The Four Freedoms

I find it really ironic that Leavers complain about the Four Freedoms of the EU - the free movement of people, goods, services and capital - when that's exactly what we have between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and yet no one complains about that.

An even bigger irony is that under the EU Four Freedoms we can at least deport foreign criminals, but under the UK's Four Freedoms we can't deport Scottish ones. "Ah, but at least," the Leaver will say "Scottish criminals are just like us," not realising what they're saying "...they also speak the same language," would be added, but that ask the English Leaver to speak a bit of Welsh or Gaelic and you'll be met with a blank stare of incomprehension.

There are rumours around that even if Boris succumbs to a vote of no confidence, he'll remain in No. 10 as a sort of antiPM - a situation like we had in many times in Europe with a Pope and an Antipope. That's not much use though, as government takes place in parliament, not No.10. One is of the opinion that the Enlightenment has not yet reached parts of the Conservative Party.

St Boris is now saying America will have to make compromises in order to gain a British FTA. Does anyone truly see a man like Donald Trump making compromises? Boris is playing to the gallery. When analysed, that statement on compromise is in itself an admission that FTAs are not concluded within a matter of months, but take years and years to negotiate.

It still seems to me that Boris' game, especially after this last pronouncement cunningly closing off an avenue of hope, is not to make the EU blink, but to make Parliament (and possibly the electorate) blink and get it to accept Mrs May's deal, which is better than no deal, but still certainly worse than remaining. I feel the hand of a Dom Cummings behind this Machiavellian ploy, for which I have a grudging admiration.