Lesson in diplomacy for Brexit Boris

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

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.

Common sense is not so common

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

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.

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

Surely the buck stops with her!

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Si dicas ita

Anya I have a respectable o level in Latin but I didn't understand his quotes. Also Johnson is younger than me - he's a mere 52 and very few of his generation studied Latin if they did not go to public school. People in their early 50s who I know, who also went to grammar schools, do not seem to have studied it and it has always been very rare in the comprehensive system. Anyway very rude to use it in a context where few of the audience would understand.
"obita dicta" was one of the phrases. dead words?? See clip here:
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/shamefaced-boris-johnson-cringes-first-8451762

nigglynellie I've often met intellectually brilliant people who are completely naive and ignorant when it comes to the ways of the world. Especially if they come from a sheltered background.

Well perhaps we should give him a chance. The new PM obviously sees some potential.

Underestimate what nig?

His silly acting, or his embarrassing comments, or his reported laziness or his low sticking with the job threshold?

Which of those are we underestimating?

Of course you may mean intelligence, but unfortunately that does it always come with other much desired qualities.

Just a point, Boris was a Kings Scholar at Eton, which are not awarded lightly. His expensive education was in fact paid for by the charity that awards these hard to come by scholarships. He also got a scholarship to Baliol College Oxford to read classics again no mean feat. I don't think we should underestimate him.

Makes one wonder what other inaccuracies have been slipped in, under the bridge, as it were

Well yes, it does matter on this forum if someone makes a sweeping statement which is patently untrue.

Does that really matter? What does matter is that the Foreign Secretary, on the world stage has to resort to answering questions in a language that very few understand these days in an attempt to, err, not answer the question.

Sorry WW it wasn't you it was Jess who posted that..

Didn't hear the speech you're referring to. I was responding to your comments about only learning Latin if you've paid for an expensive education.

All grammar schools did Latin ( years ago anyway) including the one that I went to,
It would be better for Boris just to show his intelligence though, and not throw in classical references.