Current Affairs Politics

Boris Johnson And The British Suddenly Decide That Being A “Colony” Is A Bad Thing

by An Sionnach Fionn

The image of senior politicians from the former heartland of the British Empire vociferously condemning the European Union for its alleged attempts to reduce the United Kingdom to the status of a “colony” is more than a little ironic given that the UK has spent the last several decades extolling the virtues of its own colonial history. Indeed, the Brexit movement is driven in part by the widespread belief that the country’s former imperial territories are only too eager to return to London’s oversight, creating a mercantile Empire 2.0 for the 21st century.

Has the term “colony” now become a bad thing in the British political lexicon? Boris Johnson, Britain’s ex-minister for foreign affairs and a leading Brexiteer, certainly seems to think so, as he outlined in an opinion piece for the right-wing Daily Telegraph:

I want you to savour the full horror of this capitulation.

Under Article 50, the UK is at least able in theory to leave the EU. We do not have to consult any other authority.

But under these proposals we are agreeing that the EU would have a say on whether this country is capable of making that final exit from the EU’s essential institution, the customs union.

In other words, we are on the verge of signing up for something even worse than the current constitutional  position.

These are terms that might be enforced on a colony.

The only horror here is the chaotic mess that passes for British government and diplomacy, as the UK tries to negotiate its way out of the EU, convinced of its own innate exceptionalism. And unable to compromise in that belief.

15 comments on “Boris Johnson And The British Suddenly Decide That Being A “Colony” Is A Bad Thing”

  1. Ciaran Goggins
    November 12, 2018

    Britain is a colony of Poland in many places.

    Like

  2. GW
    November 12, 2018

    Ah now – “The British”.

    There are many kinds of British and many of them reject being any kind of colonialist.

    Like

    • Grace
      November 12, 2018

      I don’t see how any dimly thinking person in the UK, could remotely think it’s possible to get their Old Empire back. About the only former colony that would remotely want that would be…..probably Hong Kong.

      At minimum “Little England” theory seems way more consistent with the actions of many Brexiteers. And frankly, if that could be done without consequences for other countries, it might not be all bad as a short term experiment.

      Like

    • An Sionnach Fionn
      November 22, 2018

      True, in fairness.

      Like

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