BBC (December 19)
The majority (57%) of votes cast in a poll conducted by Elon Musk were in favor of “Musk standing down as Twitter CEO.” The move “has either spectacularly backfired – if Musk was looking for an ego-boost – or it has been a huge success in getting him off the rather large hook he has found himself caught on since his purchase of Twitter.”
Washington Post (August 11)
“If the economy is in a rut, the party in power usually tries to maximize the power of incumbency to improve conditions before an election,” but these are strange times. “This White House and the current Senate Republican majority… are doing everything in their power to minimize or even prevent a stimulus deal.” Perhaps “Trump still does not understand he has wrecked the economy.” Come November, it looks like “he and a whole lot of Republicans are going to join the list of the unemployed.”
Tags: Economy, Election, Incumbency, Majority, Power, Prevent, Republican, Rut, Senate, Stimulus deal, White House, Wrecked
LA Times (June 26)
“For the generation of Americans not yet old enough to drive, the demographic future has arrived. For the first time, nonwhite and Hispanic people were a majority of people under age 16 in 2019, an expected demographic shift that will grow over the coming decades, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday.”
Tags: Census Bureau, Demographic, Drive:, Future, Generation, Hispanic, Majority, Nonwhite, U.S.
The Week (January 30)
“So far, impeachment has had the curious dual effect of inflating the president’s approval ratings to the highest of his presidency while also convincing, in many polls, a slim but real majority of the country that he should be removed from office immediately.”
Tags: Approval ratings, Convincing, Curious, Effect, Impeachment, Majority, Polls, Removed
Newsweek (December 13)
In calling an election, Prime Minister Boris Johnson “hit the jackpot. The Conservative government, which promised to ‘get Brexit done’ and lavish cash on public services, was returned triumphantly with 365 seats, its largest Westminster majority since 1987.” The result “bears many of the signs of a once-in-a-lifetime phenomena—a critical realignment redefining the basis of British politics.”
Tags: Brexit, Conservative, Election, Jackpot, Johnson, Majority, Once-in-a-lifetime, Public services, Realignment, Westminster
The Economist (September 28)
“This was the worst week in Mr Johnson’s extraordinarily bad two months in office. The unelected prime minister has lost every vote he has faced, squandered his majority and fired a score of MPs from his Conservative Party. Following the court’s ruling, he was dragged back from a UN summit in New York to face the music in Westminster, where MPs now have ample time to grill him”
Tags: Bad, Conservative Party, Court, Johnson, Majority, MPs, PM, Squandered, UN summit, Unelected, Vote, Westminster, Worst
Washington Post (September 3)
“Prime Minister Boris Johnson, under public assault for his scheme to suspend Parliament to push through a no-deal Brexit, has now lost his majority.” This is typical of the “right-wing populist canard,” which works best in the minority. “Being snake oil salesmen and anti-government nihilists,” they “don’t know how to fix much of anything, and after all the huffing and puffing, the public gets the idea the populist cult leader is an incompetent charlatan.” While in this case it’s Johnson, Trump’s turn will come. “The lessons here for the United States are not hard to discern.”
Tags: Brexit, Charlatan, Cult leader, Huffing, Incompetent, Johnson, Majority, No-deal, Parliament, Populist, Public assault, Snake oil, Trump, U.S.
The Irish Times (March 15)
“Northern nationalism has shifted its view on the continued viability of the Northern Irish state.” A referendum is imminent and preparation essential for a unified Ireland. “A no-deal Brexit will lead to an instant call for a referendum…. If that happens, we’re into uncharted waters. That scenario is still only a few weeks away.” If there is a Brexit deal, “then the next census, due in 2021, will show a nationalist majority. At that point, it’s hard to see how a British secretary of state could resist calls for a border poll.”
Tags: Brexit, Census, Ireland, Majority, Nationalism, No-deal, Northern Ireland, Poll, Referendum, Unification
The New Yorker (November 7)
“A Democratic majority in the House will not only thwart Donald Trump’s legislative ambitions; it could also intensify the state of crisis and siege in Washington” because the result was mixed. “The vote certainly was not a decisive repudiation of Trump, nor was it anything like the resounding endorsement he craved.”
Tags: Crisis, Democratic, Endorsement, House, Majority, Repudiation, Thwart, Trump, U.S., Washington
Financial Times (February 12)
“What happened in the UK in 2016 is now happening in Germany. A referendum is causing total havoc in the political system.” The members of the centre-left Social Democratic party must vote on whether to support the life sustaining coalition cobbled together by Angela Merkel. The party leadership does not appear to have a majority. “Even if there is a narrow vote in favour, it is hard to see how this coalition, and Ms Merkel, can last a full term.”
