In Part 01, we focused on the American
presidential campaign.
AUSTRALIA: Australia
is due to have a federal election in 2016. Current Prime Minister Malcolm
Turnbull, who successfully won a leadership challenge against former Prime
Minister Tony Abbott in September 2015, appears to enjoy public goodwill, even
though he has left the Abbott government’s policies intact. .
While Mr. Turnbull could be considered a
left-leaning PM of a conservative political party, he has to decided -
decisively so - if the Australian Liberal Party which he leads will remain
‘broad church’ - encompassing people with a range of positions - or go down the
pathway of solid ‘progressivism,’ (e.g. big government with lots of borrowing,
taxing, spending, and liberal on social issues), which would virtually mirror
the left-wing Australian Labor Party.
The ‘broad church’ approach was used
successfully by former Prime Minister John Howard, who was elected four times.
If Turnbull goes the latter way and becomes a ‘Labor lookalike, conservative
Liberal Parliamentarians will be muscled out and conservative Australians will
abandon the party in droves, virtually handing government to Labor Party.
UNITED KINGDOM: Current
Prime Minister David Cameron is fighting another uphill battle, perhaps the
biggest of his political career. In September 2014, the UK survived intact
after the defeat of the Scottish Independence Referendum. Cameron had a shock
victory in the general elections of May 2015, even though ‘experts’ and the
media predicted a hung parliament. This time, there will be a referendum on 23
June 2016 about continued UK-membership in the European Union. The referendum,
a simple ‘In or Out Vote.’ For Cameron to succeed, he needs to secure a better
deal from Brussels for Britain, which he claimed to receive before setting the
referendum date. For example, Britain wants to delay child payments to
non-British EU citizens working in the UK. It also wants increased British
sovereignty, including the right to veto EU law. Though the EU wants a ‘ever
closer union,’ Britain wants to opt out and never become part of a European
superstate. Cameron favours remaining in the EU and says leaving would be a
‘leap in the dark.’ Yet some of his closest political allies will campaign to
for Britain to leave the EU, known as ‘Brexit.’ As a key member, it will shake
the entire Union. This is a referendum worth watching.
MERKEL & GERMANY: Angela Merkel has been Chancellor of Germany since 2005. Her long
tenure has earned her admiration and respect inside and outside her nation. In
many ways, as premier of the EU’s strongest economy, Merkel is the de facto
leader of Europe. Moderate and cautious, she has overseen a prosperous Germany
while helping put out forest fires within the European Union, especially regarding
Greece’s economic woes that could drag down the entire Union.
Merkel has been leading Germany and Europe into
‘convergence,’ meaning an ‘ever-closer union.’ Of course, that is the goal of
the European Union movers and shakers, with a universal currency, Schengen open
borders, free movement of peoples, etc., with the end result being a European
superstate. This drawing the 28 members states into a stronger union was
considered inevitable, until now. And that’s not counting the possibility of a
British exit (Brexit).
Convergence was also applied within Germany.
Despite some big gaps in economy and culture, the former East Germany has been
greatly integrated to the West. Turkish migrants from the 1960s are considered
part of the German mainstream, and society has been more tolerant. The grand
coalition between the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats almost
erased the distinction between left-wing and right-wing.
Merkel’s seemingly impromptu ‘open door’
invitation to ‘Syrian refugees’ has resulted in a flood of migrants from
various countries into Europe. In less than 12 months, 1.1 million have come to
Germany alone, outstripping all previous records. But her decision did not
affect Germany alone - other EU countries that sit between Greece and Germany
have felt the migrant footprints as they trek north. The sordid reports of
sexual harassment of German women in Cologne and elsewhere have created a
backlash. The ‘Alternate for Germany’ right-wing nationalist political party
and PERGIDA movement have attracted Eastern Germans, older white men, and
others disaffected by convergence.
The Chancellor’s normally high approval rating
has fallen to only 46% while over 80% of Germans disagree with her policy
towards the Middle East migrants. She has even hinted that once the Syrian war
is over and ISIS is history, the Syrians need to go home.
Could we be seeing the end of the Merkel era? Or
the European Union? As ‘children of Issachar,’ we need to watch and pray
(Matthew 26:41).
MELBOURNE AREA FRIENDS - Mark Your Calenders:
There will be TWO public meetings (known
as ‘Your Early Warning Service’ or YEWS) regarding Europe, the Middle East, and
last days.
Monday 18 April 2016 (7:30 PM): South West Christian Church, 147-155 Hogans Road, Hoppers Crossing (Melway
202 E9)
Monday 9 May 2016 (7:30 PM): Grow Church, 3/4 100 New Street, Ringwood (Melway 49 F10).
Proposed topics:
Syrian Meltdown and World War III?
The European Union, the Middle East, and the
Future’
‘Tidal Wave: What Does the Migrant Flow Mean
for Europe, the Middle East, and the Future?’
Comments
Post a Comment