# Prime Minister Boris Johnson tries to lead the UK but has resigned on July 7, 2022 **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 30, 2019, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872 "2019-07-30T14:24:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/142 "2019-08-30T03:00:02Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > Can Parliament do that, or does it have to be the Government? Mors specifically, the PM? The European Court of Justice said that a country can revoke its Article 50 notice “in accordance with [that country’s] constitutional requirements.” Parliament is supreme over the executive. Parliament could pass a law declaring that Parliament has revoked Britain’s Article 50 notification, and direct Speaker Bercow to deliver that notification to the EU. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/143 "2019-08-30T03:19:03Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > The European Court of Justice said that a country can revoke its Article 50 notice “in accordance with [that country’s] constitutional requirements.” > > Parliament is supreme over the executive. Parliament could pass a law declaring that Parliament has revoked Britain’s Article 50 notification, and direct Speaker Bercow to deliver that notification to the EU. And any dispute about whether that (or any other procedure that might be adopted) was or was not “in accordance with the UK’s constitutional requirements” would be resolved by the UK courts, to whom the Court of Justice of the EU would defer. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/144 "2019-08-30T03:21:06Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > They were allowed to. Nitpick: EU citizens resident in the UK were not permitted to vote in the referendum unless they were either UK citizens (obvously), Irish citizens (because Irish citizens have full voting rights in the UK) or Maltese citizens (because Malta is a Commonwealth country, and Commonwealth citizens were allowed to vote). ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/145 "2019-08-30T14:32:21Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > the pledge that went along with the referendum, that was re-inforced by both major parties at the subsequent GE, was that the result was going to be respected and enacted. > > show me a political campaign that doesn’t or an electorate gullible enough to think eveything they are promised will come to pass, they don’t do so in a GE and there is no reason to think they did so to any greater degree in the referendum. Given that a promise was made to enact…are the electorate guaranteed to believe promises or not? So what you’re saying is that pledges to leave the EU should be enacted because pledges to the people should be honoured, but the utter failure to honour any other pledges can be handwaved away without consequence as “politics as usual”. Got it. BTW, during his leadership campaign, Boris promised not to prorogue Parliament. Perhaps he should honour that one first? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/146 "2019-08-30T17:15:57Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > So what you’re saying is that pledges to leave the EU should be enacted because pledges to the people should be honoured, but the utter failure to honour any other pledges can be handwaved away without consequence as “politics as usual”. Got it. No that’s not what I’m saying. You are assuming I’m on Boris’s side but I’m very much not. However, I don’t see that enacting a “no deal” Brexit as substantially more anti-democratic than reneging on a political promise clearly made, restated by the two main parties. and voted for. I may be personally contented that we do go back on that but I honestly think that people who voted for Brexit should quite rightly be very angry about it and it will not be the end of the matter, not by a long shot. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/147 "2019-08-30T21:06:38Z")
As ever, cassetteboy sums up [Johnson](https://youtu.be/FwiORpBj8P8) ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/148 "2019-08-31T00:35:28Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > That’s why he will make impossible promises to everybody about everything, try to appear strong and decisive, take a hard line with the EU… and call an election. > > He will come to an agreement with Farage, and hope that he gets a decent majority. Then he will try to force through no-deal, by fair means or foul. Farage? How will Boris coming to an agreement with Farage do anything? > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I had only a vague idea of who Boris Johnson really was. I mean, I know who he is, but not what kind of person. I keep hearing that he’s another Trump - a low intelligence populist rabble rouser. So I did a little research on him, and I’m not seeing it. > > Apparently he went to Eton, where he was considered a bit of a prodigy. Then Oxford, where he graduated with second class honors. He speaks Greek and Latin fluently. His politics are said to be more David Cameron style center-right orthodoxy, other than Brexit. > > So what am I missing? Sure, he has goofy hair and a penchant for theatrics, but I’m not seeing the dumb drooling Trump clone. Yeah, he’s not an idiot. Going to Eton doesn’t mean you’re not stupid, but Boris did get a scholarship based on an entrance exam. Not the kind any random kid could have known about, let alone taken, but yes, his early years were marked by cleverness. But now he sustains himself on a _persona_ of being an idiot, much like Trump pretends to be a man of the people despite being a millionaire by birth. They both act like bumbling idiots now - for Boris, it’s probably more of an act than a reality, but it’s still what makes him appeal to people. Boris says so many stupid things that it’s hard to keep up, same as Trump does. Boris has lots of scandals that seem not to touch him, same as Trump does. It’s not even clear how many children he has. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I’d like to thank everyone participating in this thread; it’s been a huge help to me as I try to understand what is happening in the UK politically right now. I knew Boris Johnson’s name and a few things about his time int he government and that he was part of the Brexit campaign, but little else. After watching John Oliver’s piece about him, I knew that I was missing a lot of information and have been actively seeking to correct the deficiency since. > > Y’all have been a big help; thanks again. Oh, trust me, a lot of people in the UK are also baffled. It’s been a rollercoaster ride in the UK these last few years. > [@UDS](#): > > Nitpick: EU citizens resident in the UK were not permitted to vote in the referendum unless they were either UK citizens (obvously), Irish citizens (because Irish citizens have full voting rights in the UK) or Maltese citizens (because Malta is a Commonwealth country, and Commonwealth citizens were allowed to vote). I wouldn’t call that a nitpick. It’s pretty important. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/149 "2019-08-31T02:28:41Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Oh, trust me, a lot of people in the UK are also baffled. It’s been a rollercoaster ride in the UK these last few years. It’s been endless and exhausting in real life. It’s not even just been Brexit for some of us. It’s been, what, nearly six years since the #indyref process started in Scotland? Just been constant since then - toxic arguments about identity and belonging. :o ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/150 "2019-08-31T03:00:48Z")
David Cameron has much to answer fo. Not as much as Tony Blair, but definitely a strong runner-up. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/151 "2019-08-31T05:05:32Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Farage? How will Boris coming to an agreement with Farage do anything? The post you quoted is a month old, but it’s proving to be true. Johnson is clearly gearing up for an election, and he will need to come to an arrangement with Farage’s Brexit Party not to split the right-wing vote. [Nigel Farage warns Boris Johnson ‘honeymoon is over’ and says Brexit Party ready to wipe out Tories at next election](https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9817853/nigel-farage-warns-boris-johnson-brexit-party/) The Brexit Party [has already chosen candidates](https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1171807/brexit-news-latest-nigel-farage-boris-johnson-no-deal) for every seat in Britain. > [@](#): > > Mr Farage added does not think Mr Johnson will win a majority in a general election. > > He said: “If Boris goes with this awful, miserable European treaty even without the backstop, we will fight against him in every seat in the country and he will not win the election. [Nigel Farage offers no-deal Brexit election pact to Boris Johnson](https://news.sky.com/story/nigel-farage-offers-no-deal-brexit-election-pact-to-boris-johnson-11795349) Johnson is unlikely to make a public response to this, since he is not talking about an election yet. But there is no question that if the Brexit Party were to stand against the Tories, it would be a disaster for the Tories. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/152 "2019-08-31T12:58:59Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > But there is no question that if the Brexit Party were to stand against the Tories, it would be a disaster for the Tories. On [present form](https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/), that’s not so clear. They might suck up Labour votes in leave-voting Labour constituencies more than Tory votes in Tory constituencies. They might have a spoiler effect on the distribution of seats as between the established parties without actually winning any themselves. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/153 "2019-09-02T01:02:58Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > On [present form](https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/), that’s not so clear. They might suck up Labour votes in leave-voting Labour constituencies more than Tory votes in Tory constituencies. They might have a spoiler effect on the distribution of seats as between the established parties without actually winning any themselves. Which would be a disaster for the Tories. In the 2015 general election UKIP secured 12.5% of the vote. Under the crapulous British electoral system that got them precisely one seat out of 650, instead of the 80 or so that they might have expected in a democracy. But there were 50 seats in which the Tories lost by fewer votes than UKIP secured. If we assume that the Brexit party largely competes with the Tories for votes, then the stronger the Brexit party performance, the more seats the Tories lose. And they can’t afford to lose _any_ seats; at present Johnson’s nominal majority is 1 seat. Currently the Brexit party is polling in the 10%-15% range. If that is replicated in a general election, it’s hard to see how the Tories can win. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/154 "2019-09-02T21:04:41Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > The post you quoted is a month old, but it’s proving to be true. Johnson is clearly gearing up for an election, and he will need to come to an arrangement with Farage’s Brexit Party not to split the right-wing vote. > > [Nigel Farage warns Boris Johnson ‘honeymoon is over’ and says Brexit Party ready to wipe out Tories at next election](https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9817853/nigel-farage-warns-boris-johnson-brexit-party/) > > The Brexit Party [has already chosen candidates](https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1171807/brexit-news-latest-nigel-farage-boris-johnson-no-deal) for every seat in Britain. > > [Nigel Farage offers no-deal Brexit election pact to Boris Johnson](https://news.sky.com/story/nigel-farage-offers-no-deal-brexit-election-pact-to-boris-johnson-11795349) > > Johnson is unlikely to make a public response to this, since he is not talking about an election yet. But there is no question that if the Brexit Party were to stand against the Tories, it would be a disaster for the Tories. They’ll take votes from both Tories and Labour, and get votes from some people who wouldn’t have voted for either, but the chances of them actually taking seats are minimal, especially if the election is after Brexit. The 2015 election gave them a huge boost due to the referendum, but like UDS said, they still only got one seat. They’re nowhere near as powerful as Farage claims. He’s not helped by the fact that there are other parties people can also use as a protest vote. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/155 "2019-09-02T21:45:44Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > … Currently the Brexit party is polling in the 10%-15% range. If that is replicated in a general election, it’s hard to see how the Tories can win. Wow. Just when I thought Boris’s options couldn’t become any more limited… ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/156 "2019-09-02T22:13:21Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Wow. Just when I thought Boris’s options couldn’t become any more limited… He’ll also lose all 12 of the Scottish seats the Tories gained in 2017, I suspect. I’m not hugely plugged-in to the Scottish Conservatives, but I know enough to know that he is not at all well thought of even in party circles. Loathed by the voters, and with Ruth Davidson having resigned, there’s no Tory sell in Scotland that will play well. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/157 "2019-09-02T22:51:16Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > My opinion is that he’s a lying, corrupt hypocrite who will happily destroy the country (possibly literally) for his own profit and aggrandisement, and who - based on his career so far - will likely manage to escape being held accountable for his actions because he has funny hair and bumbles about a bit. But enough about our president. This thread is supposed to be about Boris Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/158 "2019-09-02T23:24:06Z")
Johnson’s plan to blame the EU and/or parliament for no-deal seems to be going well, unfortunately. He will call an election - he _must_ do so because he can’t govern with a majority of one. He was hoping to have polling day immediately after Brexit, when he could get credit from the useful idiots for keeping his promise, and before the chaos and shortages hit. It looks like that plan has been scuppered by the new bill to stop no-deal, and he will be forced to call an election in mid-October. The only hope now is that he loses that election. Corbyn may be far from ideal, but he better than Johnson by miles, and he has pledged to hold a second referendum. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/159 "2019-09-02T23:43:22Z")
Damn British politics just gets crazier and crazier. Will Boris call a snap election? Who will win? Will the EU grant another delay if a Remainer Parliament emerges from the snap election? No one knows. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/160 "2019-09-03T00:09:20Z")
And you thought The Donald was the only one who ran unbelievable reality shows! ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/161 "2019-09-03T00:43:11Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > Damn British politics just gets crazier and crazier. Will Boris call a snap election? Who will win? Will the EU grant another delay if a Remainer Parliament emerges from the snap election? > > No one knows. British political headlines look like clickbait even when they’re trying not to. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872.md?page=9)