BoJo's speech later today is being heavily trailed in the press, beginning with this HERE in the pages of that Fleet Street intellectual heavyweight, The Sun. He will apparently make it clear, "that he will not put up with [Mrs May's] middle way, Boris will say: “It is only by taking back control of our laws that UK firms and entrepreneurs will have the freedom to innovate, without the risk of having to comply with some directive devised by Brussels, at the urgings of some lobby group, with the aim of holding back a UK competitor".
Where to begin? He "won't put up with" the PM's middle way. Who on earth does he think he is? And directives aren't devised by Brussels - we help to shape the rules, our own industries and government. As for the idea they are drafted to hold back UK competitors, he is paranoid delusional. The vast majority of UK business does not want to leave the EU or the single market of the customs union so who does he speak for?
He is again trying to make the case for leaving the EU and everything connected with it (HERE) saying it would be "intolerable" for us to follow ANY EU rules.
BoJo is an idiot. But he is a dangerous idiot. Being a wit and raconteur with a flair for words and languages does not make you a genius. It does mean you are able to propose absolutely ludicrous ideas in a dangerously plausible way. Some foolish people actually believe what he says. He also has the confidence of an Eton education to think whatever comes out of his mouth must be right.
I seem to remember Boris telling the world (HERE), "Virtually every single one of our international sports were either invented or codified by the British". So, one presumes if other countries regarded the codified rule books of international sports as set down by the British were "holding them back" and decided to ignore them, BoJo would be quite relaxed about it? Let us all play by our own rules! What a great idea.
The EU regulations are doing for industry what the rule book does for sports. It creates the conditions for fair competition, a level playing field to make cheating, or driving down labour and environmental standards, difficult if not impossible. BoJo seems to think the regulations that our own industries helped to devise are holding us back. What he is proposing would virtually eliminate cross Channel trade for no good reason.
I don't see industry complaining they are being held back. In fact most businesses think having regulations is a good thing and EU regulations are often seen as the global standard and are adopted Internationally. Regulations and standards make trade easier not more difficult. He also doesn't realise how global standards are slowly coming together so we will be obliged to follow them in any case. But being a smaller nation, we probably won't get to have any input into new ones or revising existing ones.
Let us be frank. He doesn't know anything at all about industry or commerce or business or trade or law. He is very amusing but you wouldn't want him negotiating anything for you.
The Guardian HERE choose to focus on BoJo's warning that Brexit should not be thwarted. He says it would be a betrayal of the 17 million who voted for it. This is good for remainers. Nothing is more calculated to fire up the opposition than to be told not to oppose. Also, he is doubling down in the face of industrial and financial leaders who fear we are heading for serious barriers to trade with the EU and becoming increasingly anxious about the future. He is driving a wedge between the Conservative party and business. He is making it more and more difficult for the Tories to be separated from the disaster that is Brexit. So, all very good.
One sympathises with Phillip Hammond, confronted in cabinet by the purest stupidity of BoJo and the total rejection of all evidence in favour of belief and emotion.
He says the British are good at self deprecation. Well, perhaps he should look at all the industries where we were world leaders - shipbuilding, cars, motorcycles, cement, railways, hosiery, etc, etc, etc - and are now not even also rans. It isn't self deprecating to recognise we are no longer the leaders, it's just realism. But BoJo doesn't do that does he?
Without realism we will simply continue to decline because we do not even recognise our problems and simply refuse to face up to them squarely.
