Johnson uses fiery strategy with election in mind
LONDON (AP):
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson has come out fighting after a string of defeats, including a bruising blow from the country’s highest court, and while his combative stance is offending some, that may well be the point.
His strategy appears straightforward: ridicule Parliament as a bunch of weaklings wedded to the European Union (EU) and unwilling to follow the people’s mandate to pull the country out of the EU.
He may not be able to make good on his vow to make Brexit happen on October 31, but he has positioned himself for the possible election ahead so that he can blame Parliament – and the EU’s supposed intransigence – for keeping Britain inside the bloc.
While Johnson is setting the stage for a ‘People-versus-Parliament’ election, the reality is that the nation remains deeply split over the wisdom of leaving the EU, and the debate has become ever more shrill and angry, particularly after Britain’s Supreme Court unanimously declared earlier this week that the prime minister acted illegally in suspending Parliament for five weeks. The court said the suspension had the effect of squelching debate over Brexit.
On Wednesday, during a bitter session of Parliament, Johnson refused to apologise for breaking the law, and he accused his Brexit opponents of pursuing“surrender” and “humiliation” and betraying the people three years after they narrowly voted for Brexit in a nationwide referendum.
He also dared his opponents to seek a no-confidence vote and trigger a new election, though no one immediately took the bait.
Johnson’s gamble is that when a national vote is held, perhaps as early as November, Brexit backers will flock to him, while those who oppose it will be split among the opposition parties.