Johnson knows EU & UK don’t base international deals on “equity”, but on interests & power. He’s dogwhistling “UK is more *powerful* than May let us appear!”
No-deal is British nationalism’s totem.
No-deal is British nationalism’s totem.
Central to British nationalism is the *belief* that UK is an exceptionally powerful country - more so than say France, Brazil, India. UK doesn’t need to compromise like other states. 2/
But nationalists don’t like to admit this, because it’s a a belief - a faith - and not open to debate based on evidence. And saying it would expose them to challenge. 3/
Instead they make claims that depend on UK’s exceptional power:
EU27 are *desperate* not to disrupt EU-UK trade...
non-EU states will queue up for trade deals...
EU membership is so insignificant that UK could leave with no deal and there’d be no significant disruption... 4/
EU27 are *desperate* not to disrupt EU-UK trade...
non-EU states will queue up for trade deals...
EU membership is so insignificant that UK could leave with no deal and there’d be no significant disruption... 4/
When the Wetherspoons bloke lists good things no-deal would lead to, he doesn’t care if these are reliable, because his only real point is “Britain is strong, we don’t need others to agree with us”. 5/
So Johnson will never explain *why* EU would give UK more if UK conceded less. He wants to echo & rely on deep nationalist assumptions *without making them the subject of debate.* 6/
British middle-class nationalism’s supposedly self-effacing & polite character (“so much calmer than those hysterical continentals!”) helps protect it from exposure to facts. 7/
