By Ben Kerrigan-
Eu President, Juncker, has said he will show Boris Johnson the difference between Hitler and nuance.
Speaking on French television on Sunday, Juncker said he looked forward to meeting Johnson and added that he would find out that the difference between Adolf Hitler and him is more than a matter of just nuance. Reading between the lines of his words, reveals an underlying plan for Juncker to give Johnson as hard a time as possible whenever the pair do meet. It will almost be a guaranteed disaster, with the current unspoken tension between the pair.
How will Johnson relate to a man who believes the worst about him? Johnson’s diplomatic skills will be highly tested at the first meeting he has with Juncker, but the EU president, says Johnson will find out about his ‘nuance’. This strongly suggests that Juncker plans to confront Johnson with what he considers having been a dishonest campaign headed by Johnson. The Foreign Minister will have to be able to convince Juncker that his vision of Britain outside the EU was genuine and justified in his opinion.
If that be the case, then he should be expected to be prepared for Britain to excel in international trade without the single market, in which case a meeting between the pair would never need to take place.
Johnson was a very vocal Brexit supporter, strongly discrediting the European Union during his campaign which was eventually successful in getting the outcome he wanted. The former Mayor of London pointed to the very high costs paid to the EU by Britain annually, deeming the high sums excessive, unnecessary, and should instead be used for boost economic growth in the U.K.
Eu President, Juncker has categorically stated that Britain will get no special concessions once they leave the EU. He stated clearly that in Britain wants to gain access to the single market, it will have to accept the rules of freedom of movement without ”exception or nuance”. The EU President said freedom of movement is part of the internal system that makes up the single market.
His frank words come as a blow to recent hopes of a deal for Britain to retain access to the single market, once article 50 is invoked by the British government sometime next year. Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, has recently sounded upbeat about Britain’s chances of excelling in foreign trade outside the EU, stating that many countries need to trade with the U.K.
Johnson’s optimism may have been giving a knock by Juncker, who is determined to ensure that Britain does not benefit from leaving the EU in any way that puts them at an advantage over other EU member countries. Juncker stressed that he was not trying to punish Britain, instead stressed the insistence of his words on the basis that this is a common sense requirement.
The single market gives members of the European Union free access to trade without the usual barriers that would apply to other countries outside the EU. Juncker and his allies have recently lamented that Britain voted to leave the EU, only to stare at the door after announcing their exit of the block membership .
UK prime Minister, Theresa May, has repeatedly stated that Article 50 will not be signed until the entire political landscape of Brexit is fully evaluated. And whilst Juncker is happy to wait for Britain to take their time before signing their exit officially, he has made no secret of his wish to see the process of departure take place sooner rather than later. Last week China expressed a readiness to free trade on a wide scale with Britain for the first time, leading to the high hopes of economic progress spoken about by Brexit campaigners.
However, Britain would certainly want the added benefit of access to the single market. That can’t happen unless they accept freedom of movement, which is now off the table. Boris Johnson may have to convince Theresa May that the single market is not necessary for Britain to excel on the national stage, but May is the boss, and she wants it, and will push for negotiations, despite the tough stance from Juncker.
