Three Cheers for Xenophobia

Have you ever been in a relationship where your partner persistently denigrates you to no end, blaming you for things that aren't your fault, and generally acts like an intolerable twit? Then they eventually break up with you, but then claim that they can still be 'friends with benefits' with you, as if the constant abuse and emotional negligence had no weight to them, and they never realized that it had weight to you. What would you say to the offer of a 'casual relationship?'

That, in a nutshell, is what happened with the United Kingdom and the European Union in what will be described as one of the worst decisions in the 21st century, sitting somewhere alongside invading Iraq and Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

The 'Brexit,' as it is termed, is the permanent extrication of the United Kingdom from the European Union. There were two sides to the debate: the meager Remain camp, which couldn't articulate anything besides doom and gloom should the UK leave, and the Leave camp, which couldn't articulate anything besides doom and gloom should the UK remain.

Much has been said about this campaign. A lot of what the Leave camp said was outright falsehood sitting somewhere between, well, the reasoning for the invasion of Iraq and the physical appearances of everyone on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. (Little know, or, really, well publicized fact: EU migrants to the UK are a net positive in terms of tax income versus welfare distribution, but the Leave camp didn't mention it.)

And so, in a moment of great fugue in which some people voted Leave because they figured the UK would remain anyway (yes, it happened plenty, as documented by too many articles that aggravate me), the country voted to split from the European Union, 52% to 48%.

Keep in mind that a referendum isn't legally binding. The government will have to enact Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, which details the secession proceedings in far too few words, even though the majority of parliamentarians support remaining. But, moving on.

Leave camp has said that they'd be able to negotiate a deal to remain in the European single market. European ministers have responded by saying that the UK will do no such thing. So, what does this mean?

Higher prices and wage stagnation, along with jobs moving from the UK to mainland Europe, mostly in the finance sector which is a huge economic powerhouse for the country. JPMorgan has already declared 1000 jobs moving to the mainland. It won't be long until others follow suit. The UK was dependent on the single market for the free movement of goods back and forth; now, it will face import tariffs, and not just to Europe, but to other areas of the world where the EU has trade agreements.

For a bit of context, the UK joined the European Community in a referendum in 1975. In the 70s, the UK was the sick man of Europe, suffering from high inflation and wage stagnation. Up until recently, its economy (on paper) was the second strongest in Europe, though given Brexit, that will certainly change.

And then there's the issue of migrants, which was likely the central issue that many took as why they wanted to leave the European Union. Like I stated above, European migrants are a net tax benefit to the UK government. The Leave camp also said that the UK sent 'GBP350 million per week to the EU,' a 'fact' that has been debunked so many times that it ought to be only whispered in sanitariums. In fact, Leave camp leader and brutish turnip Nigel Farage recanted that little bit of factual excrement after the results were in. So why did people vote to leave?

The demographics were split between young and old, educated and less so. Those who grew up as part of the EU wanted it more than those who viewed their youths through glasses so rosy that one might think they're peering through the bloodletting they've inflicted upon the UK.

I concede that the EU needs democratic governmental reforms. I've always said that and I'm a fan of the damn organization, because I know that the good it does, regardless of how little it's reported on, outweighs all the times it's blamed for the maladies of the mundane. And now, the UK will have no chance to actually inspire positive change in the EU, except for demonstrating to other right-wing nationalist movements in other countries how bad an idea it is to leave.

I am, as I once heard while living in the UK, gobsmacked. Speechless. Completely and utterly stunned by not only the negligence on the part of the prime minister in campaigning to remain, but by the people who voted to leave because they felt their 'essential Britishness' was being attacked or degraded. Failed Aflac duck spokesman and Leave campaigner Boris Johnson can now tromp towards the leadership of the country while Turnip Farage gets handed a United Kingdom that may not be united for much longer, given the signals from Scotland and Northern Ireland that they are considering their own referenda to leave.

The Leave campaigners won't get the lofty goals they described to their angry followers. They won't get a 'special arrangement' with the EU. They'll be shown as the petulant children they are, rebelling for the sake of the act. And then, who knows, perhaps those angry followers will turn their anger towards the correct target when that happens.

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Educashun

This week, the English Parliament introduced a measure to raise the standard tuition for all English universities from approximately 3,500 pounds to approximately 6,500 or 9,000 pounds, which equates to approximately 9,000 or 14,000 dollars due to recent economic pressures. University students responded by protesting and eventually rioting in the streets of England, breaking windows, being raucous, and basically doing everything that many expect college students to do on Friday nights. First, I think that I should explain England's education system:
1. All schools in England are heavily subsidized, including private universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. This allows for them to keep tuition relatively low in comparison to many universities around the world.
2. The highest tuition any university can charge is about 3500 pounds. Universities in England used to be free until the state began to face financial hardship.
3. The educational system in England's private universities is recognized as one of the most erudite in the world. Those studying law as undergraduates, for example, have the opportunity of achieving fellowships, internships, and jobs at law firms during their undergraduate studies.

Let's compare this to all United States public universities: every year, each state-funded university raises tuition by 10-15%. At my own university, during my freshman year my tuition was approximately 22,000 dollars; now, in my junior year, it is approximately 24,000 dollars. Private universities routinely raise tuition as it pertains to their yearly revenue. Public education has been cut in many states, including my own New Jersey. Do we riot? (The answer: No.)

Across just about every university in the United States, tuition increases yearly. There is hardly an uproar over it since there is no universal funding of education like there is in England. In fact, there is no constitutional guarantee for education at all; that issue is completely left to the state side of federalism. Should there be a constitutional amendment? Probably. Will there ever be? Probably not.

So, what do we do to get better funding for education? Pester your local representatives, congressional representatives, senators, neighbors, family members, professors, Jon Stewart, the Chinese deliveryman, etc. It's the way Democracy works, take advantage of it.

That's all for now,
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Sarah Palin, the World Cup, and Jeffster all in one

So, this is going to be a crowded post. Well, suck it up.

Anyway, last night, in my usual pastime of being bored at night and talking to people on Omegle, I happened to start talking to a member of the Tea Party. He asked me of my opinions on the party, and I told him that it is basically the party of Palin, essentially a subsidiary of the Fox network and an uber-conservative party that promotes partisanship; I also may have thrown in "anti-government" and "distrust of Obama" into that mix as well. The guy kept telling me "you could not be more wrong," which, in colloquial English, is extraordinarily incorrect, as "wrong" is an absolute; one cannot be "more" or "less" wrong. He also spouted to me the credo of the Tea Party, which I have heard many times from the exalted queen Sarah Palin herself: government has overstepped its bounds, and the objective of the party is to "reel it in." Just like Palin, the guy wasn't very specific about how the party will achieve anything, and talking to him was giving me a migraine, so I disconnected.

So, brief history of the Tea Party: Obama proposes raising taxes on those making more than 250k, Glenn Beck, in his infinite wisdom, says that this is like the British raising taxes on the American colonies, calls for "tea party" rallies, eventually turns into an organized party spearheaded by Sarah Palin, Palin reads off of her hand in some convention.



Do I have to describe how stupid, obstinate, obtuse, ignorant and arrogant Sarah Palin is? I hope not.

Anyway, World Cup. One of the most memorable moments is the obvious Robert Greene error that caused the US to tie the Kingdom; notably, he didn't play in the next game against Algeria. He should probably change his name to John Red, or Corbin Blue. VAMOS ARGENTINA!

And, finally, Jeffster.



That's all for now,
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Movie Review: Is Anybody There?

I would never have thought that a film about death could be so uplifting. Set in 1980s England, young Edward (played by Bill Milner) lives in a retirement home run by his overworked, beleaguered parents. Edward has a morbid fixation on death and the possibility of an afterlife, and continually records the last moments of dying residents in order to "hear" their spirits leaving their bodies, much to the chagrin of his parents and other residents. Clarence (played by Michael Caine), a new reluctant resident to the retirement home and professional magician, bonds with Edward over their mutual loneliness in a very well-played part by Caine. They develop an almost father-son relationship, as Edward's father, played by David Morrissey, is busy trying to seduce the 18-year old nurse who works with them.

Though the film focuses mainly on death, it has a very calm demeanor about it that leaves the audience with an appreciation for every moment we have. Many times in the film, as Michael Caine describes the regrets and disdains of his past, I felt that there were many moments in my life in which rectifying the situation would clear my conscience and leave me with an almost euphoric sense of placidity. However, we must realize that we can almost never rectify these regrets and must simply continue forward. This movie teaches you, above all else, that life is not so much about what we leave behind, but rather how we lived. I definitely recommend it.



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