Every day, Didier François deals with an international topic.
Dirty weather for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson whose radical positions in favor of a 99-day hard Brexit triggered in reaction movements of very strong resistance in all key sectors of the economy, but also separatist temptations in the United States. pro-European regions like Scotland or Northern Ireland.
A threat taken in any case seriously enough that Boris Johnson, urgently and until the end of the week, embarks on a demining tour of the provincial executives who are very autonomous in the British system. Because it is his induction speech last week that has lit the match. When, faithful to his campaign promises, the Prime Minister posed as a hero without fear and without reproach of a triumphant Brexit, himself without agreement and without delay. But especially without "backstop", the safety net required by the European Union that would prevent the sudden return to borders from the evening of 31 October in case of "hard" Brexit. Boris Johnson has carried out a very violent charge against this measure, which he considers to be detrimental to national sovereignty, even making its repeal a condition for a return to possible negotiations with Brussels.
Which provoked very strong reactions in Northern Ireland and Scotland?
The Irish (who still experienced heavy years of conflict until the agreements of Good Friday 1998) are paralyzed at the idea of seeing a physical separation reappear between the province of Uster (north) dependent on the crown and the Republic of Ireland (in the South) which would remain European. But this worries the very Europhiles Scots as well (they voted 62% in favor of keeping in Europe) and they do not accept a break as brutal as total. The pro-independence parties, which are far from being negligible forces in these two provinces, are now agitating the idea of regional secession in order to remain in the European Union. They begin to gain the ear of moderate voters, for or against the Brexit, but who thought that past the excesses of the election campaign, pragmatism would eventually win.
A significant example is that of Ruth Davidson (leader of the Scottish Conservative Party) who has decided to support the Scottish independence government in its opposition to Boris Johnson's tough Brexit policy.
Moral: while he trumpeted that the exit of the European Union offered an exceptional chance to return to Great Britain of his superb planed by a mean Brussels bureaucracy, Boris Johnson finally finds himself having to fight to save the United Kingdom from the explosion.
And to this is added a sling of foreign investors?
In the automotive sector (one of the largest employers in the country), the restoration of borders and tariffs afferent would kill its profitability because it imports its spare parts from all over Europe and sells its vehicles over the whole of Europe. European market. But after Honda and Nissan, it is PSA who has announced to his intention to close his Liverpool factory if Britain chooses a hard Brexit.