HUGE WIN FOR POPULISM IN THE U.K.
By a narrow margin, voters in the United Kingdom chose to leave the European Union (EU) on Thursday – a stunning rebuke of the globalist elites whose policies have left Europe’s economy in tatters and its people exposed to violent attacks.
Roughly 17.4 million people (51.9 percent) voted to leave the EU – a.k.a. “Brexit.” Meanwhile 16.1 million (48.1 percent) voted to remain in the global government.
Polling taken in the days leading up to the vote indicated a 4-6 point advantage for the “remain” crowd.
“June 23 will go down as our independence day,” a jubilant Nigel Farage said, adding that the EU was “failing … dying.”
Farage is the leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). He hailed the Brexit as “a victory against the big merchant banks, against the big businesses, and against big politics.”
Farage also praised the people of Britain for standing up to the failed EU policy of “open door, mass immigrations.”
In the aftermath of the vote British prime minister David Cameron – leader of the “Conservative” party and an EU supporter – informed Queen Elizabeth II of his intention to resign.
Cameron said the vote demonstrated that Britain needed “fresh leadership.”
EU leaders were unsurprisingly subdued at the outcome.
“In a free and democratic process, the British people have expressed their wish to leave the European Union,” a statement from its headquarters in Belgium noted. “We regret this decision but respect it.”
“This is an unprecedented situation but we are united in our response,” the statement continued. “We will stand strong and uphold the EU’s core values of promoting peace and the well-being of its peoples. The Union of 27 Member States will continue. The Union is the framework of our common political future. We are bound together by history, geography and common interests and will develop our cooperation on this basis. Together we will address our common challenges to generate growth, increase prosperity and ensure a safe and secure environment for our citizens. The institutions will play their full role in this endeavour.”
Even as EU leaders projected calm, calls for “leave” referenda were issued in the Netherlands, France, Italy and Scotland. Austria, Denmark and Sweden could also be poised to leave the EU in the aftermath of the British vote.
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump – traveling in Scotland – hailed the “Brexit.”
“They took their country back – just like we will take America back,” he tweeted.
Trump has proposed taking aggressive action against open borders in the United States. He’s also exposed the failure of leaders in both the Democratic and “Republican” parties to address the impact of the current failed immigration policies.
It’s obvious there are parallels between the “Brexit” movement and the populism fueling Trump’s insurgency. It’s also interesting to see the how substantially the “Brexit” vote outperformed polling estimates.
“Maybe there’s more to the anti-establishment movement than can be accurately captured in standard polling,” one observer noted.
Maybe … hopefully.