Boris Assesses The Country...

[Gromit]

// “If we left the EU, we would end this sterile debate, and we would have to recognise that most of our problems are not caused by “Bwussels”, but by chronic British short-termism, inadequate management, sloth, low skills, a culture of easy gratification and underinvestment in both human and physical capital and infrastructure,” the London Mayor says. //

h**p://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10052646/Quitting-the-EU-wont-solve-our-problems-says-Boris-Johnson.html

Is he right?

[humbersloop]

so he's not as daft as he makes out then

[mikey4444]

Far be it for me to praise Boris too much, as his head is already too big, but he is right on this issue, apart from his desire to leave the EEC. We blame Europe for nearly everything that isn't going right for Britain, which is handy because it allows Little Englanders to rant on about bloody foreigners, their favourite topic of conversation.

[jake-the-peg]

It's the chronic British short-termism that is behind all the Euroskeptic thinking.

They are all thinking about oh it costs this much or we don't like that.

Thinking longer term we should be asking whether we're better off being a small and relatively unimportant country or whether we'd be better served being one of the major forces behind the worlds largest economy

[mikey4444]

The Tories view about Europe is that it would be wonderful if it wasn't for all those foreigners.

[bazwillrun]

but apart from taking back control of our country and its borders and making our own laws etc etc and annually we'd have tens of billions of £ to use to plough into our countrys services, infrastructure, education, health and industry etc etc etc. instead of throwing it away to the eussr who also give a chunk of it away in "aid" to countries outside the eussr.

We are petty good at throwing money away , and you thought charity begins at home....pfffft

[Quoi]

the problem seems to be that not every country is playing by the 'rules' - everyone else seems to ignore the ones they dont like.

Good for Boris - its about time someone took a fresh perspective.

[mikey4444]

humbersloop....never understimate Boris, ever ! He is far from daft. Behind all that head scratching, smirking and playing the fool, lies a very clever, inteligent and completely calculating future leader of the Tory Party. That is why Cameron is frightened to death of him.

[mikey4444]

For inteligent, read intelligent ! (Didn't go to Eton I'm afraid )

[bazwillrun]

"which is handy because it allows Little Englanders to rant on about bloody foreigners, their favourite topic of conversation. "

whereas people like you dont stop bleating about the wonderful benefits of a multi-cultured society, but because of your blinkers refuse to see it as the blight that it is.

[humbersloop]

^^I don't mikey, he's a very shrewd politician who's probably positioning himself carefully in a longer game

and on this occasion, he may just be right

[jake-the-peg]

A shrewd politician ? !

Which Boris have you been watching?

The one I know is incapable of thinking on his feet under pressure and retreats into trying to charm his way out in a bumbling sort of way

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21916385

[FredPuli43]

Haven't got the subtlety of his saying "Bwussels". Is there some Eurosceptic with a speech impediment?

In the piece, he goes on to ask why Germans are more productive than we are, saying that that question is more than 100 years old; it has nothing to do with the EU. He gives four reasons for staying in and four for leaving. What he wants is renegotiation.

[Gromit]

// Among reasons for staying in the EU listed by Mr Johnson were that international companies could be put off from investing in the UK and a risk that leaving would be "globally interpreted as a narrow, xenophobic, backward-looking thing". //

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22506113

[sandyRoe]

"...a culture of easy gratification..." Surely not? If all those foreigners weren't flooding into the country and taking all the jobs wouldn't the Chavs on hundreds a week benefits forgo them and rush to take whatever employment they could find? They'd gladly work as cleaners, vegetable pickers on farms, and attendants in care homes if they only had the opportunity.

[humbersloop]

jake believe me, I think a lot of other things about Boris too, though I wouldn't dismiss him because of them

the Tory party at large seem to love him, and he can bluff and double bluff on Europe: it's not his call and he won't carry the can

[humbersloop]

^ (sandy) :0

[emmie]

actually i think some in the tory part don't love him, because of his views, and that in essence he is most definitely more popular than Cameron. He is far from a bumbling stumbling fool, anyone who thinks that clearly hasn't seen him work a crowd. Besides which they aren't going to change leaders just yet..

[anotheoldgit]

sandyRoe

/// "...a culture of easy gratification..." Surely not? If all those foreigners weren't flooding into the country and taking all the jobs wouldn't the Chavs on hundreds a week benefits forgo them and rush to take whatever employment they could find? They'd gladly work as cleaners, vegetable pickers on farms, and attendants in care homes if they only had the opportunity. ///

What 'CHAVS' would they be sandy?

/// The migrants, who can claim unemployment, housing and incapacity benefit, are costing taxpayers billions of pounds a year. ///

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9026401/370000-migrants-on-the-dole.html

I agree with Boris regarding inadequate management, he must mean the politicians of all parties who are totally inadequate when it comes to running this country.

[sebhfhion]

Darling Boris is not a bumbling fool, he is like the 1970's detective 'Columbo', on the surface erratic and incapable but underneath calculating and perceptive. He is right, especially about the culture of easy gratification and sloth, but being right is not enough, he needs to provide a solution which is a much harder task.

[ludwig]

// We blame Europe for nearly everything that isn't going right for Britain, which is handy because it allows Little Englanders to rant on about bloody foreigners, their favourite topic of conversation. //

Yeah but it also allows sanctimonious lefties to rant on about Little Englanders, which is their favourite topic too, so everyone's happy.
As to whether Boris is right or not, I honestly don't know.