine cosmopolitanism in Rudyard Kipling & TE Lawrence & Richard Francis Burton than in 100 Davos sessions"https://t.co/HApwkMxmY6

— (((Mark Krikorian))) (@MarkSKrikorian) July 3, 2016

When all my friends are sharing an article on the dangers of tribalism I feel I should share it too... Oh, wait https://t.co/d9B1Vb7Bu5

— Walter Olson (@walterolson) July 3, 2016

This overstates and simplifies, as op-eds tend to do, but there's a lot of truth in here. https://t.co/tYYnAUrj6F

— Andrew Exum (@ExumAM) July 3, 2016

Articulates what I've always thought: liberal "global citizens" live in a bubble that is only superficially diverse. https://t.co/1Y8qtcSGfa

— Derek Hopper (@derekmhopper) July 3, 2016

Istanbul Airport Attackers Came from Islamic State Stronghold of Raqqa in Syria (VIDEO)

At CNN, "ISIS leadership involved in Istanbul attack planning, Turkish source says":

Istanbul (CNN) - Turkish officials have strong evidence that the Istanbul airport attackers came to the country from the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa in Syria and that ISIS leadership was involved in the planning of the attack, a senior Turkish government source told CNN on Thursday.

Officials believe the men -- identified by another Turkish official and state media as being from Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan -- entered Turkey about a month ago from Raqqa, bringing along with them the suicide vests and bombs used in the attack, the source said.

They rented an apartment in the Fatih district of Istanbul, where one of the attackers left behind his passport, the Turkish government source told CNN.

The attack was "extremely well planned with ISIS leadership involved," the source said...

Keep reading.

Boy, those ignorant British racist rubes are looking more prescient all the time. Of course, the leftist elite will deny the attacks have anything to do with European Union policy, which is to welcome literally millions of "refugees" flooding into the continent.

Boris Johnson Withdraws from Leadership Contest, Upends Tories After Michael Gove Ambush (VIDEO)

At the Telegraph UK, "Conservative MPs in uproar as Boris Johnson 'rips party apart' by withdrawing from leadership contest after ambush by Michael Gove":

The battle for the Conservative leadership was dramatically transformed today after Boris Johnson ruled himself out of the race.

It followed the shock declaration from Michael Gove that he would throw his hat in the ring because he didn't believe his close friend was up to the job.

He said: "I have come, reluctantly, to the conclusion that Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead. I have, therefore, decided to put my name forward for the leadership."

Conservative MPs who turned up for what they thought would be Boris Johnson’s decision to stand for the Tory leadership at the St Ermine hotel near Scotland Yard are absolutely furious.

The MPs who spoke to the Telegraph said they had no idea the Mr Johnson had planned to withdraw from the Tory leadership.

One MP who attended Mr Johnson’s launch said: “Any politician who trusts Michael Gove needs their head examined.

The chaos sent shock waves through the campaign as Home Secretary Theresa May announced her bid to succeed David Cameron this morning.

At midday Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, announced that Theresa May, Michael Gove, Stephen Crabb, Liam Fox and Andrea Leadsom will fight it out to succeed David Cameron.

Mr Brady announced that the first set of voting will take place on Tuesday as the party's MPs winnow down the field of five candidates to two.

With the least successful contender eliminated at each round, further ballots will be held on Thursday, then successive Tuesdays and Thursdays until two front-runners emerge to be put forward to the party membership in the country for a final decision.

Mr Brady said the committee wants a winner to be chosen by September 9.

A handful of Tory MPs reacted with disbelief as news that Mr Johnson would not be seeking the leadership filtered through as they waited for Mr Brady's announcement...

Watch Johnson's full withdrawal speech here, "LIVE: Boris Johnson's shock announcement he will not run for Tory leadership."

Europe Is Dead: Long Live Europe?

At Der Spiegel, "Black Thursday for U.K. and Europe as Britain Votes to Leave E.U.":

Three weeks prior to the big bang, Michael Gove was standing on a rooftop terrace in London's East End talking about how much he likes Europe. German music, Italian food, French joie de vivre -- oh how much he loves this wonderful continent. Gove is a close friend of British Prime Minister David Cameron and the UK secretary of state for justice. He is also a leading proponent of the British campaign to leave the European Union, commonly called Brexit. "I got married in France and my in-laws live in Italy," he said. "Last year, we went to Bayreuth on vacation. Beautiful." He just couldn't stop gushing.

There is, though, one thing that he doesn't like about Europe -- the damned European Union. Gove describes the 28-country bloc as a "job-destroying, misery-inducing, unemployment-creating tragedy." He's been fighting for Britain to leave the EU for years and is convinced he's right. He is an ideologue. His strategic skill is one big reason why the anti-EU camp attracted more and more people in the weeks leading up to the vote.

In a room next door, Brexit activists are waiting with signs and "Vote Leave" T-shirts. It is Gove's job to motivate them for the campaign's final stretch. He straightens his tie and says that he spent a week sitting on a wooden bench listening to Wagner's operas at the Bayreuth Festival. It was complete dedication, he says, offering it as yet more proof of his love for the continent -- and then an advisor tells him it is time to take the stage.

Gove and his followers were ecstatic on Friday morning. They had achieved their goal. According to the final results, 52 percent of the British voted in favor of leaving the EU. It is an outcome that many in Europe didn't initially take seriously. Soon, however, they began to fear it and ultimately, they could do nothing to prevent it.

The Direst Worst-Case Scenario

At shortly after 4 a.m. London time, Nigel Farage, head of the euroskeptic UKIP party, was one of the first to step in front of the cameras. He said the Brexit vote was a "victory for real people, a victory for ordinary people, a victory for decent people." He also demanded Cameron's immediate resignation. At the time of his speech, only 237 of 382 local authorities had declared their results. Just a few minutes later, the pound plunged to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985.

Scotland, London and Northern Ireland all voted clearly in favor of remaining in the EU, but that wasn't enough. The results in the rest of the UK were clear, and the Brexit campaign's lead grew throughout the night. At 5:40 a.m., the BBC made its call: Brexit was reality.


The influential Labour parliamentarian Keith Vaz called the result "a catastrophe;" European Parliament President Martin Schulz said a short time later that it was "a real crisis;" BBC journalists, clearly stunned by the result, said they had never thought they would have to comment on such an outcome. The United Kingdom will become the first European country ever to leave the union.

June 23, 2016 will go down in European history as Black Thursday, a day when a country succumbed to nostalgia and a yearning for freedom instead of following reason. Against the recommendation of a majority of its parliamentarians, against the advice of economists, politicians, academics, friends and allies around the world. It is a decision marked by national egocentrism, stoked by fear and world weariness, but it is nonetheless a democratic decision...

Well, "nonetheless" democratic.

Thanks a lot, buddy!

Keep reading.

More, "The Refugee Question: Is Merkel To Blame for Brexit?"

EARLIER: "This Is a Real Headline on Britain's EU Referendum, You Ignorant Unwashed Racist Rubes."