Labour won a huge victory in Thursday's elections in the UK, taking nearly two-thirds of the seats in the House of Commons. A resounding victory for the left, perhaps? Well, they will certainly have a mandate, and the power to govern.
But Labour actually lost votes compared to the previous election, which had been a bad year for them. What happened was that the Conservatives lost support because the Conservatives were no longer conservative in any way.
The Conservative leadership could never fully get behind Brexit; then the party went for "green energy" fiascos that raised energy prices; and finally it proved itself totally incapable of standing up to the ongoing problem of mass migration.
Labour certainly won't do anything about that, either. It is a weak party with bad ideas -- which is why it is already being eclipsed in places by Muslim candidates who ran campaigns focused on opposing Israel's war against Hamas terrorists.
The upshot is that Nigel Farage, the man behind Brexit, is now in Parliament, albeit with a tiny party. And from that perch, he will continue to provide ideas and criticism that will expose the rot in both mainstream British parties.
So -- while Labour's victory looks like a step to the left for a major democracy, moving against the overall trend, it is really just a reminder that there is a limit to how much left-wing policy voters will tolerate from a conservative party.
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
