It bears pondering that two of the most important nations in what is left of the West are in states of existential crisis.
In Britain, Theresa May has come back from Brussels with European Union parliament approval of the Brexit deal she'd been the leader in crafting. The UK parliament is giving her no such imprimatur. In fact, legislators of various stripes are walking out.
Now there's talk of a delay in Parliament's vote on it while a few more changes are made, which also might entail another trip to Brussels.
The Jeremy Corbin left is licking its chops, and there's also a faction that comes close to a "let's-just-get-out-of-the-EU-without-all-these-gyrations" position.
In short, there's nothing like a plurality-type consensus on how to proceed with the number-one issue on Albion's plate.
Across the channel, civil unrest has spread to the border with Italy, causing a massive traffic backup. In Paris, the yellow vests doing the rioting are now divided into two strata: the older ones whose main grievance is taxes and economic issues in general, and younger ones who are mainly in it for the hooliganism. There's an urban-rural element to the divide as well. More burning cars. They're ripping off the plywood that been nailed up over storefront windows. Macron's public approval numbers seem unsalvageable.
And now violent protests are spreading to Belgium and the Netherlands.
The West is as far away from having an anchor as we've seen in some time.
Trumpists might dispute this, but their man is in the most precarious position he's been in since he decided to branch out beyond his life as a brand huckster and throw his hat in the political ring.
The ground is shifting under our feet.
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