Public Comment

Borrowing a storyline from his American cousin, Donald Trump, (seems like they share the same hairdresser) Britain’s very own Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London, promised to make Britain great again by diverting membership Euro dues to critical domestic needs. To bolster his “Leave” crusade, the effervescent, Johnson played fast and loose with the truth. 

One of his biggest whoppers was to feed predominantly less educated white males, suffering from economic insecurity, the notion that exiting the EU would be a big money saver and limit immigration. The leader of the ‘keep Britain white’ brigade, Nigel Farage, made the false claim that the savings accrued would be used to bolster social services. According to the Institute of Fiscal Studies, the actual weekly cost of EU membership is close to 150 million pounds not 350 million banded about by Johnson and Farage. To placate non-British skilled workers from exiting, Johnson assured them their rights would be fully protected.  

He also assured Britons they would be able to live, work and travel freely to other European countries. This seems unlikely unless some measure of reciprocity is mutually agreed upon. Sadly, the dark clouds of contagion seem to be gathering speed and might eventually lead to the collapse of the once proud United Kingdom. As one Britain ruefully observed, “revenge is sweet but sugar can kill you.”