Theresa May’s three musketeers

Boris Johnson, David Davis and Liam Fox to take on Europe and the world, but craftily set up for failure

Britain’s new Prime Minister, Theresa May, has wasted no time in telling Europe and the world that Britain wants to be somewhere else.
Perhaps because she nominally supported David Cameron’s Remain campaign – in much the same way as a rope supports the hanged man – she felt confident enough in appointing three men who others might have considered their nemeses.
This trio consists of a clown dubbed a “proven liar,” a man whose ministerial career ended two decades ago and someone who had to resign from David Cameron’s government over a murky scandal.
This threesome is now in charge of isolating Britain from Europe and telling the rest of the world this makes sense.
As regards May, it shows cunning – as well as a large generosity of spirit. Her apparent belief is that everyone should be given second and third chances. Evidently, the concept of rehabilitation beats in her heart.
It is impossible to do justice to Boris Johnson whose tabulations as a journalist in Brussels 25 years ago led his colleague, the senior BBC political editor, James Landale, to compose these lines:
“Boris tells such dreadful lies
It makes you gasp and stretch your eyes.”
One of the champions of Brexit in the press, the Conservative writer and historian, Simon Heffer, has written that Johnson is a “proven liar.”
Boris began his Brexit campaign by saying that the EU was a “Hitlerite” creation. He insisted on one of the big lies of the Leave campaign that Turkey’s 75 million citizens were about to join the EU and soon arrive in Dover.
When it was pointed out that the UK, as well as 27 other member states, could veto Turkey joining the EU and that only a tiny number of clauses in the accession process had even been examined, Johnson waved all this away.
Fittingly enough, this man is now in charge of UK relations with Turkey about whose President Erdogan, Boris penned a little “jokey” poem about sex and a goat, after Erdogan got upset about a German comedian mocking him.
That aside, Boris’s first job of a Foreign Secretary is to go and visit Washington. It helps that Johnson can travel on a U.S. passport since he was born in New York.
During the Brexit campaign, Johnson said, not so hopefully, that President Obama’s modest statement that a United Kingdom out of Europe might have difficulties concluding trade deals was inspired by the U.S. leader’s Kenyan ancestry which meant he had a grudge against colonial British.
Around the world, few of Obama’s ugliest foes have stooped so low as to reflect on his skin color and African heritage. In the Boris playbook, all is permitted.
One has to feel pity for the ultra-smart officials of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They may well come to the conclusion that, had they lived in Roman times, they would have actually found it easier to deal with Nero – who famously appointed his horse to high state office.
Boris is notorious for cheating on his wife, on his Eton and Oxford comrade David Cameron and on the truth. Books have been written on his record and now more will be. And yet, he is charming and tells jokes faster than a Hollywood comedy scriptwriter.
Once, while I was crossing the Central Lobby of the Commons with my friend, Timothy Garton Ash, Boris spotted us, looked up and said, “Good God. It’s Talleyrand and Metternich.”
You can forgive a man much for that — but a British Foreign Secretary should be un homme serieux on at least two days a week.
The Secretary of State for Exiting Europe – or in his very apropos FCO acronym – SEXIT or SEE EU, is David Davis.
Born in 1948, he was a sugar industry manager until entering parliament in 1992. He rose quickly under John Major, another man for whom the Tory Party was the ladder out of poverty.
Davis became Europe Minister for the last years of Major’s unhappy administration. He cheekily wrote to the Prime Minister asking that his Europe Minister job be elevated to full cabinet rank. Now 20 years later, he gets his wish.
David Davis, like all of the UK’s obsessive anti-Europeans, speaks no European language. At least he makes his Brexit case in a more measured, less excited language than others.
He has twiddled his thumbs as a backbench MP spending his 50s and 60s in the limbo where British politicians of talent are parked if their party is out of power — or if the sitting Prime Minister (of their own party) does not like them.
It definitely did not help Davis’s cause for a career under Cameron that, in 2005, he stood against David Cameron to be Tory leader.
They tied on the first ballot. At the time, there were 40 Tory MPs who had voted for the third man in the race, Liam Fox.
In 2005, Fox offered his votes to whichever man – Cameron or Davis – would agree to pull the Conservatives out of the European People’s Party – the loose federation of center-right parties.
That pan-European party grouping, which has as its members political parties like Merkel’s CDU or Rajoy’s PP, currently dominates Brussels where both Jean Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk are EPP men.
David Davis told me at the time, “I could not make the offer to quit the EPP. I didn’t like their federalist leanings, but I knew from my time as Europe Minister how much influence they had and how important it was for the Conservative Party to make its case inside the EPP family.”
David Cameron had no such scruples, promised the Liam Fox supporters in the 2005 leadership race that he would quit the EPP.
He duly did so in 2009, thus leaving London without political family contacts with EU power-brokers after 2010.
Davis is an engaging man and I have enjoyed hill-walking with him. He has offered personal support that he did not need to when I had troubles as an MP.
Unlike Boris Johnson, David Davis is a decent man and un homme serieux. But how will he handle the Brexit negotiations? No one knows.
He has written superficially about concluding trade deals with the rest of the world – North America, China, Japan, India, Korea and then telling the EU they must permit the UK access to the Single Market.

Globalist

Theresa Mays three musketeers

Boris Johnson, David Davis and Liam Fox to take on Europe and the world, but craftily set up for failure

Britains new Prime Minister, Theresa May, has wasted no time in telling Europe and the world that Britain wants to be somewhere else. Perhaps because she nominally supported David Camerons Remain campaign in much the same way as a rope supports the hanged man she felt confident enough in appointing three men who others might have considered their nemeses. This trio consists of a clown dubbed a proven liar, a man whose ministerial career ended two decades ago and someone who had to resign from David Camerons government over a murky scandal. This threesome is now in charge of isolating Britain from Europe and telling the rest of the world this makes sense. As regards May, it shows cunning as well as a large generosity of spirit. Her apparent belief is that everyone should be given second and third chances. Evidently, the concept of rehabilitation beats in her heart. It is impossible to do justice to Boris Johnson whose tabulations as a journalist in Brussels 25 years ago led his colleague, the senior BBC political editor, James Landale, to compose these lines: Boris tells such dreadful lies It makes you gasp and stretch your eyes. One of the champions of Brexit in the press, the Conservative writer and historian, Simon Heffer, has written that Johnson is a proven liar. Boris began his Brexit campaign by saying that the EU was a Hitlerite creation. He insisted on one of the big lies of the Leave campaign that Turkeys 75 million citizens were about to join the EU and soon arrive in Dover. When it was pointed out that the UK, as well as 27 other member states, could veto Turkey joining the EU and that only a tiny number of clauses in the accession process had even been examined, Johnson waved all this away. Fittingly enough, this man is now in charge of UK relations with Turkey about whose President Erdogan, Boris penned a little jokey poem about sex and a goat, after Erdogan got upset about a German comedian mocking him. That aside, Boriss first job of a Foreign Secretary is to go and visit Washington. It helps that Johnson can travel on a U.S. passport since he was born in New York. During the Brexit campaign, Johnson said, not so hopefully, that President Obamas modest statement that a United Kingdom out of Europe might have difficulties concluding trade deals was inspired by the U.S. leaders Kenyan ancestry which meant he had a grudge against colonial British. Around the world, few of Obamas ugliest foes have stooped so low as to reflect on his skin color and African heritage. In the Boris playbook, all is permitted. One has to feel pity for the ultra-smart officials of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They may well come to the conclusion that, had they lived in Roman times, they would have actually found it easier to deal with Nero who famously appointed his horse to high state office. Boris is notorious for cheating on his wife, on his Eton and Oxford comrade David Cameron and on the truth. Books have been written on his record and now more will be. And yet, he is charming and tells jokes faster than a Hollywood comedy scriptwriter. Once, while I was crossing the Central Lobby of the Commons with my friend, Timothy Garton Ash, Boris spotted us, looked up and said, Good God. Its Talleyrand and Metternich. You can forgive a man much for that but a British Foreign Secretary should be un homme serieux on at least two days a week. The Secretary of State for Exiting Europe or in his very apropos FCO acronym SEXIT or SEE EU, is David Davis. Born in 1948, he was a sugar industry manager until entering parliament in 1992. He rose quickly under John Major, another man for whom the Tory Party was the ladder out of poverty. Davis became Europe Minister for the last years of Majors unhappy administration. He cheekily wrote to the Prime Minister asking that his Europe Minister job be elevated to full cabinet rank. Now 20 years later, he gets his wish. David Davis, like all of the UKs obsessive anti-Europeans, speaks no European language. At least he makes his Brexit case in a more measured, less excited language than others. He has twiddled his thumbs as a backbench MP spending his 50s and 60s in the limbo where British politicians of talent are parked if their party is out of power or if the sitting Prime Minister (of their own party) does not like them. It definitely did not help Daviss cause for a career under Cameron that, in 2005, he stood against David Cameron to be Tory leader. They tied on the first ballot. At the time, there were 40 Tory MPs who had voted for the third man in the race, Liam Fox. In 2005, Fox offered his votes to whichever man Cameron or Davis would agree to pull the Conservatives out of the European Peoples Party the loose federation of center-right parties. That pan-European party grouping, which has as its members political parties like Merkels CDU or Rajoys PP, currently dominates Brussels where both Jean Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk are EPP men. David Davis told me at the time, I could not make the offer to quit the EPP. I didnt like their federalist leanings, but I knew from my time as Europe Minister how much influence they had and how important it was for the Conservative Party to make its case inside the EPP family. David Cameron had no such scruples, promised the Liam Fox supporters in the 2005 leadership race that he would quit the EPP. He duly did so in 2009, thus leaving London without political family contacts with EU power-brokers after 2010. Davis is an engaging man and I have enjoyed hill-walking with him. He has offered personal support that he did not need to when I had troubles as an MP. Unlike Boris Johnson, David Davis is a decent man and un homme serieux. But how will he handle the Brexit negotiations? No one knows. He has written superficially about concluding trade deals with the rest of the world North America, China, Japan, India, Korea and then telling the EU they must permit the UK access to the Single Market. Globalist