Johnson came out of hiding last night to do a quick softball interview with Laura Kuenssberg - presumably to show he wasn't a coward. The whole thing was very quickly transcribed (HERE) which the BBC probably thought was necessary to help viewers understand what he was talking about. It was like watching two five year olds pontificating about Proust. The whole interview was pure gobbledygook from start to finish.
I am not sure it's worth analysis since it was so totally off-the-wall stuff. Afterwards, Kuenssberg claimed he wanted to negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU before October 31st. This is from her comment piece:
"Mr Johnson's really controversial gamble is to say he could do a new trade deal with EU leaders before the end of October".
I confess having read the transcript I don't see this is what he said yesterday although I think he said it or something very like it on Saturday. But this is all of a piece with BoJo isn't it? You never know what he's talking about. Anybody who thinks they can get a FTA ready in three months needs serious treatment and cannot claim to have any understanding of the issues at all.
And listen to this:
"But in order to get the result that we want, in order to get the deal we
need, the commonsensical protraction of the existing arrangements until
such time as we have completed the free trade deal between us and the
EU that will be so beneficial to both sides. The commonsensical thing to
do is to prepare for a WTO exit".
This is a potential future PM speaking. I think 'commensensical protractions' means 'keep' but the flowery journalist in BoJo can't help himself. The transcript is a masterpiece of obfuscation, delusional thinking and sheer ignorance. The more you read the less you understand.
Max Hastings, Johnson's former boss at The Telegraph and no admirer of BoJo has written another blistering piece about him for The Guardian (HERE).
"There is room for debate about whether he is a scoundrel or mere rogue,
but not much about his moral bankruptcy, rooted in a contempt for truth".
And:
"Johnson would not recognise truth, whether about his private or
political life, if confronted by it in an identity parade. In a
commonplace book the other day, I came across an observation made in
1750 by a contemporary savant, Bishop Berkeley: “It is impossible that a
man who is false to his friends and neighbours should be true to the
public.” Almost the only people who think Johnson a nice guy are those
who do not know him".
More:
"For many of us, his elevation will signal Britain’s abandonment of
any claim to be a serious country".
"We
can scarcely strip the emperor’s clothes from a man who has built a
career, or at least a lurid love life, out of strutting without them.
The weekend stories of his domestic affairs are only an aperitif for his
future as Britain’s leader".
This is the man that the Tory party faithful are about to inflict on us.
But no matter, the party is dead anyway. Channel 4 News last night had some polling of
Tory party members showing 59% supported Johnson, which does not surprise since it's in keeping with other polls, but this rises to 83%
if he would commit to walking away from talks immediately and leaving
on October 31st without a deal.
This is nothing short of stunning
and confirms to me the party has ceased to be a serious political force
and can no longer be regarded as being moored to reality in any way at all. They seem to have no understanding of how the modern world works.
Bernard Jenkin (no 's') was on Newsnight last night (HERE 12:40 minutes in) where he tries to defend BoJo. He also talks of an 'interim FTA' struck before Halloween with the EU in a 'few sheets of paper' covering goods only under GATT XXIV. This overlooks the simple truth that the EU are NEVER GOING TO AGREE TO IT!!! We have refused to approve the WA which the EU see as the gateway to an FTA, and he wants them to just accept it and give us the FTA anyway!!
He then asks if we leave the EU on the 31st October will they, 'really want to put tariffs on trade with the UK', as if they have a choice! Under WTO rules this is the default position and we have deliberately put ourselves outside the customs union (urged on by one Bernard Jenkin) where we will have to pay the tariffs!
He is still in May 2016, talking of German car manufacturers coming to our rescue. The last three years has taught him and Boris Johnson nothing. They are about to learn a very hard lesson but it is we who will pay the price.
