Op-ed; Bumbling British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is many things but he is no diplomat.
Johnson is a former elected London mayor and was once tipped to lead the Tory government and replace David Cameron as our Prime Minister. Reports that he was a successful London mayor may or may not be true; that will depend who you ask presumably. But he is proving disastrous as Foreign Secretary. This week he cancelled a trip to Russia following an alleged chemical attack on Syrians by unconfirmed forces; it could have been forces of Syrian leader Bashar Al Assad, so-called rebels or insurgents or foreign agents but that list goes on and on. Johnson however was out manoeuvred by the American administration as their Secretary of State Rex Tillerson opted to go ahead with a visit to Russia. Mr Johnson instead chose to push members of the G7 for further sanctions against Russia but other member countries refused to be sucked in. He was left looking the fool once again, this time it was for his political ineptitude. Just how did Mr Johnson become a political high flier? Boris as he is often referred to by the mainstream media has had something of a charmed political life. He has played the fool to perfection and the mainstream media guffawed along. Our earlier reports include;
March 2015 Johnson accused of Garden Bridge duplicity Days before Christmas 2014 we reported what we called crackpot funding for a garden bridge over the Thames in London. The jury was out on the bridge especially the issue who would fund it as it would incur hefty ongoing maintenance costs. This week Mayor London Boris Johnson has put his large foot in his large mouth again and the Garden Bridge is back in the news. Appearing on his regular "Ask Boris LBC radio slot" he waffled but is accused of downright lies.As the Guardian puts it "The London mayor categorically denies public funds will be needed for the garden bridge, while pledging taxpayers’ money to prop it up behind closed doors." ........more November 2015 - Boris Johnson West Bank Cancellations Blonde Bombshell and London’s Tory mayor Boris Johnson has once again put his foot where his mouth should be. Johnson has cut short a trade visit to the West Bank after saying that advocates of a trade ban against Israel were a "bunch of corduroy-jacketed lefty academics who have no real standing in the matter and are unlikely to be influential on Britain.”He added "those who endorsed it were "foolish" and in a "very small minority." Social media reacted quickly. The majority of his meetings with Palestinian representatives and individuals were cancelled. He had become too big a security risk............ more April 2016 Boris Johnson part Kenyan description of Pres. Obama Mr Johnson or as some in the mainstream media like to call him, BoJo, has already shared his opinion that President Obama should not weigh into the UK EU in or out referendum calling it interference. That has since been spun any which way but loose as all camps try to gain political advantage. But Friday he overstepped the mark by using language that could be interpreted as racially offensive to and about President Obama. He opted to write a report for Murdoch's Sun publication which perhaps says it all. In that article he wrote about the removal of a bust of Churchill from the Oval Office noting "Some said it was a snub to Britain. Some said it was a symbol of the part-Kenyan President’s ancestral dislike of the British empire – of which Churchill had been such a fervent defender......more Boris Johnson was appointed Foreign Secretary in 2016 by unelected Tory Prime Minister Theresa May. In less than one year both have proved to be an embarrassment. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/11/boris-johnson-insists-russia-could-still-face-sanctions-colleagues/ https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/apr/11/boris-johnson-full-support-failure-secure-sanctions-syria-russia
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 Dear old pals - PM and one of his potential successors Op-Ed: As UK PM David Cameron announced the date of the upcoming 2016 EU referendum, June 23, 2016, it was all 'jolly good show' and ‘all pals together’ but that did not last long.
The Tory government boss David Cameron and his senior ministers tried to say the party remained united, best of friends and so much more and would not fall into the trap of publicly arguing over the EU issue but the cracks soon started to show. Tory MPs are allowed a free run in the EU referendum campaign, at least up to a point. There is no whip telling them how they should campaign and which side of the fence to jump. This has led to serious divisions in the Conservative party and to fairly equally matched in and out campaigns by senior figures. If it was a popularity contest and you were a Tory party supporter Cameron’s better in Europe campaign would have to be your choice. The better out campaign has the likes of Boris Johnson, Iain Duncan Smith and Priti Patel trying to persuade the electorate to leave the EU. Of course if you are a Tory fan you may not see that group of individuals as vile; if you are not you may. There seems to be a conspiracy theory for almost each and every action in the 21st Century and there are a few surrounding the UK EU in /out referendum. One claims that the EU out Tory campaign is full of their most hated MPs to encourage the electorate to vote for the country to remain an EU member; another theory hints that the people of Scotland will vote to leave the EU simply to force a second Scottish Independence referendum. But however the Tories try to spin or buy the news there is no Tory party unity over the EU. The referendum is making for strange political affiliations such as George Galloway and Nigel Farage sharing a campaign platform. There are some breakaway Labour groups campaigning to leave the EU but the party has taken a firm stance and is campaigning for the UK to stay an EU member country. As the Tories straddle the fence with two semi-official campaigns running alongside each other unity has left the building. DWP boss Iain Duncan Smith has accused Cameron of being pessimistic over a UK future outside of the EU and having a ‘low opinion of the British people’. Various Tory ministers are making statements to the mainstream media which illustrate that the party is as expected at odds over the EU. Some MPs and voters will not be happy with Cameron’s renegotiated terms as they do not go far enough but others are long time Eurosceptics who simply want the country to leave the EU. Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party have said they will not share a platform with Cameron’s better in campaign and that is a wise move. Cameron promised the referendum to shore up his political party not for any unselfish reasons. He has made his bed and must lie on it. But apart from that Labour are campaigning for the EU to stay as part of the EU on a very different mandate. This time the Tory party must sort its own dirty laundry and in public; the knives are out. More at: Metro - EU referendum: Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle says Labour is not split on EU but the Conservatives are in "meltdown" New Statesman - the Tory split that Labour craved has arrived – but the party can't exploit it
 One view shared by some Op-ed: BBC1s Sunday Politics was UK EU referendum centric but if you hoped the politicians appearing might help you decide how you will vote on June 23 think again.
One thing was evident however and that is the Labour party have their act in order on this one and will be campaigning for the UK to stay in the EU. There may be the odd Labour fringe movement running at a tangent but the party line is it is better for the UK to stay a European member and Hilary Benn made a good case Sunday. Footage of Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn also explaining why for him and the party in 2016 #Bremain is the only sensible option was also compelling. So what about the Conservative Party and its leader David Cameron? The Tory party has the lion's share of referendum spending limits based on their share of the election vote in 2015. As the Tory party is split on stay or leave which campaign gets the bulk of their share of the allowance is still up for grabs. The SNP which is the majority party in Scotland will be left picking up scraps from the campaign spending limit table. Perhaps this is why the BBCSP host seemed keen to ask Hilary Benn, Labour, how much they would spend on Labour's Bremain campaign and would Labour join Cameron's better in campaign and support him. He carefully avoided answering the spending question but stated that Labour will not be campaigning alongside Cameron. Since Corbyn was elected in September as party leader too many Labour members and politicians have undermined Mr Corbyn and along the way helped the Tories and it is good to know that will not happen this time. The Conservative party has deep divisions on the European Union and it is safe to say Cameron is finished if the country opts for#Brexit. But if that is enough to persuade you to vote leave remember he is finished anyway. Ahead of the 2015 general election he said he would leave his job sometime before the 2020 election. Just how and when he leaves office is debatable. Chris Grayling for the Tory Brexit camp said Sunday the party would be behind Cameron all the way in spite of the split on the EU but will they be armed to stab him in the back? One thing is clear and it is this. The Tory party is split on the EU issue but is getting an easy ride by mainstream media at least so far. When Corbyn allowed his MPs a free vote on bombing in Syria he faced a barrage of media abuse and cross party attacks. David Cameron promised an EU referendum to win back voters who had jumped ship to join Ukip and to appease some in his own party. He has made his bed so let him lie on it and do so alone. David Cameron may try telling the electorate that he secured a good deal for us to base our vote on but he has been unable to persuade his party of that, just some of them; and some of them will have made their minds up ahead of the renegotiation talks. DWP boss Iain Duncan Smith thinks the UK is vulnerable as an EU member citing the Paris attacks to support his case but as this man is often called 'vile' due to his damaging work his words will be a kiss-of-death to some. David Cameron appearing on the Andrew Marr show Sunday thinks the opposite and we are safer staying in Europe. Boris Johnson is doing what he does best dithering and will announce which side of the Brexit Bremain fence he will jump later. Those pushing to stay in the EU argue that the UK can work to change the union for the better as a member but considering the time and effort which appears to have been spent securing Cameron's mediocre reforms that's a hard one to believe; appears could be the key word here.  Op-Ed: So those in the UK who wanted a referendum on whether the UK should stay in the EU or scarper will be able to vote on just that on June 23, 2016. The date was only announced Saturday but has been in the media for weeks.
The Daily Telegraph is now using referendum news to launch yet another attack on Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn saying he is campaigning to stay in the EU now although previously he did not. Perhaps JC guarantees them good viewing numbers or is still about more than that? Well let's tell the Telegraph a piece of news - times change. There will be many older citizens of the UK who have changed position on the EU since this country was finally accepted into the old EEC begrudgingly after many years of French President De Gaulle preventing that happening. The economic community began for trade with security of the continent a side issue although some these days seem to want to insist it was always about creating a peaceful Europe after the actions of Germany led to two world wars. These days German Chancellor Mrs Merkel is winning another EU dominance battle but this time economically. Down the years the concept of the EU changed many times; the gravy train that means bureaucrats in Brussels can make a fortune for just being there has added carriages and another line or bureaucracy between ordinary voters and politicians who in many cases have become out of touch with reality. This writer is feeling rather could not careless about the upcoming EU referendum but then she is an old crock and has previously had a vote on the EU issue. Younger voters must and surely will engage with the EU referendum as it is their future that lies in the balance. The cross political party's attempts to get your vote to Brexit or Bremain will now begin in earnest. Batten down the hatches as it will be every man and woman for themselves. There will be a media bombardment too so it says a great deal about the Telegraph that they have chosen the Corbyn slant. Five days ago the Daily Telegraph reported "Why Jeremy Corbyn may privately support Brexit." How did I vote first time around? I voted not to go into the EU. How will I vote this time around? I really do not know and am bordering on the spoiled vote protest; because the problem as I see it is we are screwed either way. If we leave the Tories will impose plans that currently are scuppered under some EU laws but if we stay the bureaucrats in Brussels may screw you anyway. Some will say stay in Europe and try to change it for the better. That is one way but it may not be possible. British voters will now vote on a renegotiated UK EU membership that is supported by some and dissed by others. David Cameron and EU ministers have spent hour after hour and euro or is that pound after pound getting any sort of reform on the table. Is it enough to persuade you to stick around the European Union or are you looking for the nearest exit. |
