Davos Recaptures London

Disgraced former PM Cameron returns as Foreign Secretary [The Rude Awakening] November 14, 2023 [WEBSITE]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Davos Recaptures London [Sean Ring] SEAN RING I remember when then-Prime Minister and World Economic Forum member David Cameron called a referendum on the European Union and promised to carry out the will of whatever side won. Well, the Brexiteers like myself won, and then Cameron threw his toys out of the pram and promptly resigned. In British English, a “pram” is a baby carriage. So the idiom means “threw a tantrum.” And you wonder why I claim to be bilingual! I’ve thought the man was a wimp ever since. Even more so than when [he bombed Libya]( or [left his kid in the pub and drove off](. There are politicians like Henry Kissinger or the late John McCain whom I viscerally loathe. But losers like Cameron merely make me involuntarily roll my eyes or take a deep breath and look the other way. So it was with a belly laugh that I learned current British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was so bereft of ideas he brought Cameron back - after seven years in the political wilderness - as his Foreign Secretary (the UK equivalent of Secretary of State). As Cameron isn’t a serving Member of Parliament (MP), Sunak had to elevate him to the House of Lords as Lord Cameron. So now we’ve got an unelected Prime Minister appointing an unelected Foreign Secretary. Not a good look. First Things First The first thing Sunak had to do was get rid of his troublesome Home Secretary, Suella Braverman. She dared to call things like they are. From [Zero Hedge]( In an op-ed in the Times of London newspaper - published ahead of a massive pro-Palestinian demonstration on Saturday, she called protesters "hate marchers" and criticized police for applying "double standards" in the way they manage protests. "Right-wing and nationalist protestors who engage in aggression are rightly met with a stern response, yet pro-Palestinian mobs displaying almost identical behavior are largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law. I have spoken to serving and former police officers who have noted this double standard," Braverman wrote. As for Palestinian marches, she added: "We have seen with our own eyes that terrorists have been valorized, Israel has been demonized as Nazis, and Jews have been threatened with further massacres." The Tory Right (the few genuine ones) was well pleased. But the Metropolitan centrists who occasionally pull the Conservative lever went nuts. So Sunak moved Braverman out and replaced her with the now-former Foreign Secretary James Cleverley. Then, at a secret meeting at Downing Street, Sunak asked Cameron if he’d like to return to front-line politics. After seven years of retirement in all but name, Cameron said yes. [New Biden Bucks Follow-Up Available Now]( Since posting the original Biden Bucks presentation online, millions of people have viewed it. Snopes and the Associated Press have even attempted to “fact check” and claim some warnings are false: Point being, the message has raised a storm and caused a lot of controversy. But in the time between the message and now, a lot of new developments have come to light. That’s why an update to the original prediction was just released… one which will likely be even more controversial. [>> Click here now to access the new 2023 Biden Bucks follow-up](. [Click Here To Learn More]( The Tories Are Desperate Sunak and his crew are about to get smacked in the mouth at the upcoming general election, whenever that is. Labour leader Keir Starmer, an empty husk of a politician, somehow leads Sunak. This is more due to Tory fatigue than anything the former prosecutor has offered. The move for Cameron smacks of a last-ditch attempt to gain ground in the polls. But it may not work out that way. From [The Times of London]( One former cabinet minister said: “Today is a day when defeat went from a probability to a certainty. It’s a sign that the government has chosen its bed and it’s not where the majority of our voters are. It’s a more open and honest split in the Conservative Party now because any pretense of being a broad coalition has gone.” Those close to Sunak reject this, saying he’s on the right of the Conservative Party on issues such as immigration. Only the voters know. Cameron’s International Controversies as Prime Minister It’s not like Cameron covered himself in international glory as PM, either. Here is a partial list of his most significant international controversies: Libya Intervention (2011): Cameron played a leading role in the international military intervention in Libya in 2011, which led to the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. The intervention was criticized for its aftermath, which saw Libya plunge into chaos and civil war. This is the main reason boats from northern Africa routinely cross the Med to Italy, Spain, and France. Cameron, along with former French President Nicholas Sarkozy and former US President Barack Obama, should’ve been tried at The Hague for this atrocity. European Union and Brexit: One of the most defining aspects of Cameron's tenure was his stance on the European Union. He promised and conducted a referendum on the UK's membership in the EU, which resulted in a vote to leave (Brexit). The decision was controversial and sent shockwaves through international politics and economics. But the worst part was that he resigned when he didn’t get his way, leaving the way forward in complete disarray. Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and now Sunak have been his replacements. Arguably, we’re still not done with Brexit. Scottish Independence Referendum (2014): Under Cameron's leadership, the UK government agreed to a referendum on Scottish independence. Scotland voted to remain in the UK, but the event heightened tensions and discussions about the future of the United Kingdom. If England, Wales, and Northern Ireland also had a say, the Scots would’ve been expelled like the Singaporeans from Malaysia in 1965. Immigration Policies: Cameron's government faced criticism over its immigration policies, particularly in the context of the Syrian refugee crisis. His administration was accused of not doing enough to help refugees and for contributing to a hostile environment for immigrants in the UK. This was the correct policy, but a hypocrite carried it out. When Angela Merkel opened Germany’s border for the Syrian refugees, Cameron refused to do the same in England. But his mess in Libya predated the Syrian crisis. Panama Papers (2016): Cameron personally came under scrutiny during the Panama Papers scandal in 2016, where it was revealed that he had benefited from an offshore trust set up by his late father. This raised questions about tax avoidance and transparency. I have no problem with tax avoidance and asset protection. But I’d prefer the politicians who set up bad tax policies not swerve them by keeping their money offshore. But one of his immediate tests as Foreign Secretary, navigating the Israel-Hamas conflict, comes with his previous baggage. Again, from [The Times]( He has a mixed record on Israel. In 2010, while on a visit to Turkey, he cozied up to the then-prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, by saying: “Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.” A Hamas spokesman later called it “a positive attitude” and evidence of “an awakening conscience by the international community.” But during a trip in March 2014, Cameron declared to the Israeli parliament that he was “a British prime minister whose belief in Israel is unbreakable.” A few months later, he threw the UK’s support behind Israel when it launched “Operation Protective Edge” a military operation in response to the kidnap and murder of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas-affiliated militants. His resolve was tested during the conflict when Baroness Warsi resigned as a Foreign Office minister and described the government’s policy on Gaza as “morally indefensible.” She also took issue with the UK’s decision not to recognize Palestinian statehood at the UN in 2012, saying it “placed us on the wrong side of history.” Can he even back Israel as a Davos man? Wrap Up This is a risk if there ever was one. Bringing back a former prime minister to serve as foreign secretary is a novel idea to claim you’ve got “new ideas.” If Cameron weren’t an incompetent administrator, I’d really like the guy. He’s smart, is married to a beautiful, successful woman, and has great kids. But he’s made a staggering number of mistakes and has never been held to account for them. Let’s hope he doesn’t make too many more in his new role. All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening X (formerly Twitter): [@seaniechaos]( In Case You Missed It… USG: Who’s the Boss? [Sean Ring] SEAN RING Pam, Micah, and I were thumbing through YouTube this weekend when we came upon a video that played all the theme tunes and openings of popular 80s TV series. Oh, those were the days when America was the undisputed best place on earth to live: no Scandinavian ifs, Swiss ands, or Australian buts. When I hear those tunes, I don’t so much get misty-eyed as I sink into a lethargic melancholy remembering my unsurpassed youth. No worries, pain, or grief. The worst I had as a child was a rare case of boredom. I thought money grew on trees - and thanks to the Greenspan Fed, that was partially true. Merely owning a house in the New York Metropolitan Area gave everyone an economic bump, though we paid for that with higher consumer product prices. In the short term, my parents also benefitted from the Reagan tax cuts, not knowing what hell they would unleash in Congress twenty years down the road. We didn’t talk much about politics in those days because the difference between Democrats and Republicans was paper thin. It was “How much more or less do you want to give to the welfare state?” That was about all the difference there was. But now, there’s a chasm between not just the left and right wings but between the rulers and the ruled. The APEC Conference in San Francisco has proven that. San Francisco, 2008 The only time I ever visited San Francisco was in July 2008. I thought it was a magnificent place. It was the only time in my life I seriously looked back and thought I had made a mistake by going into banking and not technology. From what I can remember, the streets were no dirtier than New York’s, and the general vibe of the place was energetic and lively. The food was excellent, and the general geography of the city lent it a beauty rarely seen in metropolitan areas. Like Sydney, Istanbul, and Venice, San Francisco benefits greatly from the surrounding seascape. I hired a car and drove around the entire Bay Area, visiting Palo Alto and Stanford’s campus, among other things. I remember getting a sunburn on my left arm from driving. It surprised me, as the weather wasn’t all that hot. I finally understood what people told me about SF’s “microclimate.” Since then, the city has descended into chaos. Crime is ludicrously high and not prosecuted. There’s poop all over the streets. Drug use is through the roof. Or is it? “Joetempkin” Villages First, what’s a Potemkin Village? Potemkin Villages are a facade. They're fake settlements built only to impress. The term originates from a legend about Grigory Potemkin, a Russian minister who supposedly built impressive but hollow village fronts along the Dnieper River in the late 18th century. He did this to deceive Empress Catherine II during her visit to Crimea and Ukraine, making it seem like the area was more developed than it actually was. The story might be more myth than reality, but it stuck because it's a great metaphor. Today, we use "Potemkin Village" to describe any situation where someone's trying to make something look better or more successful than it really is, often to deceive onlookers or higher-ups. It's all about appearances over substance, creating a shiny surface to cover up something less impressive underneath. So I laughed heartily when I saw this tweet from Styxhexenhammer66: [tweet from Styxhexenhammer66] Credit: [@Styxhexenhammer666]( How about this one? [Credit: @WizardSX0 tweet] Credit: [@WizardSX0]( Former Navy Seal [Robert J. O’Neill]( chimed in: Now is the time to visit San Francisco. The homeless were herded out like cattle and the streets are spit-shined. The communists are hosting communists. [@fightoracle]( tweeted: Says it all right here folks. Trump was at UFC with Uncle Dana, Kid Rock and Tucker Carlson. Crooked Joe Biden in San Francisco wining and dining a communist dictator who unleashed the China virus on the world. And finally, from [Collin Rugg]( REPORT: The San Francisco homeless population has "miraculously" gone missing as President Biden & Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet in the liberal city. Remarkable! The typical drug addicts & homeless who wander the city like zombies have disappeared as 20,000 people are expected to visit San Francisco thanks to the APEC summit. The New York Post says sources have told them that the homeless are being "herded" out to other areas of the city. "They started clearing the tents earlier this week and there is definitely a lot more police presence," said one resident. The resident also explained that the city appeared to have the capability to do this all along but they refused. "They’ve cleared out the tents that were near the Moscone Center on Howard Street, which tells me the city had the capability to do this all along... We need a permanent solution." Another resident said: "They are just essentially herding the problem around but offering no long-term solutions." "I don’t know if these tents will be in physical view during APEC, but it will be virtually impossible to eliminate all of that." Clown city for a clown president. So they could’ve cleaned up the city long ago but chose not to… but you knew that already. What gives? [Could You Spot These 2 AI Investing Traps?]( Here’s something no one else will tell you about artificial intelligence. Investing in AI… is BS. Almost every investor out there is falling into [2 AI investing traps](. And they’re going to lose their shirts. Before you spend one nickel on AI… [click here to see tech genius James Altucher’s urgent warning to investors](. [Click Here To Learn More]( Emperor Pooh Bear Calls the Shots Here’s what I think happened. China and the US find themselves on the opposite side of every divide in the world today. - The G7 versus BRICS - Ukraine versus Russia - Israel versus Palestine And of course… - Taiwan versus China This is a disaster… for both sides. So, some sort of compromise must be reached. It’s a disaster for China because, like the Russians though they do, the Russians don’t have a big enough middle class to buy all those Chinese goods. And while Southeast Asia has picked up much of that slack, the Chinese still need America. And America still needs China’s manufacturing capacity. Because as much as America would love the Mexicans to nearshore everything, Mexico just doesn’t have Chinese capacity. And, well, Democrats are Commies these days anyway, and the Chinese can’t risk Trump getting back in. It’s not so much that Trump can permanently hurt China, so much as hit China in a sweet spot that’ll paralyze them for years. Hence, the meeting between Biden and Xi will give Biden the closure he needs to exit stage left and Gruesome Newsom the legitimacy he needs concerning foreign policy. (Opening the California border doesn’t quite qualify.) Wrap Up San Francisco got a makeover, so Gavin Newsom’s pearl city doesn’t look like shit on Chinese television. President Xi needs a Biden successor he can deal with, and it looks like Newsom is the guy. Remember when America used to “yea” or “nay” other country’s leaders? Well, welcome to the 21st century. Have a great week! All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening Twitter: [@seaniechaos]( [Paradigm]( ☰ ⊗ [ARCHIVE]( [ABOUT]( [Contact Us]( © 2023 Paradigm Press, LLC. 808 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore MD 21202. By submitting your email address, you consent to Paradigm Press, LLC. delivering daily email issues and advertisements. 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