Meanwhile in England...

Over in England, Prime Minister, and E.U. stooge, Theresa May has resigned after multiple unsuccessful attempts to ram through a horrible BREXIT deal in parliament designed to let BREXIT happen but really, just keep the U.K. as part of the E.U. 

What a disappointment as a Prime Minister, not even a shadow of Margaret Thatcher.

Well, Theresa May survived

British Prime Minister Theresa May has just survived a no-confidence vote among conservatives to remain Prime Minister.  This despite delivering such a weak-tea effete deal for Great Britain that those who voted to exit the European Union are probably having second thoughts now.

I'm not sure she will survive politically though, and she seems to realize that too.

U.K. votes, barely, to keep Brexit alive

Theresa May read the tea leaves wrong.  Pollsters two months ago had her perched to get a mega-majority if she called a snap election.  Predicated on a mandate to strongly negotiate Brexit, she did so.  It was partly political but it seemed to be a shrewd move.  As election day approached the popular support numbers for the conservatives tanked and May has barely hung on to maintain a coalition government with the pro-Brexit DUP party.

It turns out the move by May was a political blunder, but to be fair, it was one she didn't see coming.  It will be interesting to see what the post analysis brings out.  Did ultra-leftist Corbyn bring out, a la Obama, a stronger than anticipated youth contingent of voters?  Or did, as the British MSM seemed to expound, lose popularity as people got to know her better?  At least an aggressive Brexit negotiation is still on track, but the election really feels like a badly missed opportunity for the Tories (conservatives) in the U.K. to strengthen their position for the next several years.  But in every problem there is opportunity.

Expect an emboldened Corbyn to be even more outrageous than he has previously and with that exposure comes the opportunity to paint him as the extremist that he really is, setting May (or her successor) up for a strong victory next time around.

For a great analysis of the results themselves, check out the Legal Insurrection take here.

Attention U.K. citizens, this is why you need to vote for Theresa May

More terror in London.  A stronger mandate for exiting the E.U. and giving Prime Minister Theresa May the strong backing to negotiate BREXIT forcefully and not leave the U.K. subject to any whims of the E.U. - especially on immigration and national security issues.

U.K. moving right,populist, or both

Unlike France, which is a muddle, in Britain conservative prime minister Theresa May has called a June election where she is expected to rout both the far left Labor party and the centrist party.  She could be headed for a historic majority thanks to disarray on Brexit on the left (among other things).

British Prime Minister Theresa May is sending the United Kingdom to the polls on June 8, three years early, citing the need for a strong mandate to negotiate Britain's exit from the European Union.

It is an about-face from May's earlier statements about an early election, but it is hard to blame her for wanting to go early. The polls suggest her Conservative Party is on track for a smashing majority against a divided Labour Party led by the hapless Jeremy Corbyn.

It would take a miracle for her not to have a powerful majority come this summer. Again, stay tuned.

Brexit Divorce Papers Filed. Insane Bill Sent.

Today Britain has officially triggered the E.U. exit clause.  The E.U. responded vindictively.

Britain has officially launched the Brexit process, triggering Article 50 and starting a two-year countdown before the country drops out of the European Union.

The historic moment came as a letter signed by Prime Minister Theresa May was delivered to the Brussels office of European Council President Donald Tusk, notifying him of the UK’s intention to leave.

But the E.U. responded like a jilted lover.

As in many divorces, the first area of conflict is likely to be money. The EU wants Britain to pay a hefty bill -- Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the EU's executive Commission, put it at around 50 billion euros ($63 billion) -- to cover pension liabilities for EU staff and other commitments the U.K. has agreed to.

Britain acknowledges it will have to pay something, but is sure to quibble over the size of the tab.

Negotiations will also soon hit a major contraction: Britain wants "frictionless" free trade, but says it will restore control of immigration, ending the right of EU citizens to live and work in Britain. The EU says Britain can't have full access to the single market if it doesn't accept free movement, one of the bloc's key principles.

Both Britain and the EU say a top priority will be guaranteeing the rights of 3 million EU citizens living in Britain, and 1 million Britons living elsewhere in the bloc.

The two sides also appear to disagree on how the talks will unfold. EU officials say the divorce terms must be settled before negotiators can turn to the U.K.'s future relationship with the bloc -- and a deal on that could take a decade. British officials want the two things discussed simultaneously.

Like most divorces, this could get contentious.  Suggesting Britain owes $63 billion for E.U. staff pensions and "other commitments" is a good indicator of why Britons voted to exit the E.U.  If that's just the U.K.'s share of pension obligations, the E.U. cannot possibly think of itself as sustainable.

Why I'm becoming a Theresa May fan

Margaret Thatcher redux.  Britain is lucky to have Theresa May as Prime Minister.  Wait for her finish as she slaps down Jeremy Corbyn - it's really great.  Meanwhile she's got parliamentary approval for Article 50, which helps trigger the Brexit from the E.U.