Amid British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s very tough week, he received a friendly emissary from the United States: Vice President Mike Pence.
According to the New York Times, Pence cited the “very warm and personal relationship you have forged with President Trump.”
That warm and personal relationship may prove to be more burden than boon as Johnson faces down a possible election against the Labour Party in coming weeks.
Trump is deeply unpopular in Britain and, per the Times, critics say that the country will becoming increasingly dependent on the mercurial Trump if it crashes out the European Union without agreeing to a deal.
Johnson’s awareness of the tenuousness of his own position was clear in his response to Pence’s promise of trade talks.
“You guys are pretty tough negotiators, so we are going to work very hard to make sure that the free trade deal is one that works for all sides,” he said.
The fickle Trump, for his part, had continued to stand by his brother in blondness, even as Johnson’s real sibling jumped ship.
I’ve never seen a more perfect political dumpster fire quite like the week Boris Johnson has had. Lost his first 4 votes; lost his majority while he spoke; went from a majority of +1 to -43 because he stripped party membership (removed the whip) from those conservatives who defied him; and lost his gambit to crash out of the EU with a no deal Brexit. In fact, the only vote that Boris Johnson will win as PM is the one to dissolve his gov’t. On top of that, a motion of no confidence, which Boris Johnson himself is rumored to be thinking about putting forward (huh?), will not only cause his gov’t to topple but might well result in Jeremy Corbyn taking over as PM in a gov’t of national unity for a limited period of say 6 months while the UK gets the runway it needs to negotiate an extension of the Brexit deadline with the EU, and have either a new election, a new referendum or both. The election is now more likely to be on the timetable of Labour than that of Johnson.
Leaving the EU might be the single dumbest thing the British have done since losing the American colonies. It is hard to see how Great Britain, sans empire, doesn’t descend into 2nd world status once they leave. Sadly nearly all the British have figured that out. The only exceptions are a handful of politicians like Boris Johnson.
Watching “As the Parliament Turns” live the last few days has been both entertaining and educational. If what I’m seeing in the House of Lords is any indication, the bill to not “crash out” will pass.
The Brits got their own version of Trump in Boris Johnson. The difference is that his party said “no” when he tried to have them follow him in a leap off the parapet. Meanwhile, in the US, our local GOP types are tied to their great leader and only voice their mild disagreements when they’ve announced they’re leaving office or they’ve already left.
Trump’s trade deficit wars and attacks on the environment are potentially dangerous enough to the world economy and to the climate to make Brexit look almost like a minor inconvenience.
While contemplating our own dumpster fire-in-chief, seeing Johnson with his toes over the edge makes me appreciate the UK system all the more.