My wife and I had the recent privilege of traveling to London and Germany for business and pleasure. As is my nature, I looked at these wonderful places partially through the lens of politics, chatting up taxi drivers, tour guides, and other locals to get a sense of the local political landscape.

At home I hear cable news and major newspapers railing nonstop against President Trump, telling their dwindling number of viewers and readers that the world hates Trump, that America should be emulating countries of the EU, and that Brexit, if it happens, will be the end of the United Kingdom as we know it.

Our media is called “fake news” for a reason. If one looks beyond the bleating cable news anchors, a more accurate picture emerges. As an example, compare the media polls showing President Trump’s approval percentage in the 30’s while his political rallies are packing arenas, attendees waiting a day or longer in line for the chance to see Trump in person. I want to share my observations beyond those of the media talking heads.

Photo credit: Brian C. Joondeph

London’s Mayor Sadiq Kahn loathes President Trump, but do the people of London? Actually not. As one taxi driver told me, Londoners admire President Trump. Why? For one of the same reasons that tens of millions of Americans do.  Trump says what he means and means what he says. Unlike most politicians, whether in the US or the UK, who say one thing while campaigning, then do something entirely different once in office, Trump is doing what he said he would do, a refreshing change from politics as usual in the UK and elsewhere.

Will Brexit happen? The UK has its own deep state, politicians and bureaucrats beholden to their donors and the globalists. New Prime Minister Boris Johnson, arriving at 10 Downing Street promising to honor the will of UK voters to pull the UK out of the EU, is much like Trump promising voters to build the wall, only to have Parliament or Congress throwing up roadblocks, thwarting the will of the people.

The consensus I gathered is that Brexit will happen as that was what voters chose several years ago. Governing against the people may lead to another Peasants' Revolt, similar to that in 1381, complete with storming the Tower of London followed by a slew of hangings and beheadings.

British government is interesting, but with a legitimate sovereign as a coequal branch of government, unlike our self-proclaimed royal families, the Clintons, Obamas, and Kennedys who believe they are above elected government.

Their House of Commons is similar to our House of Representatives, where most legislation happens. Unfortunately, our House has wasted almost three years chasing Russian collusion and impeachment, rather than doing their constitutional duty of legislating. The British House of Lords is more of a deliberate body, lords inheriting their titles in some cases or else nominated due to accomplishment in business or academia, but they serve in more of an advisory role. They are much like our Senate, the self-proclaimed deliberators who do little other than talk, some gaining their Senate seat by virtue of pedigree, such as Hillary Clinton or Ted Kennedy.

British history is rich with conquests, treachery, intrigue and drama, going back a thousand years, compared to much shorter America history. The royal family is held in high regard. The word on the street is that Charles will eventually be King, even if only for a short time given that he is 70 years old, and has risen to the role, even under the shadow of his mother who has been serving as Queen for 65 years, the only monarch most Brits have ever known. Diana’s death may be a conspiracy to some, but most believe she died due to a combination of booze, fast driving, and poor decisions.

Her son Prince Harry is considered part of the royal bloodline despite his uncanny resemblance to Diana’s riding instructor James Hewitt, but he is far enough removed, now that Prince William has three children, from the royal succession that it won’t matter and is politely ignored.

As a city, London is huge, and traffic is atrocious. Cranes and skyscrapers dot the skyline, suggesting that Brexit will be a big nothing burger, should it occur on schedule in less than two months. If Brexit were the death knell for the UK, why all the construction?  Goldman Sachs, a few years ago, warned of calamity if Brexit occurred, yet are about to move into their new digs in London, a 1.1 million square foot office. Why spend the money in the face of calamity? Rather than following the news, follow the money.

Follow not only the money but also the ownership. Harrods, London’s iconic department store, is now owned by Qatar.

Moving on to Germany, a few observations. Despite conventional wisdom that their “economy is tanking,” I observed a few bits of contradictory evidence. Long stretches of the autobahn where we drove were under construction, miles at a time. Who is paying for this construction? Would a tanking national economy be upgrading their motorways?

It also seemed that every other vehicle on the autobahn was a truck. Commerce is alive and well with far more large trucks than we see on our American roadways. Windfarms were also in abundance, at least half not spinning when we drove by.

How ironic that Germany, one of the leading green economies, has wind farms dotting the landscape, yet half the vehicles on the adjacent autobahn are large petroleum guzzling semi-trucks. None of the trucks were powered with wind or sun. The message for Democrat presidential candidates is that carbon-based fossil fuels are not going away anytime soon without sending the country back in time to the 1800s.

Lastly, we visited a shopping mall in Germany and observed far more young males who might be named Abdul or Mohammed rather than Kurt or Frederick. Demography is destiny. Wind power and green energy may be the least of Germany’s concerns in a generation or two. That being said, leave the political hat at home and enjoy Europe, the people, history, food, and culture. And if your hotel television has CNN International as the only cable news station, turn it off and decide for yourself what the real news is.

London is calling out, but the media is not listening, instead pushing their agenda regardless of the realities on the ground.

Brian C Joondeph, MD, is a Denver based physician, freelance writer and occasional radio talk show host whose pieces have appeared in American Thinker, Daily Caller, and other publications. Follow him on Facebook,  LinkedIn, Twitter, and QuodVerum.