THE TTALK QUOTES 

On Global Trade & Investment
Published By:
The Global Business Dialogue, Inc.
Washington, DC  Tel: 202-463-5074
 
No. 61 of 2019
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2019

Click HERE for last Thursday's quote on Japan and Idaho wheat.


ON REQUESTING AN EXTENSION FROM BRUSSELS

 "I'd rather be dead in a ditch."

Boris Johnson
September 5, 2019
CONTEXT
We suspect today’s featured quote is familiar to you. It has been included in hundreds, if not thousands, of stories on Brexit and UK politics over the last several days. It came about when Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a speech at a policy training college in West Yorkshire last Thursday. Mr. Johnson used the occasion to praise the police and to talk about his government’s plan to add some 20,000 officers to the current force. But, of course, he also talked about Brexit, and when he invited questions, this was the opening dialogue:

REPORTER: “Can you make a promise today to the British public that you will not go back to Brussels and ask for another delay to Brexit.?”

PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON: “Yes, I can.” 

REPORTER: “And would you rather …”

PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON:  “I’d rather be dead in a ditch.”

To say the least, this now famous episode came near the end of a trying week for the Prime Minister. On Tuesday, September 3, the House of Commons had voted to take a no-deal Brexit off the table. Then on Wednesday, September 4, the House rejected his government’s bid to call an election. The vote on that was 298 for and 56 against, but that was still far short of what was needed. 

As we understand it, the Fixed-term Parliaments Act of 2011 requires that two-thirds of the House must approve such a motion for an election to be called: not two-thirds of those present and voting but rather two-thirds of the membership – so 434 of the 650 members. The same issue will be put to the House this evening, September 9, but few if any are expecting a different result.
COMMENT
What with Winston Churchill’s grandson having been “delisted” from the Conservative party, it would be toxic for Boris Johnson to make any further comparisons between himself and the great wartime leader. Toxic for him, but we shall do it. Besides, our comparison is not to a man but top a situation.

Things were not going well for the UK in the summer of 1942. At the top of the bad news were serious losses to Rommel in North Africa. And so, when Churchill returned from Washington at the end of June, he faced a motion of censure in the House of Commons. The goal of his opponents was to strip him of his authority as Minister of Defence, though not challenging his position as prime minister.  Speaking to the motion and his critics on July 1, 1942, Churchill said :

“I am your servant, and you have the right to dismiss me when you please.  What you have no right to do is to ask me to bear responsibilities without the power of effective action , to bear the responsibilities of Prime Minister but clamped on each side…”

***

Here in Portland, Oregon, we are roughly 5,000 miles from the House of Commons and the Palace of Westminster, so our view may not be the best. Still it seems to us that the current Parliament is asking of Boris Johnson precisely what Churchill argued Parliament had no right to demand.
SOURCES & LINKS
In Yorkshire takes you to a YouTube clip of Boris Johnson’s speech to police recruits on September 5. This was the source for today’s featured quote.

Hansard is a link to the journal of the British Parliament, the British counterpart to the Congressional Record in the United States. This particular link is to “recent sittings,” and from it you should be able navigate easily to the dates mentioned in today’s entry.

Churchill, Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts, page 743. As indicated, the Churchill quote in the Comment section above is from a speech in the House of Commons on July 1, 1942. We found it in this excellent biography of Churchill by Andrew Roberts. The link is to the Amazon page for this book. 
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