The United Kingdom is home to royalty, but there was nothing stately nor refined about the so-called Brexit vote late last week.
The Leave Campaign won by a whisker, 51-48, but some of the pillars of the Leave camp are starting to crumble. And by “pillars” I mean outright lies and exaggerations pushed by people who are, allegedly, smart enough to know better.
RELATED: LEAVE CAMPAIGNERS BACK AWAY FROM ‘FALSE CLAIMS’ (NY TIMES)
Allow me to introduce you to the BrexitBros™—the dinguses who brought dispair upon a far-less-united Kingdom. Who brought it on all of us, globally, because Brexit has roiled world markets and caused both Daesh and Donald Trump to claim credit for the exact same thing.
Boris Johnson
Pegged as the most-likely to succeed David Cameron post-Brexit—and a strong champion for leaving the EU—Johnson has since withdrawn his name for PM consideration. His recoil from the top UK job feels like a scurry behind a parent for protection; a decision that’s left many leavers disillusioned and angry.
I am very surprised #BorisJohnson ran the campaign to get us out of the EU and didn't have the guts to re establish the country! Odd move.
— Mark Wright (@Mark_E_Wright) June 30, 2016
David Cameron
I’ve been a mild admirer of Cameron’s until he called for a referendum on the EU in 2013. Three years is an eternity and a few fortnights for UK attitudes to change and for poor judgment and pious nationalistic movements to take hold. And that’s exact what’s happened now. Despite full-throated urgings to remain, Cameron is out and choking on his decision to hold the referendum in the first place. A Financial Times columnist called it “the most irresponsible act by a British government in my lifetime.”
Donald J. Trump
In an interview with Michael Wolff in The Hollywood Reporter on 1 June 2016, Trump had no idea what Brexit even meant. (And we’ll set aside the fact that it took an entertainment journalist to ask a pointed question of the totally unqualified presumptive GOP nominee.) “Huh?” is an answer unbecoming a man who seeks the world’s highest office; eventually he said Brexit would be a good thing. And after the vote when his way, Trump gave a press conference at his golf course in Turnbury, Scotland. “It’s a good thing you voted to take your country back.” Scotland voted overwhelmingly to stay. And that Oops Moment is just the tip of the Trump iceberg.
Even though a petition for a second Brexit referendum has notched 4 million signatures, no do-over is planned. And that’s a sorry state for the Queen’s Country, which had mistruths painted on busses and many leading figures pushing the xenophobic argument that immigration is too high for any one country to tolerate.
The #Leave campaign was full of lies. Lies on migration, lies on Turkey joining the EU, lies on 350m pounds for the NHS.
— Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) June 28, 2016
Guy Verhofstadt
The hero of the moment for me is Guy Verhofstadt, who gave a plenary speech at the European Union (see embedded video at the start of this section). He compared the Leave campaign with propaganda spewed by Nazi Germany during World War II. “The choice of the people is Democracy,” he said. “The more Boris Johnson speaks the more the Pound goes down. What I do know is we need to end this uncertainty as soon as possible.”
Turns out Brexit’s stated “solution” is far, far worse than the original problems alleged. And we have the BrexitBros to thank for all the chaos and forthcoming uncertainty.
The backtracking by Mr. Johnson and his allies has exposed the venality and cynicism of their campaign — unfortunately for Britain, far too late.
I’m working on a post for next week on the new Star Trek fan-film guidelines out of Paramount—which, according to many, is an attempt to stifle the boffo financial and creative support behind Axanar. The moves by the suits at Paramount “will stifle fandom,” according to Alec Peters, creator.
I’ve viewed Axanar and it’s a beautifully logical and well-told tale in the Star Trek spirit. Stay tuned to the blog next week for a full story and original reporting.
Last week I told my Cranker Darlings about the relationship between ARTvision Atlanta and my book, Pizza for Good. And now that we have our beneficiary set (Lost-n-Found Youth), our artist submission form is now live. We are gunning for a record year in terms of fundraising, which is critical for LNFY because they are working to open a new center in midtown.
Without further droning on from me, here’s the form—please share widely.
https://form.jotform.com/form/61755759251161
The HRC and writer/director Ryan Murphy (Glee) have created a video homage to the 49 people killed in the Orlando nightclub Pulse. It’s a long remembrance to all those who were lost in the worst massacre in modern U.S. history.
The world’s oceans are, deep, blue, vast and wide—and also saturated with plastics. From ThinkProgress (emphasis mine):
Around eight million metric tons of plastic waste enter the oceans every year, according to a 2015 study. In addition, recent research found so-called garbage patches in every major ocean. Plastic is so pervasive that it’s been found in sea ice, and also inside 50 percent of all species of seabirds, 66 percent of all species of marine mammals, and all species of sea turtles.
This is a silent-but-dire situation, and should make you think twice about recycling those plastics you thoughtlessly discard without care. The Ocean Cleanup project, helmed by a feisty, 21-year-old disruptor named Boyan Slat, aims to install buoy-booms to collect errant plastics so that they no longer re-enter our ecosystem.
The plan is not without detractors, however—some of whom state the booms could catch errant wildlife. Another critic says we should work to prevent plastics from entering the water in the first place.
Actually, they’re both right. Plastics are a fact of life these days, and the convenience isn’t going away. We’ve got to have a viable solution to remove existing plastics from our oceans, AND encourage manufacturers to offer plant-based bottles that fully decompose.
Autonomous, energy efficient and scalable, the Ocean Cleanup program is slated to be tested over the next year and could launch globally by 2020. Watch this space.
I’ve posted about Jennifer Hudson in the past, but this ditty honoring The Purple One absolutely stands head-and-shoulders above other diva-forward performances in the past. It’s absolutely a CrankItUp moment—with inspiration to boot. The incomparable Ms. JHud laid it out on the stage and honored Prince in the biggest and baddest way possible.
Russian Intelligence officers are breaking in to homes of U.S. Diplomats and harassing their families as part of a “tit for tat” game of intimidation (WaPo)… The review of Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie is in, but I ain’t gonna read it until I get my grubby little paws on a ticket myself; the flick “brings some necessary fizz to Britain’s glum summer” (Variety)… The Pentagon has lifted the ban on transgender service members, effective today (CNN)… Jessica Williams is leaving The Daily Show, effective today; no word on how this affects the show’s new snoozer host (EW).
Next Tuesday, guest blogger Penny Frulla and I will be crowdsourcing our first solution, with the question “What’s the best way to store guns at home?”
Penny stores her handguns in a home safe with a disco ball on top—and for whatever reason I feel safe with a disco ball (and a combination). More on that soon.
That’s a wrap guys—we’ll see you back here next Thursday at 2 p.m., and #CureYourCrankies debuts next Tuesday with guest moderator Penny Frulla.
Will Pollock is an Atlanta-based freelance multimedia journalist focusing on retail, real estate, travel and human interest. He is the author of two books (Pizza for Good & Leaving Triscuit), with more on the way. Sign up for the mailing list, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram—and check out the book links below.
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