Boris Johnson Is Now Facing The Consequences Of His Bullshit

IMPORTANT NOTE: This article is being released for free given the severity of the crisis in Great Britain. If you are enjoying reading the Banter, please consider supporting what we do and getting access to all our premium articles. You can try a Banter Membership free for 30 days, then only $1.25/week. Offer ends September 10th:

by Ben cohen

British politics is again in a deep state of turmoil. The House of Commons has now taken control of Parliament, passing a series of votes to stop Boris Johnson from taking Britain out of the European Union on October 31st without a deal. Furthermore, the House has also blocked Johnson from calling an election on October 15th, complicating the political landscape even further.

Johnson has been threatening to crash out of the EU ever since he took power in July, gambling that a hardline approach to Brexit would force the EU to renegotiate a deal. Given only Johnson and his close aides thought this possible, Members of Parliament across all the major parties, including 21 Conservatives, intervened to put a stop to it and dramatically voted the government down. They knew Johnson was never going to get a deal he could sell the hardliners controlling his party and would thus crash Britain out of the EU at a colossal cost to its economy.

A History Of Lies

Johnson repeatedly lied about what a departure from the EU would look like to the British public in the lead up to the referendum vote in 2016. He promised an easy deal with the EU, lots of money for public services, and a revived economy. Despite nothing he said coming to fruition after over two long years of soul crushing negotiations with Europe, he is now lying about what a no-deal scenario would look like. He is refusing to publish government reports on the dangers of a hard Brexit, denying there will be food and medical supply shortages (there will be), and claiming any impact on the economy will be minimal (it won’t be).

Johnson and his crew of extremist Brexiteers have portrayed themselves as noble patriots who refuse to bow to the dark powers residing in Brussels. The EU are, in Johnson’s oft repeated words, “our friends and partners”. Yet those who want to stay in it are apparently traitors to Britain, and “surrendering,” to the sinister organization run by Germany and France. In a highly ironic twist to Johnson’s cynical invocation of his political hero Winston Churchill and World War II, Churchill’s own grandson, Nicholas Soames, was expelled from the Tory Party for voting against the government over Brexit.

Johnson Gets His Karma

Johnson rose to power by bullshitting, and now the ramifications of that bullshitting is beginning, finally, to weigh down on him. Johnson’s lies now have more serious consequences, and an emboldened Parliament is making him pay for them. When Johnson claims the EU are now coming around to his vision of what a new deal would look like, it matters that the EU says this is untrue. When Johnson claims food prices won’t go up in the wake of a no-deal Brexit, it now matters that supermarkets are saying otherwise. Because if Britain crashes out on October 31st Members of Parliament will also be held to account for not doing enough to stop it. Those sane enough to understand how bad it is going to be are making a last ditched attempt to derail Johnson’s suicide mission, and it is taking a huge toll on the new prime minister.

At the time of publishing, Johnson’s proposal for an October 14th snap election has been voted down in Parliament given Labour does not trust him to stick to his word about the timing of it, and Jeremy Corbyn wants a hard Brexit ruled out definitively before he commits to anything. This may change, but even if it does, no future scenario looks good for Johnson’s government. Here is what could potentially play out:

1. Johnson gets his October 14th election. This would in effect, be a second referendum. The Conservatives are not guaranteed to win this by any means, particularly given Lib Dem and Labour Remain supporters may vote tactically to prevent a Conservative government and a hard Brexit.

2. Johnson ignores Parliament and rams through Brexit anyway. This would be a highly dangerous move that could destroy what is left of the modern Conservative party and tear the country apart even further.

3. Johnson gets a deal with the EU by October 19th, or gets MPs to agree to no-deal Brexit. This is highly unlikely to happen, for obvious reasons.

4. Johnson commits to gettin an extension from the EU, then calls a general election. This is bad for Johnson given a) Labour and the Lib Dems will have more time to mount an effective election campaign agains the Tories, and b) the Brexit Party will accuse him of reneging on his promise and capitulating to Remainers. The Brexit Party can then peel away Tory voters, making a Conservative victory far less likely.

Johnson and his key advisor and architect of the original Leave campaign Dominic Cummings no doubt understand how precarious their situation is. They will be busy plotting how to sway the odds in their favor in the coming days, so those committed to stopping Britain crashing out of the European Union must monitor their actions carefully and prepare to counter any dirty tricks they might play.

Boris Johnson’s margin for error is now razor thin though, and he is undoubtedly on the back foot. Finally, it seems, those fighting to remain in the EU or at least leave with a sensible deal, are clawing back control from a reckless prime minister who has told one too many lies.

(image via Getty Images)

Get a Banter Membership free for 30 days, then only $1.25/week! Offer ends September 10th:

Must read articles for Banter Subscribers:

Lawrence O'Donnell Jumped The Gun, But The Trump/Deutsche Bank Story Could Still Be True - Bob Cesca on why Lawrence O’Donnell is almost certainly right about Trump’s shady dealings with Russian oligarchs and Deutsche Bank.  

A Conversation With A Perfectly Pleasant Racist - Ben Cohen meets a racist while on vacation in Ocean City. What does this mean for the future of America?

My Midlife Crisis Is Boring As Hell - Justin Rosario on turning 46 and not buying a sports car or running off with a 25 year old.