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Brexit
Original poster

Boris Johnson bringing the country together

147 replies

Arkadas · 03/02/2020 06:41

Johnson has said: "... our job as the government – my job – is to bring this country together now"

How do people think he will be able to achieve this? I've been racking my brains ever since he said it. IMO, he lacks the necessary personal and diplomatic skills, as he would rather go for a quick laugh/off the cuff remark/than take any kind of thoughtful, reasoned, inclusive position.

I've struggled - and failed - to forgive him for his stupidity in the Nazanin Zagari Ratcliffe case, or his remarks about bum boys and piccaninny smiles, and don't believe he's fit to be PM for those things alone. Nevertheless, he is. So, how can he achieve his promise to bring the country together. What would you like him to do to achieve this?

OP posts:
UnaOfStormhold · 03/02/2020 16:16

Publishing the report on Russian interference in elections and acting on its findings would be a start.

MysteryTripAgain · 03/02/2020 17:01

It is indeed true that the drop in Labour turnout was the big untold story of the election

Total turnout in 2019 was only 1.5% less than 2017 which in actual numbers is less than 500,000. Johnson gained more than that number of votes since 2017. Labour did badly in the election as they abandoned the labour voters who voted remain in 2016 which Nis estimated at 5 million.

Also never forget that Labour results in 2017 were artificially high as the dumb students believed labours pledge to scrap tuition fees.

ListeningQuietly · 03/02/2020 17:03

Una
The Russia report will get hushed up because Cummings will be implicated.

MysteryTripAgain · 03/02/2020 17:04

The Russia report will get hushed up because Cummings will be implicated

All a bit late now as Brexit has been passed both in UK and EU law.

Songsofexperience · 03/02/2020 17:10

All a bit late now as Brexit has been passed both in UK and EU law.

That's not the point. Transparency is one of the pillars of democracy. The EU was repeatedly portrayed as opaque. Don't you want an accountable and transparent government?
It's never too late for truth to come out anyway. That's why people study history. Or archaeology.

MysteryTripAgain · 03/02/2020 17:17

Transparency is one of the pillars of democracy

T May didn’t think so when she attempted to conceal the legal advice about the backstop. Parliament had to have a vote to get the legal advice into the public eye.

Wonder why they haven’t done the same for the Russian report?

corduroyal · 03/02/2020 17:20

There's not a chance in hell of the country coming together.

Brexit is going to get worse. The chickens will come home to roost and the brexiteers will start a blame game rather than admit it was always a stupid idea.

MysteryTripAgain · 03/02/2020 17:23

Brexit is going to get worse. The chickens will come home to roost and the brexiteers will start a blame game rather than admit it was always a stupid idea

Electorate casts the vote, but the book stops there. Successful implementation of the vote is the task of the elected government. If voters think government is doing a bad job they can vote differently the next time.

Naomh · 03/02/2020 17:29

There is no "rethink ". This is it.

Of course a rethink is possible. The 1975 referendum gave voters the chance to say whether they wanted the UK to remain under new terms within the EC (as it was then), as it had been for the last two and a half years, or to leave. It was one of the planks of Labour's 1974 GE manifesto.

MysteryTripAgain · 03/02/2020 17:34

Of course a rethink is possible

I think so too, but what timeframe should pass before a rethink? Gap between 1975 and 2016 referendums was 41 years. So does that mean rethink is in 2057?

Peregrina · 03/02/2020 17:34

How could Johnson begin to bring the country together?

Start by building the 40 new hospitals promised within the life of this Parliament. If China can build a fully functioning hospital in 10 days then it's possible.
What about those 50,000 new nurses? Well, 11,000 of them were existing ones who he wanted to retain. What measures has he put in place to encourage them to stay?
The 39,000 new nurses - start by planning for increased training places NOW. They won't qualify before the end of this Parliament but it would be a start.

Recruit more nurses from the rest of the world - OK they will probably have black or brown faces, but Leavers keep telling us that it wasn't about immigration and the EU is a white Christian club, so they will welcome these with open arms.

Spend that £350 million a week on the NHS - genuine money, not money given to US pharma firms because the drugs we get from them are at inflated prices compared with current NHS deals, because of Johnson's desperation for a US trade deal.

Have the grace to admit that scrapping the training bursaries was a big mistake, and reinstate them.

Those will do for starters.

If he doesn't do all those within this Parliament and people still vote for him, then that's their problem and they get what they deserve.

Songsofexperience · 03/02/2020 17:36

But it won't be all up to us. The EU would have to agree with our 'rethink'. Or they could decide not to and leave us at the door.

Sunshinegirl82 · 03/02/2020 17:37

But we will never be able to re-enter the EU on the terms we have previously enjoyed. If we decide in 5/10/15 years time that it was all a horrible mistake and we want back in we will have to renegotiate our terms.

I find the arrogance of UK in this astounding. Who the hell so we think we are?

ListeningQuietly · 03/02/2020 17:37

I suspect that the EU will find astounding flexibility if it avoids a WTO partner within sight of France.
Whether Johnson has the maturity to accept advice is another matter.

ListeningQuietly · 03/02/2020 17:41

Sunshine
If the UK rejoins
it will be able to stay outside Schengen (as port security is useful to France and Belgium as well)
It will not have to join the Euro - as other countries have chosen not to.
It will not get a rebate - but the CAP and CFP will have been reformed by then
it will lose the other opt outs
but the EU will be able to have a strong free market voice in the north again - which has been useful to it.

MysteryTripAgain · 03/02/2020 17:44

But it won't be all up to us. The EU would have to agree with our 'rethink'. Or they could decide not to and leave us at the door

Yes. Even if there was another referendum and a 100% turnout that produced 100% support for a rejoin, it would have to pass through the EU. It took three and a half years to pass a withdrawal agreement before negotiations could begin. Then there is 11 months for the transition period. So that’s four and a half years since referendum. After that time there is still no certainty of agreement.

Same might happen in the event of a rejoin?

cologne4711 · 03/02/2020 18:03

Total turnout in 2019 was only 1.5% less than 2017 which in actual numbers is less than 500,000. Johnson gained more than that number of votes since 2017

The figures I saw were that the Tories got 300,000 more votes and Labour 2 million fewer. Labour voters stayed at home.

Naomh · 03/02/2020 18:03

what timeframe should pass before a rethink? Gap between 1975 and 2016 referendums was 41 years. So does that mean rethink is in 2057?

The timeframe between entering the EU and the 1975 referendum on whether it should stay a member was 2 and a half years. It could be the same again.

Of course, Brexiteers would say that doesn't give a post-Brexit UK a fair test run, but frankly, the electorate won't give a shiny shite about giving it a fair chance if by then things are measurably worse for most people, and it could easily become a major plank within a GE.

Though of course, the EU isn't necessarily going to have been doing the 'pick me' dance for two and a half years, either.

lljkk · 03/02/2020 18:11

What is this about Downing Street sending civil servants out to brief only journos from right-wing organisations... is there a thread on that story??

RedSheep73 · 03/02/2020 18:16

The only way BJ will bring the country together is in a massive fight. He doesn't want to bring us together though, those were just words. Watch what he does, not what he says.

ListeningQuietly · 03/02/2020 18:22

lljkk
its in the big thread and thoroughly covered in the Graun

MysteryTripAgain · 03/02/2020 18:28

Labour voters stayed at home

But why?

Emilyontmoor · 03/02/2020 18:30

He has no intention of bringing the country together. He is using the populist playbook: don't bother with rational argument or evidence based policy, appeal to people's emotions by promising them unicorns and a return to empire and give them something to hate / blame. Remainers, the EU, immigrants, muslims, women, LGBQT, Londoners and southerners aka the privileged elite, Liverpudlians..... And while everyone is busy blaming all the while he and his Russian oligarch and hedge fund friends will clean up as the UK sinks....

MysteryTripAgain · 03/02/2020 18:33

It could be the same again

Can’t see it. How could a referendum or a GE be forced through in two years? Johnson has big majority which makes a vote of no confidence unlikely.

Though of course, the EU isn't necessarily going to have been doing the 'pick me' dance for two and a half years, either

If the EU considered a rejoin application in 2 years would that not make them look silly too?

SecondaryBurnzzz · 03/02/2020 18:40

Johnson has said: "... our job as the government – my job – is to bring this country together now" making a success of Brexit would be a start. I am a rejoiner, and hate Brexit with a passion, but if they bring prosperity around the country, strike trade deals that keep (and improve) the quality of our food, and start a green revolution then I will forgive them for Brexit.