Lesson in diplomacy for Brexit Boris

Should obita dicta have been obiter dicta - "said in passing" ?

Yes, it should be 'obiter dicta', which apparently is still used as a legal term. He was trying to imply that everything he's said about Clinton and Obama was of no consequence. What a prat! He could have just used plain English, but chose to use a phrase to derail his critics and try to show them how educated he is.

This reminds me of one of my favourite scenes from The Life of Brisn when the Roman centurion gets the graffiti writer to correct his Latin grammar

Anyone see the photo of Boris with an enormous yawn? He was at a foreign ministers meeting about Isis. Shame he had to sit such boring stuff.

I think he was running out of long words with which to obfuscate and thought he'd switch to Latin. There was another example in a more extended clip that I saw somewhere (same event).
One thing's for sure, the minute he puts a foot wrong the journalists of the world are going to be jumping on it. He can no longer rely on the UK journalists club indulging him as one of their own.

Some people can be highly intelligent but total tits I put BJ in that category

Did he mean "obiter dictum" as a way of saying he was being picked up on what had been a passing remark of his? I didn't see the interview you are all talking about. I have read many of his articles though, and his writing is clear, concise , penetrating and often amusing. He really is a very good writer. Perhaps we shouldn't underestimate his powers. He is certainly intelligent enough to understand what his new job entails.

I think that it's an incorrect assumption that PM Theresa May chose the three brexiteers to fail.

Surely the buck stops with her!

Exactly libra it does, so she must have good reasons ( and know these people well) to choose them in the first place.We only see and hear a few things so are not the best judges.

Education is wonderful, if you have common sense, to go with it. Which many educated people don't.

Common sense is not so common

Personally I think it was the back room boys in the Conservative party who got Leadsome to drop out and told Theresa she could be PM as long as she gave their mate Boris an important job and sent Gove to the Back benches to learn his lesson. But then I've always believed in the old boy's network.

Those who think that Boris is stupid would do well not to underestimate him.

I studied Latin to 'A' level at a state school too.
We also made up our own language called 'Dog Latin' - perhaps Boris was using that as many people didn't seem to understand him.
We could speak it very fast and those 'in the know' could understand us perfectly.

John Kerry is obviously a diplomat!!

Personally I think it was the back room boys in the Conservative party who got Leadsome to drop out and told Theresa she could be PM as long as she gave their mate Boris an important job and sent Gove to the Back benches to learn his lesson. But then I've always believed in the old boy's network.
I am sure it exists trisher, but I would not under-estimate Theresa May myself.

Oh no I think they knew they were backing a winner but also someone who would fit nicely into their plans. Of course she may turn on them at some point she's got Maggie as a role model!

Boris didn't come from a sheltered background, in fact the family were quite poor initially. I have met him and have a high regard for him too. He will do a brilliant job as foreign secretary, so will people stop being so negative about everyone on this page and start being a bit more positive about the future. very boring reading all these negative remarks. Thank goodness we are getting out of a super state of Europe - can't wait.
You might want to read some of Boris's books, which are excellent. he has a book on Shakespeare out in October. And don't please carp on about where does he get the time etc etc - he has been asked that many a time and explains that he writes quickly and spends most of his Sundays writing for the week ahead.
Teresa may will have appointed him because he grasps things very quickly, has a global view and is much liked.

Sorry on my high horse, but stop running Boris down.

Alison

Just a point alison - I've heard he's not going to be able to produce the book,on Shakespeare and will have to return the monies already paid to him on this.

But on the whole I think there's a lot more to Boris that people realise.

He might be able to knock out a newspaper column in a couple of hours, doesn't mean to say he'll be a good foreign secretary. He's had to give up the 250k p. a. for his column now. He was a rubbish mayor of London, told lies, bluffed his way out of trying to justify them. A good journalist doesn't necessarily make a good politician , unless you expect them both to make things up. His gaffes will be closely monitored and he knows it.

Did Boris really make a 'rubbish mayor' of London? He certainly managed to be re-elected so presumably a majority were reasonably happy with him.

I thought his greatest achievement was not to make a mess of things. The avoidance of mistakes is a much underrated quality in a politician.

Most of the problems of London are the downsides of its remarkable success as a world city: housing is expensive because – despite the crash of 2008 – the capital’s economy is booming and a large part of the world’s population wants to live in London; the Tube is crowded for the same reason. No mayor would have been able to build houses and transport infrastructure fast enough to keep up with demand, and Boris's record on both is better than many acknowledge. He was not, of course, responsible for the strength of London’s economy, but neither did he get in its way.

And how many could have carried off with such aplomb his descent into the Olympics?

His other strength is to appoint the right people for the rght jobs. Give him a chance before you knock him. Theresa May doesn't strike me as one who suffers fools gladly and she knows him far better than any of us.

I think it's just the Tory way. Hunt (a man who wrote a book on the benefits of privatising the NHS and a supporter of homeopathy) in charge of health. Climate change deniers in charge of the environment. A psychopath in charge of the DWP and another one as minister for the disabled. A financial illiterate in charge of the Treasury. We have to hope that some of her appointments are an improvement but putting people in charge of the last thing they should be in charge of seems to be an approach that hasn't changed much.

Appoint the right people? He had 5 deputy mayors all of whom either resigned or were sacked, at least 2 very dodgy, none of the directors/ special advisors lasted for various reasons. He also made quite a mess of a lot of things in London - worse congestion, made worse by his policies, worse air quality etc He didn't manage to negotiate with the RMT and start the night tube which he promised , he promised not to close fire stations, ticket offices , to support rape crisis centres ( all lies) when challenged he just calls everything piffle. Amusing for about 5 minutes, but not sustainable. Could go on, it's well,documented. He was ok at heading up the olympics but he just had to make a few photocalls, funnily enough the transport system worked brilliantly during the olympics, when extra staff taken on, went back to being rubbish afterwards. . Ken Livingstone won the olympics for London not Boris Johnson

Housing crisis on his watch. People on low paid jobs in the centre having to commute over 2 hours each way to do long shifts.
I hesitate to say he should have stuck to journalism because he did a lot of harm IMO as a journalist - going back to when he was a correspondent in Brussels and made up the stories that kicked off europscepticism in the first place (straight bananas etc). Sacked for lying more than once I believe. A reputation for being a liar is not a great trait in a FS.

Boris is very clever, a brlliant writer and, at times, a razor sharp wit. He doesn't care much for fools but it looks as if he is reining in his buffoon act to fir his new role.

Fit, not fir. No edit button.