IS ABSURD MANIFESTLY. THE THING ABOUT IT IS WE ARE NOT
ALONE IN THAT RESPECT.
IF THERE IS ONE PLACE IN THE
WORLD WHERE THE COMBINATION OF
EXTREMELY HIGH STAKES AND
COMPLETE ABSURDITY EVEN EXCEEDS
OUR OWN, IT’S OUR CLOSEST ALLY
ACROSS THE POND, THE UNITED
KINGDOM.
KINGDOM. RIGHT?
RIGHT? THERE SOMEHOW THE POLITICS ARE
EVEN MORE BIZARRE THAN OURS.
THIS LOOKED LIKE THE BRITISH
VERSION OF AN AMERICAN TV SHOW
THIS WEEK.
THIS WEEK. VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE WAS
TREATED TO WHAT MUST BE A VERY
FAMILIAR EXPERIENCE WHICH IS
HAVING TO SIT NEXT TO A
WILD-HAIRED WORLD LEADER
PRATTING ON ABOUT IMPORTS AND
MEAT PRODUCTS.
MEAT PRODUCTS. NO, REALLY, SERIOUSLY, LOOK.
>> IT’S STILL THE CASE.
YOU KNOW, THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA, THE PEOPLE OF THE
UNITED STATES OFMERICA DON’T
EAT ANY BRITISH LAMB OR BEEF OR
HAGGIS.
HAGGIS. >> IT’S TRUE.
WE DON’T EAT A LOT OF HAGGIS.
UK IS HAVING IN FRONT OF OUR
EYES ESSENTIALLY A FULL-SCALE
SOCIETY-WIDE POLITICAL NERVOUS
BREAKDOWN.
BREAKDOWN. IT’S A REALLY CRAZY THING TO
WATCH, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE IT’S
A LITTLE LIKE LOOKING INTO OUR
OWN FUTURE.
OWN FUTURE. DO YOU REMEMBER BACK IN JUNE OF
2016, THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED
KINGDOM, THEY CAME TOGETHER IN A
REFERENDUM AND THEY VOTED TO
LEAVE THE EUROPEAN UNION, TO
BREXIT.
BREXIT. AND I’M GOING TO BE TOTALLY
CLEAR ABOUT YOU WITH THIS.
I DO THIS FOR A LIVING.
I’VE BEEN READING ABOUT IT.
I’VE BEEN STUDYING, AND I REMAIN
COMPLETELY BAFFLED ABOUT WHAT
THE HELL IS HAPPENING OVER
THERE.
THERE. COMPLETELY.
COMPLETELY. ALL I KNOW IS THAT IT’S LIKE
WHEN A MACHINE STARTS TO BREAK
DOWN AND YOU START TO SMELL THE
SMOKE BEFORE IT EXPLODES.
AND THAT’S WHAT THE ENTIRE UK
GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEM IS LIKE
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. BORIS JOHNSON OF COURSE IS THE
NEW PRIME MINISTER, BUT HE
DOESN’T CONTROL ANYTHING.
THIS WEEK, A GUY FROM HIS
CONSERVATIVE PARTY LITERALLY
WALKED ACROSS THE AISLE TO LEAVE
THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY AND TAKE
AWAY JOHNSON’S MAJORITY FROM
HIM.
HIM. RIGHT?
RIGHT? [ APPLAUSE ]
AND JOHNSON’S HOLD ON PARLIAMENT
COLLAPSED.
COLLAPSED. HE HAS NOW LOST THREE VOTES IN A
ROW.
ROW. AND AMIDST THIS CHAOS, THIS GUY
WHO LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE --
SOMEONE DREW MIHM IN A CARTOON
OF A BRITISH TOFF DECIDED TO
JUST LAY DOWN WHILE EVERYONE
DEBATED THE FATE OF THE NATION.
THERE ARE PEOPLE YELLING AT HIM
TO SIT UP AND SHOW SOME RESPECT.
PEOPLE WERE YELLING AT EACH
OTHER ALL OVER THE PLACE, EVEN
MORE THAN USUAL.
AND NO ONE KNOWS WHAT IS GOING
TO HAPPEN.
TO HAPPEN. IT IS POSSIBLE -- IT’S NOT THE
MOST LIKELY SCENARIO, BUT IT IS
GENUINELY A POSSIBILITY THAT
BRITAIN WILL JUST DUMP OUT OF
THE EU AND THEN THEY WON’T HAVE
TOILET PAPER OR PHARMACEUTICALS
OR BANANAS.
OR BANANAS. FULL-OUT SELF-IMPOSED,
FULL-OUT SELF-IMPOSED, SELF-CREATED NATIONWIDE
SELF-CREATED NATIONWIDE CATASTROPHE LIKE THE KINDS YOU
WOULD EXPECT DURING WAR OR IN
THE AFTERMATH OF A NATURAL
DISASTER, EXCEPT THERE IS NO WAR
AND THAT IS NO NATURAL DISASTER.
THEY JUST DECIDED TO DO THIS TO
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. THAT IS WHAT WE’RE WATCHING.
AND THAT’S WHY I CAN’T KEEP MY
EYES OFF IT, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE
I’M LOOKING INTO OUR FUTURE.
I MEAN, WHEN BREXIT HAPPENED IN
THE SUMMER OF 2016, WE WERE ALL
WATCHING THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AT
THE TIME.
THE TIME. PEOPLE WERE WELL, THIS IS NUTS
AND ENTERTAINING, BUT THE GUY IS
NOT GOING TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. AND THEN BREXIT HAPPENED.
OH, OH, OH, IT’S COMPLETELY
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. IT’S TOTALLY POSSIBLE FOR
DEMOCRACY TO COME TOGETHER AND
COLLECTIVELY DECIDE TO DO
SOMETHING INSANE.
SOMETHING INSANE. THAT’S A TOTAL POSSIBILITY.
AND THERE ARE LIKE A MILLION
HEADLINES AFTER THE BREXIT VOTE.
WHAT DOES BREXIT MEAN FOR TRUMP?
IS TRUMP AMERICA’S SURPRISED?
AND TRUMP HIMSELF, WHO KNEW
NOTHING ABOUT BREXIT A FEW DAYS
BEFORE BREXIT STARTED TELLING
EVERYONE LIKE THEY’RE CALLING ME
MR. BREXIT.
MR. BREXIT. WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?
AND THEN HE WON IN NOVEMBER.
MAYBE YOU REMEMBER THAT.
AND EVER SINCE I FEEL LIKE EVERY
TIME YOU LOOK ACROSS THE POND,
YOU’RE LOOKING INTO OUR OWN
TERRIFYINGLY DEPRAVED NEAR
FUTURE.
FUTURE. AND AS CRAZY AND DYSFUNCTIONAL
AS OUR POLITICS ARE, THEY DO
SEEM EVEN CRAZIER OVER THERE.
I THINK THERE IS A REASON FOR
THAT.
THAT. THEY DON’T REALLY HAVE WAY OUT
OVER THERE.
OVER THERE. THINK ABOUT THIS.
THEY’RE ON A KIND OF COLLISION
COURSE IN THE UK BETWEEN DIRECT
DEMOCRACY AND REPRESENTATIVE
DEMOCRACY, RIGHT?
DEMOCRACY, RIGHT? THE COUNTRY VOTED A MAJORITY
VOTE, BUT THE VOTERS WENT OUT TO
THE VOTING BOOTH IN A REFERENDUM
TO DO A THING THAT IS A TERRIBLE
IDEA.
IDEA. AND IF THEY DO THE THING THAT’S
A TERRIBLE IDEA, THEN THEY ARE
KEEPING FAITH WITH THAT VOTE,
WITH DIRECT DEMOCRACY.
BUT THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
COUNTRY THINK IT’S A GOD AWFUL
IDEA.
IDEA. AND IF THEY MANAGE TO STOP IT,
WELL, THEN REPRESENTATIVE
DEMOCRACY WINS, BUT WHAT THE
HECK DID YOU DO ABOUT THAT VOTE?
WHY DID YOU GO AHEAD WITH THIS
BIG REFERENDUM?
BIG REFERENDUM? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IF YOU GET A
DO-OVER, RIGHT?
DO-OVER, RIGHT? THEY’RE TRAPPED.
THEY’RE TRAPPED. IF SOMEONE COULD PULL THE
EMERGENCY BRAKE.
EMERGENCY BRAKE. THAT WOULD.
THAT WOULD. IN FACT, THAT’S WHAT THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE ABANDONING THE
CONSERVATIVE PARTY, WALKING
ACROSS LINES, THAT’S WHAT
THEY’RE TRYING TO DO.
PARLIAMENT HAS BEEN AROUND A
LONG TIME, BUT IT HAS FACED THIS
SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES NEVER.
AND IT HAS TO CRAFT AN EMERGENCY
BRAKE OUT OF NOTHING IN THE
MIDST OF THE SPEEDING TRAIN, AND
THEY’RE WATCHING THE TRAIN
HURTLE TOWARDS IMPACT, WHICH IS
SOME DEADLINE WHERE THEY’RE NO
LONGER IN THE EU.
I MEAN THAT.
>> DON’T HAVE A CONSTITUTION
OVER THERE.
OVER THERE. IT’S A LITTLE WEIRD.
IT WORKS FOR THEM.
THEY HAVE TRADITIONS.
AND PEOPLE ARE TESTING ALL THOSE
TRADITIONS.
TRADITIONS. LIKE SOME ARE SO DESPERATE NOW,
YOU HEAR THIS, THAT THE QUEEN IS
SOMEHOW GOING TO SAVE THEM?
THE QUEEN DEUS MACHINEA.
PLEASE.
PLEASE. OVER HERE WE HAVE A SIMILAR
SITUATION WITH A BIG ADVANTAGE
WHICH WE HAVE EMERGENCY BRAKES
ON THE TRAIN.
WE KNOW DEMOCRACIES CAN COME
TOGETHER AND COLLECTIVELY SELECT
BAD, BAD IDEAS.
THEY’RE CAPABLE OF DOING THAT.
IN OUR DEFENSE, IN OUR DEFENSE,
THE BAD IDEA DONALD TRUMP WAS
NOT DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED IN
THE STRICTEST SENSE.
I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE
ELECTORAL COLLEGE LAST WEEK.
HE DID LOSE BY THREE MILLION
VOTES.
VOTES. HE WAS NOT A MAJORITY CHOICE.
HE WAS ALSO THE SUBJECT OF TWO
DIFFERENT CRIMINAL CONSPIRACIES
TO SABOTAGE HIS OPPONENT, THAT
WE KNOW OF.
ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT. IT’S ALWAYS GOOD TO KEEP THAT IN
MIND.
MIND. BOAST THE UK AND THE U.S.
DEVELOP DEMOCRACIES, LAND IN A
SITUATION WHERE THEY HAVE
CURRENTLY ON A TERRIFYING TRACK,
AND THEY’RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO STOP THE TRAIN OR REVERSE
COURSE, AND BRITAIN IS TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT RIGHT
NOW, BUT WE CAN DO THAT.
WE CAN WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT
ELECTION AND HOPE THE TRAIN
DOESN’T CRASH BY THEN.
ONE OPTION, THE CONSTITUTION
DOES PROVIDE TWO EMERGENCY
BRAKES TO PULL BEFORE THE NEXT
STATION.
STATION. LIKE IN THE CONSTITUTION, THEY
THOUGHT OF THIS.
IF YOU MAKE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE
AND YOU ENDED UP WITH THE MOST
POWERFUL PERSON IN THE COUNTRY
AND IN THE WORLD ARGUABLY WHO IS
A CRIMINAL AND WHO WAS ABUSING
HIS OFFICE AND COMMITTING HIGH
CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS,
HYPOTHETICALLY, THERE IS A
MECHANISM TO REMOVE HIM.
THE FOUNDERS UNDERSTOOD IT WAS
IMPORTANT TO BUILD AN EMERGENCY
BRAKE INTO THE TRAIN.
AND THEN YEARS LATER, WE PASSED
ANOTHER IMPEACHMENT.
ANOTHER IMPEACHMENT. WE RATIFIED ONE TO DEAL WITH A
PRESIDENT WHO IS NOT FIT FOR
OFFICE.
OFFICE. LIKE, OKAY, LET’S JUST SAY
HYPOTHESIZE.
HYPOTHESIZE. HYPOTHESIZE.
HYPOTHESIZE. WHAT IF DONALD TRUMP LOST HIS
MIND.
MIND. NO, WHAT IF HE HAD A PSYCHOTIC
BREAK IN FRONT OF ALL OF US AND
WHAT IF FOR THE NEXT 12 MONTHS,
ALL HE TALKED ABOUT WAS ALABAMA
AND DORIAN.
AND DORIAN. NO, THINK, SERIOUSLY.
LAY OUT THE THOUGHT EXPERIMENT.
OKAY, DAYS GO BY, AND EVERY
QUESTION AT EVERY PRESS
CONFERENCE, EVERY OFFICIAL
ADDRESS AT EVERY EVENT HE DOES,
EVERY TWEET, IT’S JUST ABOUT
THAT IT WAS GOING TO HIT
ALABAMA.
ALABAMA. AT A CERTAIN POINT, I THINK WE
WOULD HAVE TO REMOVE THE GUY,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? LIKE IF HE HAD A BREAK.
I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG IT WOULD
TAKE, BUT I THINK WE WOULD COME
TOGETHER AS A COUNTRY SOME
POINT.
POINT. TWO MONTHS, SIX MONTHS, EIGHT
MONTHS, STILL TALKING ABOUT
ALABAMA, WE’VE GOT TO TAKE THE
PRESIDENCY AWAY FROM HIM.
V YOU DON’T HAVE TO APPLAUD
THAT.
THAT. THAT’S GRIM.
THAT’S GRIM. THAT’S GRIM.
THAT’S GRIM. ASIDE FROM IMPEACHMENT, THERE IS
THE 25th IMPEACHMENT.
IF HE IS DEEMED UNFIT AND WE’RE
LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE CONSENSUS
OF HIS CABINET AND THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY, WE COULD
THEORETICALLY VOID THE UTTER
DISASTER THEY’RE THE UK IS
HEADING TOWARDS RIGHT NOW
BECAUSE WE DO HAVE AN OUT.
WE DO HAVE AN OUT.
THE QUESTION IS DO WE HAVE THE
POLITICAL WILL TO TAKE THE OUT.
LOOK OVER ACROSS THE POND AT THE
MPs WHO HAVE ABANDONED JOHNSON,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? INCLUDING, INCLUDING BORIS
JOHNSON’S OWN BROTHER WHO IS
NAMED JOE JOHNSON, WHICH IS
PERFECT AND IS LIKE I CAN’T, I
CAN’T, I’M LEAVING, I’M OUT.
I CANNOT BE WITH MY OWN FLESH
AND BLOOD.
AND BLOOD. I’M GOING TO BETRAY HIM TO SAVE
THE COUNTRY.
THE COUNTRY. AND WORK ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE.
AND IF WE HAD THAT ATTITUDE
HERE, WE COULD DO IT.
I MEAN WE HAVE AN OUT.
WE’RE ACTUALLY IN A BETTER
POSITION THAN THEY ARE.
WE DON’T HAVE A DEADLINE AHEAD
OF US WHERE THE COUNTRY WILL
HAVE TO DISASTROUS ENORMOUS
CHANGE THAT WILL HAPPEN.
WE DON’T HAVE TO FASHION THE
EMERGENCY BRAKE OUT OF
TRADITION.
TRADITION. WE’VE GOT A SYSTEM IN FRONT OF
US.
US. IT HAS BEEN USED BEFORE.
IT HAS BEEN FRONT OF THE NATION.
AND THE QUESTION IS WHETHER WE
HAVE THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE THE
COURAGE RIGHT NOW TO TAKE THE
OUT.