Brexit, Trump and the Western Revolution

How could the British electorate vote to leave the European Union, the London wags and the Euro-centrists ask?   Didn’t we tell them, and outline in detail, that they should vote to stay in?  Did we not smugly predict that they could not help but vote to stay in?

How did Donald Trump become the presumptive Republican nominee in spite of his outrageous rhetoric?  Didn’t we at the New York Times, CNN and other major media tell the U.S. electorate that they should eschew Trump?  Now they are saying “well, we’ll make sure that he doesn’t become president” (sic).

What’s going on here?  We, the liberal thinkers in the U.S. and Europe know what’s best for the people and tell them so with the help of sympathetic media on both continents.  Are they not listening to their erudite and all-knowing thinkers and leaders?

It becomes clear that there is a revolution in progress by normal, average people against the propagation of rules and regulations by those in power, and those aspiring to power.  The revolution is not just by “Larry the Cable Guy” types.  It encompasses all walks of life and educational levels who are literally fed up with inept government, stagnant incomes, crumbling infrastructure and erosion of ethical and moral values.  In the U.S., the revolution is against the federal government.  In Europe it’s against the overriding European Union.  The resistance is against rules and regulation thwarting individual freedoms and a society that tells us how to vote, think and believe.  The above is exacerbated by the migrant and immigration situations in both the U.S. and Europe.  Fear of Middle Eastern and African migrants in Europe and the U.S. and the continuing illegal alien situation in the U.S. have led to xenophobic reactions in each case.

Marx & Lenin proposed revolution by the proletariat against their capitalist masters.  This is a revolution by a broad spectrum of society against political correctness, corruption, group think and secularist liberalism.  The emergence of Trump is an example in the U.S.  The emergence of euro-skepticism in Europe (Marine LePen in France, Geert Wilders in Holland, Beata Szydlo & Andrez Duda in Poland, Viktor Orban in Hungary) are examples in Europe.  LePen and Wilders are in opposition, whereas Szydlo and Orban are PM’s of their countries.  A survey of euro-skepticism in Europe shows emerging populist parties in all EU countries.

The positive aspect of this populist revolution is that it stresses a return to basic values as exemplified by individual ethical and moral principles.  i.e. - A movement away from liberal secularism and toward more conservative and libertarian values.  A return to individual freedoms coupled with pragmatic moral and ethical guidance, should result in a more creative and advancing society. Gone too far, they can also lead to a dangerous tribalism.

The dangers are evident from history.  Individualism fosters nationalism, which can be beneficial in and of itself, but unbridled nationalism can also lead to abuses, just like unchecked liberalism.   A turn toward individualism and insularity and away from political correctness can foster other negative societal elements such as xenophobia, homophobia and misogyny.  Some of these are evident in Trump’s diatribes and in the rhetoric of Europe’s euro-skeptic movements.

All of the above notwithstanding, the world is changing and is trending back to traditional values, and this presages fragmentation of political and economic unions.  Several things may happen as result of Brexit: Major downward trends on world financial markets – 600+ point drop in the Dow on Friday, 6/24; Nicola Sturgeon of Scotland will probably call for another “Scotland Leave” referendum, and this time, Scotland may leave the UK with a view of staying in the EU; There are already calls in Northern Ireland for a United Ireland. Brexit may have accomplished what the IRA and Sinn Fein have tried forever to do;  Similar “exit” votes in the EU could precipitate its breakup. Calls for similar referendums in the Netherlands, France, Poland and Hungary are a real and immediate possibility.

These trends world-wide are a warning to our leaders.  We will stand only so much political correctness coupled with corruption and inept governance. We will revert to conservative and libertarian principles, and ultimately tribal or “Lord of the Flies” groups if pushed too far. One can only hope that Brexit will be a universal clarion call for independence which will be managed to a positive end by its architects. 

Read Jeanine Pirro’s eloquent take on this topic -  Click here.