Boris Johnson (BJ); Not at all. I love talking to anyone, particularly New Zealanders. I’m particularly fond of Winston Peters. He’s a lovely chap.
FTR; And he’s very fond of you as well. He tells us you are particularly intelligent and said you have a respect and affection for a very successful country way out here in the antipodes.
BJ: He went to Whangarei Boys’ High School and Dargaville High School, did you know?
FTR; No, I didn’t and I wasn’t expecting that to come up in our conversation. I’m surprised that’s something you know and remember to boot. Actually, when you think about it, our state schools have been doing well lately knocking out prime ministers. Jacinda went to Morrinsville College, John to Burnside High School and Helen to Epsom Girls Grammar School. But Bill, who had a short stint as PM, did go to St Patricks. I see of Britain’s 55 PM’s, 20 including yourself went to Eton. Just nine have gone to what we might call state schools. Anyway, we seem to have got a little distracted. What I wanted to find out is how is this Brexit thing going.
FTR; We are a long way from the action but from here I would have thought things were fairly fraught. You’ve vowed to take the United Kingdom out of the EU by the end of October. Indeed, a month ago you even said you’d rather be dead in a ditch than delay Brexit again. And yet it would appear you are in a type of stalemate with Parliament.
FTR; It’s somewhat odd hearing a PM lambasting his own Parliament. Usually, you would be in control.
FTR; It seems a big sticking point is this Irish backstop thing. Can you tell me in simple words what it’s about?
FTR; I’m not sure the Irish Republic or the EU will think that’s going to work. What you need so that there are no barriers and checks at that border is a comprehensive trade deal. Both you and the EU agree on that yet you haven’t got one. The great difficulty ever since you fellows voted for Brexit is that the EU was never going to make it easy. They didn’t want it to set a precedent and given the knots the UK has tied itself into, even the militant nationalists in other countries have gone quiet on leaving the EU themselves.
FTR; Good luck.
