Latest news with #Reagan
Times
a day ago
- Business
- Times
We have a golden opportunity to create a new ‘Brand Britain 2.0'
President Reagan famously said the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' More than 40 years on, that's a message that business owners across Britain still sympathise with. It's also a message I've been thinking about a lot as the government prepares to launch its industrial strategy next week. It's a signature part of the government's growth agenda, and from speaking to the chancellor and the business secretary, I know it's something they believe in passionately as a way of putting rocket boosters under the economy. So companies are expectant, but nervous. The last time the government knocked on their door they saw billions added to their tax bills by increasing national insurance contributions. I speak to owners of companies of every size and shape day in, day out. And while they're clear they want no further taxes, they are equally clear that there is a hugely important role for the government to play in helping them to grow. That's the prize that's at the heart of this industrial strategy. It must provide a genuine road map for how Britain's entrepreneurs, fuelled with huge reserves of imagination, ingenuity and dogged determination, can go further and faster to drive the economy forward. • Cheaper energy will be key for Labour's industrial strategy We have a golden opportunity to use the industrial strategy to create a new 'Brand Britain 2.0', that uses the strength of our past as the base to build an even better future. So how will we know if this industrial strategy has been a success? It must set out clearly how we will leverage the country's competitive advantages. The eight priority sectors are the right ones — advanced manufacturing, financial services, life sciences, defence, digital, clean energy, professional and business services and our world-beating creative industries. But alongside the key growth sectors of the economy, it must integrate every region's strengths into the plan, ensuring benefits for businesses and people across all nations of the United Kingdom. What will support industry in Glasgow isn't the same as what will drive growth in Colchester or Cornwall. Plans by the government to unleash the potential of the Oxford-Cambridge corridor are an important start — but it needs to seriously consider how this can be replicated across the country. It needs to set out how we close the skills gaps across the country, and how we create a stable regulatory environment, so businesses have certainty as they invest. It needs to address energy, too. British firms are being hamstrung by eye-watering energy bills, which is having a direct impact on their ability to invest and hire. And crucially, finance is the lifeblood of any business, so we need to see a plan that supports our most innovative firms to access capital and scale up their businesses. This is our chance to send a message to the world that the UK really is the best place to start, grow, invest and do business. Let's not pretend that delivering this will be easy. It will require major work across almost every department in government, and a commitment from the public and private sectors to work in lockstep like never before. At the British Chambers of Commerce, we've spent years calling for an industrial strategy that rises to the challenges that firms face and we're committed to making it work. Then we can set Britain on a path to thrive, not just survive. Shevaun Haviland is director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
How I spent my summer vacation — watching America lean into autocracy
For years we've read stories about antidemocratic countries abroad — supreme leaders acting with impunity, masked agents rounding up residents, troops in the streets, crackdowns on peaceful protests, intimidation and arrests of opposition figures, show-of-force military parades and political assassinations. For a time this month, I was abroad. And the antidemocratic country I was reading about was my own. Tuning out the news on vacation proved impossible. Every day brought another must-read outrage, reflecting the punitive policies and hateful climate that wannabe strongman Donald Trump has fostered in the United States. From the vantage of an ocean away, even as a visitor in a developing country with problems of its own, I read about events back home with the clarity of the proverbial 38,000-feet view: The news added up to a picture of a proud nation slipping into the authoritarian ways modeled by the kleptocratic dictators that President Trump so admires. For perspective, I reread President Reagan's farewell address: Trump has taken America far from the shining 'city upon a hill' that Reagan, yesteryear's Republican icon, evoked. And far from our self-image as a land of immigrants and a bastion of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. Reagan's city on a hill was 'teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace.' If there had to be walls, he said, 'the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.' That was then. As I flew off for my break, the U.S. news was dominated by the tawdry breakup of Trump and 'first buddy' Elon Musk. But then that sophomoric saga was overshadowed by more serious stuff — starting with military-style raids throughout Los Angeles by thuggish agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, rounding up migrants, including children, for detention and deportation. It's a drama that continues from big-city L.A. to small-town Great Barrington, Mass., in heartland hotels, meatpacking plants and restaurants. Descriptions of the shock troops have become too familiar: Many wear face masks and no badges to identify themselves. They often don't wear recognizable uniforms. They have no warrants but lots of guns. And migrants are disappearing into their unmarked vehicles. To where, families aren't told; when they find out, it's often too late to help their loved ones assert their due process rights. On Day 2 of my vacation, Trump took the all but unprecedented step of federalizing the California National Guard to act against protesters in L.A., over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass and despite police assurances that local law enforcement could handle even the most confrontational of demonstrators. Next came the Marines. That only seemed to exacerbate the unrest, as drama king Trump, who governs as if he were still scripting a reality TV show, surely intended. With Los Angeles as a testing ground, he may be seeking a pretext to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act so he can freely deploy the military nationally against any who oppose him. He toyed with the idea during his first presidency. Back then he was constrained by responsible advisors; now he has surrounded himself with sycophants. Meanwhile, he's as unnervingly erratic on his deportation policy as on tariffs. First Trump posted that he'd lighten up on farm, restaurant and hotel raids because those industries complained that they were losing 'very good, long time workers.' But days later, he ordered ICE to expand its efforts in L.A. and other big cities where Democrats, he lied, 'use Illegal Aliens' to cheat in elections and steal jobs from citizens. Amid the mayhem, the commander in chief traveled to Fort Bragg, N.C., and disgracefully crossed the line that, since the founding, has kept the military out of politics. He goaded the young troops he addressed — reportedly vetted for their political leanings — to cross it too. He started by boasting about reversing former President Joe Biden's deletion of Confederate traitors' names from military bases, and throughout encouraged boos against Biden, Newsom, Bass and Democrats generally, and applause for himself. He wore a MAGA cap. Such merch was on sale. Days later, he got the military parade he'd long wanted. Or maybe not: It was more historical than martial; instead of goose-stepping through the capital, the troops ambled, smiled and made hand hearts. And it was sparsely attended. The nationwide 'No Kings' counterprotests were not. The toll that Trump's overreach has taken on America's reputation, especially in just a few weeks in June, has been heavy. Five Democratic politicians detained or arrested. An uncountable number of workers — not criminals, and many here legally — removed and sometimes disappeared from their families, jobs, communities and even the country. Armed military facing down peaceful protesters and protecting ICE and FBI agents as they snatch people off the street without due process. On Tuesday, California Sen. Alex Padilla — who five days earlier had been wrestled to the floor and handcuffed by federal agents for interrupting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as she claimed Trump's actions were liberating L.A. from socialists — delivered an emotional speech in the Senate. In U.S. history, he said, 'we've had tumult. But we've never had a tyrant as a commander in chief.' Until now. Reagan ended his farewell with a sentiment that was inarguable 36 years ago: America, he said, 'is still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom.' No longer. Even many citizens live in fear for their freedoms; I've heard from them. And I've felt it myself — no more so than when I was out of the country, looking back from afar. @Jackiekcalmes @ @jkcalmes
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Trump first president in 116 years to not be invited to NAACP convention
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People announced Monday the group will not invite President Donald Trump to its national convention next month in Charlotte, North Carolina, the first time the prominent civil rights organization has opted to exclude a sitting president in its 116-year history. NAACP President Derrick Johnson announced the move at an afternoon press conference, accusing Trump of working against its mission. 'This has nothing to do with political party,' Johnson said in a statement. 'Our mission is to advance civil rights, and the current president has made clear that his mission is to eliminate civil rights.' A message to the White House seeking comment was not immediately returned. In recent months, the NAACP has filed multiple lawsuits against Trump. In April, for example, the group sued to stop the Department of Education from withholding federal money for schools that did not end diversity, equity and inclusion programs, arguing the department was prohibiting legal efforts to provide equal opportunity to Black students. 'There is a rich history of both Republicans and Democrats attending our convention,' the group said in a statement. Democrat Harry Truman, in 1947, became the first president to attend the NAACP's national convention. NAACP officials noted that the decision was weighty in that the organization had long invited presidents with whom it had policy disagreements. Notably, Republican President George W. Bush addressed the group's convention in July 2006, after months of criticism for his administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which had a disproportionate impact on Black residents in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. The group also noted that Republican President Ronald Reagan accepted its invitation during his first year in office. Civil rights leaders had criticized Reagan's use during the 1980 campaign of the term 'welfare queen' to refer to people abusing federal aid. The term was viewed by many as coded racial language for Black women. During his 1981 speech to the NAACP convention in Denver, Reagan decried white supremacist hate groups and vowed his administration would investigate and prosecute 'those who, by violence or intimidation, would attempt to deny Americans their constitutional rights.' (AP)
New York Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Isolationism is the same as appeasement – and it's keeping Trump, Netanyahu from transforming the Middle East
So tired of the isolationists barking about the old and failed foreign policy of the past and insisting that they've uncovered the secret, new way forward: isolationism. There's nothing new or good about isolationism, which, in a word, is appeasement. It's old and promotes war, such as World War II. Even worse, these knuckleheads can't coherently explain what they mean. Have you watched them on TV? They're too self-righteous in their ignorance to realize how absurd they sound. They don't agree among themselves what the hell they're talking about. In fact, they're so blind and self-important that they don't see the new foreign policy taking place in real time, right in front of their eyes! That's the mindset of ideological fanatics. A lot like Reagan We are witnesses to a foreign policy unlike any since Reagan-Thatcher-John Paul II defeated the Soviet Union. It's nothing like the recent failed policies we've seen in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are together demonstrating how to deal with a genocidal terrorist regime, how to use diplomacy and military power, how to use intel and special forces, how to use the media and public statements and more, to defeat the biggest terror-supporting regime on the planet. It is and has been brilliant, and if all goes well, it will result in a transformed Middle East, an expansion of the Abraham Accords, and a world free of a nuclear terror regime. They are achieving what 47 years of prior policies have not. This is a very big deal! This is a real peace plan. Yet the isolationists, such as 'Chatsworth Qatarlson' (Tucker Carlson), are now turning on our president, as they've spent months demeaning Netanyahu. They prefer the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who apparently is more MAGA than Trump. They wind up turning themselves into pretzels, actually characterizing the Iranian regime as oppressed and victimized. These reprobates have never been MAGA. Ignore the doubters They have sought to hijack a movement they never created, claim to be its leaders and influencers and redefine it to accommodate their own perverse ideological views, to the extent they can rationally explain them. They have clung to a movement they do not support. Hence, their hesitation in supporting our ally Israel, or outright opposition to it, in its righteous war of survival against the Iranian terrorist regime, which benefits the entire West. It is a regime that has killed and maimed Americans, sought to assassinate the American president, threatens Israel with nuclear annihilation, seeks to slaughter millions of Israelis, has spread death and mayhem in Lebanon, Yemen, Gaza and Iraq and has aligned itself with Communist China, North Korea and Russia. The isolationists tell us that to oppose this is to be a warmonger and anti-MAGA. Just close your eyes and cover your ears. They also don't seem to care that they attract Marxists, Islamists and antisemites. Some even openly promote and celebrate them. That's not MAGA either. President Trump is a proud American patriot. He despises bigots. And he has done more than any president ever to fight antisemitism and anti-Americanism in our country. No, they're not MAGA. But we've seen their likes before. Mark Levin is an American lawyer, author and radio personality. He is host of the syndicated radio show 'The Mark Levin Show,' as well as 'Life, Liberty & Levin' on Fox News. From
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Donald Trump is the first president in 116 years to not be invited to the NAACP convention
The NAACP announced Monday the group will not invite President Donald Trump to its national convention next month in Charlotte, North Carolina, the first time the prominent civil rights organization has opted to exclude a sitting president in its 116-year history. NAACP President Derrick Johnson announced the move at an afternoon press conference, accusing Trump of working against its mission. 'This has nothing to do with political party,' Johnson said in a statement. 'Our mission is to advance civil rights, and the current president has made clear that his mission is to eliminate civil rights.' A message to the White House seeking comment was not immediately returned. In recent months, the NAACP has filed multiple lawsuits against Trump. In April, for example, the group sued to stop the Department of Education from withholding federal money for schools that did not end diversity, equity and inclusion programs, arguing the department was prohibiting legal efforts to provide equal opportunity to Black students. 'There is a rich history of both Republicans and Democrats attending our convention,' the group said in a statement. Democrat Harry Truman, in 1947, became the first president to attend the NAACP's national convention. NAACP officials noted that the decision was weighty in that the organization had long invited presidents with whom it had policy disagreements. Notably, Republican President George W. Bush addressed the group's convention in July 2006, after months of criticism for his administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which had a disproportionate impact on Black residents in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. The group also noted that Republican President Ronald Reagan accepted its invitation during his first year in office. Civil rights leaders had criticized Reagan's use during the 1980 campaign of the term 'welfare queen' to refer to people abusing federal aid. The term was viewed by many as coded racial language for Black women. During his 1981 speech to the NAACP convention in Denver, Reagan decried white supremacist hate groups and vowed his administration would investigate and prosecute 'those who, by violence or intimidation, would attempt to deny Americans their constitutional rights.'
