Foreign Secretary - Boris Johnson

[Kalis]

In a role where diplomacy is key...unleash the Boris.

Presumably he has the job because they found some countries he has not taken the piss out of and want to rectify that.

[Kontinuum]

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/15/eu...rnd/index.html

[Deleted]

[IMG]
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/15/eu...rnd/index.html

He's basically Prince Phillip, without the funny.

Anyway, BoJo is only in the mix incase someone says "This isn't a Brexit government", due to the majority of the cabinet being made up of people who voted Remain, they can turn and point and go "That lunatic there, that one that we have speaking on behalf of the United Kingdom to all the countries of the world, he led the Leave campaign, can't get more Brexit than that", and then speedwalk away.

[Deleted]

Boris will do great things for foreign relations, now we need the USA to wake up and be realistic. Trump is the best future for the USA and the world.

[Rend Blackhand]

I love Boris he's great.

He will be a fine foreign secretary, everyone is in panic mode over nothing (yet again).

[Iliena]

We really wanted to banish him before he ruins anything else, but unfortunately it is currently against EU law.

You can't say we don't know how to share the love!

[Masark]

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/15/eu...rnd/index.html

Well, he's accurate 4 times out of 11, so that's better than average for a Tory.

[Rend Blackhand]

I love Boris he's great.

He will be a fine foreign secretary, everyone is in panic mode over nothing (yet again).

[Grimbolt]

How is insulting others and being a camera attention whore a great personal virtue?

He is supposed to represent everyone in the United Kingdom. So what you are saying is that you are all clowns with nothing but banter coming out your mouths?

[Deleted]

How is insulting others and being a camera attention whore a great personal virtue?

He is supposed to represent everyone in the United Kingdom. So what you are saying is that you are all clowns with nothing but banter coming out your mouths?

Hey! We're proud of our bantz

[Acidbaron]

Well in the financial industry to build good relationships means taking out potential clients to bars and strip clubs, while being extreme. I guess that's one form of diplomacy considering he's from london.

Well Brexit did means disconnecting from the rest of Europe and more focus on one self, what better candidate then Boris to ensure that isolation.

UK politics does seem to be turning into one long joke now though. So it seems fitting to appoint a clown as representative.

And so on

[Deleted]

How is insulting others and being a camera attention whore a great personal virtue?

He is supposed to represent everyone in the United Kingdom. So what you are saying is that you are all clowns with nothing but banter coming out your mouths?

my mate bojo is a ledge, archbishop of banterbury

...

No, we're fucked.

[alexw]

How is insulting others and being a camera attention whore a great personal virtue?

He is supposed to represent everyone in the United Kingdom. So what you are saying is that you are all clowns with nothing but banter coming out your mouths?

The new prime minister is setting the brexiters up for failure. You have to remember she was in the remain camp and wants to stay in the EU despite whatever she may say now. So all the ones who campaigned for brexit have been given leadership positions in making it occur in a successful way. Even the imbecilic one - Boris. If she actually wanted to leave no way would she have promoted Boris to foreign secretary - hes an imbecile.

Problem for the brexiters is, they made loads of promises about brexit that they won't be able to keep - for example keeping single market access without freedom of movement.

If they had not been promoted in this way they could have sat in the background criticizing the negotiation results, saying that the remainers were doing it on purpose to get a pretext to stay in, and that they'd be able to get a better result. Well now they can't do that. They will own it, whatever the negotiations yield up. The new prime minister will then go to the people and say "this is it, do you still want to leave if its on these terms", and the brexit camp will be able to do nothing about it because they will own those terms. Its what they negotiated.

There is some risk to be sure. They could pull it off, get everything they want, and offer little in return, but the EU has by far the much stronger negotiating position. They have teams of experienced trade negotiators that have been doing this for decades. The UK has none. The UK has ~50% of its exports going to the EU. The EU has ~15% going to the UK. The EU exports goods which readily navigate trade tariff and regulatory barriers. The UK exports services which do no easily navigate those barriers. Etc. Etc. So the overall risks of the brexiters pulling it off successfully are low, ergo its worth the gamble she is taking.

[Deleted]

The new prime minister is setting the brexiters up for failure. <snip>

"Brexit means Brexit" is what the UK PM has consistently said since entering the leadership contest and as PM.

She, like the rest of the incompetent Conservative Party, would rather melt the UK into the ground, if not the world, than lose power for the Conservatives.

I can guarantee, just as as Merkel said flatly when asked, the UK will call Article 50 and sooner rather than later than many realize.

The UK has no good options left and the best one (ignoring the referendum) takes leadership and competence far beyond any modern UK politician.

Brexit means Brexit.

[Deleted]

The new prime minister is setting the brexiters up for failure. You have to remember she was in the remain camp and wants to stay in the EU despite whatever she may say now. So all the ones who campaigned for brexit have been given leadership positions in making it occur in a successful way. Even the imbecilic one - Boris. If she actually wanted to leave no way would she have promoted Boris to foreign secretary - hes an imbecile.

Problem for the brexiters is, they made loads of promises about brexit that they won't be able to keep - for example keeping single market access without freedom of movement.

If they had not been promoted in this way they could have sat in the background criticizing the negotiation results, saying that the remainers were doing it on purpose to get a pretext to stay in, and that they'd be able to get a better result. Well now they can't do that. They will own it, whatever the negotiations yield up. The new prime minister will then go to the people and say "this is it, do you still want to leave if its on these terms", and the brexit camp will be able to do nothing about it because they will own those terms. Its what they negotiated.

There is some risk to be sure. They could pull it off, get everything they want, and offer little in return, but the EU has by far the much stronger negotiating position. They have teams of experienced trade negotiators that have been doing this for decades. The UK has none. The UK has ~50% of its exports going to the EU. The EU has ~15% going to the UK. The EU exports goods which readily navigate trade tariff and regulatory barriers. The UK exports services which do no easily navigate those barriers. Etc. Etc. So the overall risks of the brexiters pulling it off successfully are low, ergo its worth the gamble she is taking.

What you suggest is political suicide

[alexw]

"Brexit means Brexit" is what the UK PM has consistently said since entering the leadership contest and as PM.

She, like the rest of the incompetent Conservative Party, would rather melt the UK into the ground, if not the world, than lose power for the Conservatives.

I can guarantee, just as as Merkel said flatly when asked, the UK will call Article 50 and sooner rather than later than many realize.

The UK has no good options left and the best one (ignoring the referendum) takes leadership and competence far beyond any modern UK politician.

Brexit means Brexit.

Yes of course she is going to say that. When was she ever going to not say that (or similar to it)?

Now tell me, when was the last time a politicians words could be taken at face value?

Look at what she has done not said. She has put the brexit imbecile who suffers from verbal diarrhea in the most public facing role of all of them. She has also put the other brexit leaders in charge of the negotiations. In doing so she has given the brexiters the rope with which to hang themselves.

- - - Updated - - -

What you suggest is political suicide

For who? Lets say she did not put the brexiters in these positions of power and the UK did not get the terms it wanted who would take the blame? If the UK doesn't get the terms with the brexiters in charge who gets the blame then? And in all likelihood the UK won't get them given it has the weaker bargaining hand. May knows this.

Now what happens on the off chance the UK gets everything it wants. How does Theresa May lose out from that? Yes the brexiters might gain some additional power in the party and a bit of popular support but May doesn't really lose out.

She has weighed the odds and seen this is the best way for her politically. She thinks they will fail and is letting them own it. If they don't, well she doesn't lose either. So she has all of the upside and none of the downside. Because if the negotiations go poorly how can May be blamed for it when she has put the top out team in charge of getting the UK out? If they end up failing how could May be expected to do better herself?

[Independent voter]

Boris has a Turkish grandad?

[TheDestinatus]

I thought Australian politics was a joke but this entire Brexit fiasco is just hilarious. Everyone involved should be investigated and jailed. So many lies, so much underhanded deception.

[Deleted]

I do wish we had a German Foreign Secretary over Boris; perhaps one that acted like Arnie in the Terminator.

Instead, we ended up with one conveying somewhat of an actual personality, opinion, and who also happens to be multi-linguistic.

Just make do chaps, it's the British way.

[Kalis]

Boris has a Turkish grandad?

Indeed, he was a eunuch in the Sultan's harem during the Ottoman Empire.