IF a minister was determined to come a-wooing then Valentine’s Day was the moment to do it.
Then again, another gang once thought February 14 was a good day for a massacre. Had Boris come bearing true love towards Remainers or was this a take it or leave it, Chicago-style deal?
The Foreign Secretary’s language was certainly touchy-feely as he spoke of “hope not fear” and the need for Leavers to “reach out” to opponents.
But looming large was the question of whether he was the man to sue for peace. He had, after all, been the general in charge of the war against EU membership, and someone, moreover, who has been accused of being cavalier with the truth about the supposed benefits of leaving.
Why should those who still believe Brexit is more of a calamity than an opportunity listen to him?
The short answer is that for the moment he is all the public has when it comes to seeing the way ahead towards Brexit day on March 29, 2019.
Thus far, the approach of Theresa May has been two steps forward and one stumble back, each time just managing to catch her leadership before it falls. Mr Johnson’s speech, together with those of the PM and other ministers, was meant to give the impression, not least to the EU27, of a confident government striding ahead.
Yet this long on words and short on detail speech will do nothing to reassure Remainers that he has listened to their concerns. What was needed in the face of genuine fears about the loss of jobs, rights, and other benefits of EU membership was something firm in the way of detail.
To his critics, Mr Johnson is in the same place he was during the EU referendum, looking towards the sunlit uplands of his own assumptions through a telescope of his own making.
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