>>> SAYING BORIS JOHNSON IS A LOSER IS NOT SO MUCH EDITORIAL
COMMENT AS IT IS SIMPLE
REPORTING OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED
TO BORIS JOHNSON IN EVERY VOTE
IN PARLIAMENT THIS WEEK WHEN HE
BECAME THE FIRST BRITISH PRIME
MINISTER SINCE 1894 TO LOSE HIS
FIRST VOTE IN THE HOUSE OF
COMMONS.
COMMONS. HE HAS NOW LOST HIS FIRST THREE
VOTES IN A ROW, WHICH MIGHT BE A
RECORD FOR A BRITISH PRIME
MINISTER.
MINISTER. AND HERE IS HOW BORIS JOHNSON’S
DAY WENT TODAY.
>> UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, THIS
COUNTRY WILL LEAVE THE EU ON
OCTOBER THE 31st.
>> WE HAVE SEIZED BACK CONTROL
FROM A PRIME MINISTER WHO IS
BEHAVING LIKE A DICTATOR MORE
THAN A DEMOCRAT.
THE PRIME MINISTER MUST BE
STOPPED.
STOPPED. >> HE KNOWS HE CANNOT GET THE
GREAT DEAL BECAUSE THERE IS NO
SUCH THING AS A GREAT BREXIT
DEAL.
DEAL. AND HE IS SCARED OF BEING FOUND
OUT.
OUT. >> HE’S DESPERATE, ABSOLUTELY
DESPERATE TO AVOID SCRUTINY.
>> WHEN WILL THE PRIME MINISTER
FINALLY APOLOGIZE FOR HIS
DEROGATORY AND RACIST REMARKS?
>> DOES THE PRIME MINISTER
UNDERSTAND WHY ACROSS THIS
COUNTRY PEOPLE FIND IT DIFFICULT
TO TRUST A WORD HE SAYS?
>> THE HOUSE OF COMMONS PASSED A
BILL THAT WOULD PREVENT THE
UNITED KINGDOM FROM LEAVING THE
EUROPEAN UNION WITHOUT A
NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT WITH THE
EUROPEAN UNION.
EUROPEAN UNION. THAT BILL HAS GONE TO THE HOUSE
OF LORDS WHERE IT IS EXPECTED TO
PASS.
PASS. IF IT BECOMES LAW, THE BRITISH
PRIME MINISTER WILL BE REQUIRED
TO REQUEST A 90-DAY EXTENSION ON
THE OCTOBER 31st DEADLINE FOR A
BREXIT DEAL IF NO DEAL WITH THE
EUROPEAN UNION HAS BEEN AGREED
TO BY OCTOBER 31stt.
BORIS JOHNSON HAS BEEN PROMISING
THAT HE WOULD LEAD THE UNITED
KINGDOM OUST EUROPEAN UNION ON
OCTOBER 31st WITH OR WITHOUT A
NEGOTIATED EXIT AGREEMENT WITH
THE EUROPEAN UNION.
AND TO EXPLAIN IT ALL WE ARE
JOINED NOW BY DAVID SMITH.
HE IS THE WASHINGTON BUREAU
CHIEF FOR THE "GUARDIAN."
AND I’VE BEEN BRUSHING UP ON MY
BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE.
IT IS A DAUNTING TASK BECAUSE
THE COMPLEXITIES STRIKE ME AS
MUCH HARDER TO EXPLAIN THAN
ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. ULTIMATELY, WHEN I SORT THROUGH
EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED, IT
NOW SEEMS HE THAT WHERE WE ARE
HEADED, AND THIS COULD BE THANKS
TO BORIS JOHNSON’S MISFIRED
STRATEGY, IS ULTIMATELY TOWARD
THIS 90-DAY DELAY.
IS THAT WHAT’S MOST LIKELY?
>> I THINK THERE’S A SIGNIFICANT
CHANCE OF THAT.
BUT WHAT WE’VE LEARNED OVER THE
PAST THREE YEARS OR SO WITH
BREXIT IS THAT JUST EXPECT THE
UNEXPECTED.
UNEXPECTED. AND IT’S BEEN VERY UNPREDICTABLE
AND VOLATILE AND HARD TO IMAGINE
WHAT WILL HAPPEN.
WHAT I’M LOOKING AT IS RIGHT NOW
PERHAPS TWO SCENARIOS.
ONE IS THE NO-DEAL BREXIT BORIS
JOHNSON SEEMS TO BE PUSHING FOR.
THE OTHER IS PERHAPS WE’LL
INEVITABLY END UP WITH A GENERAL
ELECTION AND JEREMY CORBYN,
LABOUR LEADER, HAS SUGGESTED
THAT ONCE LEGISLATION IS PASSED
AGAINST A NO-DEAL THEN HE’D BE
WILLING TO GO AHEAD WITH AN
ELECTION.
ELECTION. SO FAR HE’S RESISTED IT BECAUSE
HE THINKS IT’S A RUSE ON
JOHNSON’S PART.
JOHNSON’S PART. BUT OVERALL IT DOES REMAIN
EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SEE ONE
WAY OR THE OTHER WHAT THE
OUTCOME IS GOING TO BE.
>> SO BORIS JOHNSON LOSES THESE
VOTES AND HE DOES WHAT IS THE
NORM IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES FOR
A PRIME MINISTER, WHICH IS HE
SAYS ALL RIGHT, THEN I’M CALLING
FOR AN ELECTION SO THAT WE CAN
SORT THIS OUT AT THE BALLOT BOX
WITH VOTERS.
WITH VOTERS. AND THEN HE GETS DENIED THAT
REQUEST TO HAVE AN ELECTION,
PARLIAMENT VOTES AGAINST THAT.
AND PARTIALLY BECAUSE NOT SO
MUCH THAT MANY OF THEM DON’T
WANT THE ELECTION.
THEY JUST DON’T BELIEVE HIM
ABOUT WHEN THAT ELECTION WOULD
BE.
BE. THAT SEEMS TO BE CORBIN’S
BIGGEST STUMBLING BLOCK ON THE
ELECTION IS HE DOESN’T BELIEVE
BORIS JOHNSON WHEN HE SAYS HE’D
HAVE AN ELECTION ON, SAY,
OCTOBER 15th.
OCTOBER 15th. IS IT UP TO THE PRIME MINISTER
TO DECIDE WHEN THIS ELECTION IS?
>> NO.
>> NO. WHAT WE’VE SEEN TODAY IS
PARLIAMENT REALLY ASSERTING ITS
AUTHORITY AND TELLING BORIS
JOHNSON NO, YOU CAN’T HAVE AN
ELECTION.
ELECTION. HE WOULD HAVE NEEDED 2/3 OF
PARLIAMENT TO GO AHEAD WITH
THAT.
THAT. JEREMY CORBYN, THE LABOR LEADER,
SAID THIS OFFER OF AN ELECTION,
IT WAS LIKE BEING OFFERED A
POISON AM BY THE SNOW QUEEN.
AND REALLY HE SMKTUSPECTED THAT
WAS ALL A TRICK, THAT ONCE AN
ELECTION WAS UNDER WAY JOHNSON
WOULD FIND SOME SNEAKY WAY TO
EXIT THE EUROPEAN UNION WITHOUT
A DEAL.
A DEAL. IT’S REALLY EXTRAORDINARY, AS
JOHNSON HIMSELF POINTED OUT AT
PRIME MINISTER’S QUESTIONS FOR
THE OPPOSITION TO TURN DOWN THE
CHANCE OF AN ELECTION WHERE THEY
THEORETICALLY MIGHT WIN POWER.
AND I THINK WHAT WE’RE SEEING
HERE IS A REAL REASSERTION OF
PARLIAMENTARY POWER.
PARLIAMENTARY POWER. BORIS JOHNSON HAS IN THE PAST
EXPRESSED ADMIRATION FOR DONALD
TRUMP AND HIS STYLE OF BEING A
WRECKING BALL AND FORCING THINGS
THROUGH WITHOUT MUCH DEBATE.
BUT HE’S COME UP AGAINST A
PARLIAMENT THAT’S WILLING TO
PUSH BACK AND WILLING TO PLAY
HARDBALL AND TAKE HIM ON.
AND SO FAR JOHNSON SEEMS TO BE
LOSING TO PARLIAMENT.
>> WAS THERE -- LOOKING BACK ON
IT, HAVE WE HIT THIS POINT
BECAUSE OF JOHNSON’S MISSTEPS?
DID HE HAVE -- DID HE MAKE SOME
STRATEGIC MISTAKES GETTING TO
HERE?
HERE? >> SOME SAY THAT.
SOME STILL BELIEVE THAT HE HAS
PLANNED ALL THIS WITH THE HELP
OF DOMINIC CUMMINGS, HIS
SVENGALI, IT’S ALL A CLEVER
GRAND STRATEGY THAT WILL
ULTIMATELY LEAD TO POTENTIALLY A
NO-DEAL BREXIT AND INDEED AN
ELECTION WHERE THEY BELIEVE
JOHNSON WOULD INCREASE HIS
MAJORITY AND BE EMPOWERED.
BUT I THINK ALSO TO TAKE A STEP
BACK, REMEMBER THIS HAS BEEN A
POLITICAL CRISIS OF MORE THAN
THREE YEARS WHICH ALSO MIRED HIS
PREDECESSOR, THERESA MAY.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT BREXIT
PUT BRITAIN IN TERRIBLE SHAPE
AND REALLY STILL PARLIAMENT IS
STRUGGLING TO DEAL WITH THAT.
>> DAVID, I WAS HERE WHEN THE
FINAL BREXIT VOTE COUNT CAME OUT
AND IT WAS THE BREAKING NEWS
THIS HOUR.
THIS HOUR. ENDED UP DOING EXTRA COVERAGE ON
IT.
IT. AND I REMEMBER SITTING THERE
THINKING THAT NIGHT THEY’RE
GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER
VOTE ONCE THEY SEE WHAT THE DEAL
IS, WHENEVER THERE IS THAT
DIVORCE DEAL, THE COUNTRY WILL
HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER VOTE ON