Boris Johnson

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Boris Johnson admits quick US trade deal will be a challenge | Financial Times

Boris Johnson on Sunday played down expectations of concluding a quick UK-US trade deal after his first meeting as British prime minister with Donald Trump, saying any agreement would require America to make compromises.

Although Mr Johnson said he would “love” to agree a deal “within a year”, he acknowledged there would be significant challenges to overcome if an agreement was going to be finalised rapidly after Britain leaves the EU.“I don’t think people realise quite how protectionist sometimes the US market can be, Mr Johnson told ITV after he held a breakfast meeting with Mr Trump at the G7 summit in Biarritz.

Source: Boris Johnson admits quick US trade deal will be a challenge | Financial Times

 

Northern Comment…

In very short order we have gone from PM Johnson thinking that no deal was “a million to one chance” to “touch and go”. The swift American trade deal has not survived first contact with the American President. The Prime Minister doesn’t, “… think people realise quite how protectionist sometimes the US market can be, …”   I think for “some people” we can safely replace Boris Johnson. To whom the constraints of power have come as a complete surprise. His model of negotiation is the traditional English approach to foreign languages. All he need do is speak louder and slower and they will understand what we need them to do. Any failure to understand what they have to do is down to European obduracy and unreasonableness.

Any challenge to his negotiation style is treason. Expect much more about collaborators, traitors and an attempt to pin the fiasco of Brexit on anyone other than himself and his pals in the European Research Group, the British equivalent of the Tea Party.

“Can do” is not a strategy. In Mr Johnson’s case it is not even a description. The real tragedy of the coming political dog fight is that it will undermine democracy in the eyes of those who are likely to lose out most from any form of Brexit. I struggle to imagine what special place in hell ought to exist for those politicians who know what a mess they are creating but plough on regardless.

 

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“Who do you think you are kidding Mr Johnson”

Once again Great Britain is threatened from across the Channel. After a protracted period of negotiation Prime Minister Theresa Chamberlain returned to the Commons with a piece of paper in her hand. Unfortunately she did not appreciate that the perfidious failure of the Europeans to accept our desire to leave and remain within the European Union would not satisfy the patriotic fervour of her colleagues who promptly shot her.

Things looked grim for Blighty but cometh the hour cometh… a new team to defend our shores. “Haves Army” a group of individuals led by those who had overcome the challenges and travails faced by their fellow citizens by applying their entrepreneurial  skills to carefully choosing their parents. Leading them, Boris Mainwaring, a man known for his serious attention to detail, integrity and probity but most of all his sophisticated negotiation skills.

Immediately the Captain eschewed  the defeatist thinking of the collaborators and adopted the “can do” attitude which had been lost with Empire. His central negotiating gambit was to play the Blazing Saddles opening. Who can forget the masterful strategy of the new black sheriff as he rode into town. The excited anticipation of the white towns-folk waiting to greet him turning first to disbelief, then anger, then threat.

Surrounded by a mob with pistols drawn the new sheriff calls their bluff. He draws his gun and points it at his own head. “Back off or the black guy gets it.” he calls. The crowd gasp. One of the townsfolk shouts “Put your guns down. He ain’t bluffing.” The crowd part as the sheriff retreats to the safety of his office, all the while pointing the gun at his head. One of the towns women-folk calls plaintively, “Is no one going to save that poor man?” The black sheriff/hostage enters his office and the crowd breaks up not even aware of what has just happened to them.

So Captain Boris tells those pesky Europeans to back-stop off or there will be no deal. To convince them he draws on his trusted ally, Lance Corporal Gove, tasking him to make sure there is plenty of ammunition for the suicide threat. Something Corporal Gove doesn’t need to be asked twice. Off he goes around the country to ports and industries repeating the carefully thought through no deal strategy of “Don’t panic! Don’t panic!”

Keeping his head down with self-deprecating promotion, Private Rees-Walker, promotes a strategy for the nation that will take it forward to the 1850’s when serious wealth could be generated and the lower orders knew their place.

What could go wrong? Although I think I do hear sotto voce from somewhere in the political ether the pithy statement of coherent opposition “We’re doomed, we’re all doomed!”