by Matthew Dove
The negativity being garnered by the appointment of Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson as the UK’s Prime Minister is almost as predictable as the appointment itself.
It seems that each new risible development in the United Kingdom’s slow dance towards the cliff-edge is met with a pained sigh followed by an hoarse boo. Today, it’s TransferGo’s Daumantas Dvilinskas’ turn to throw shade in the direction of BoJo the Clown…
As a digital remittance solution for migrant workers with almost 2 million clients globally, it’s no surprise that the rise of “Britain’s Trump” hasn’t been all that popular over at the TransferGo offices. CEO Dvilinskas told TFT;
“What Boris has done and is proposing to do with Brexit will hurt many of our customers. It’s also important he remembers that much of what makes the UK fintech scene so buoyant and attractive is the range and depth of skills & talent that have come from across Europe and enabled so much innovation to take place.
I’d encourage him to rethink his perspective on how to handle the situation we find ourselves in if we want any hope to maintain a leadership position as a hub for fintech businesses and beyond, and as a compassionate, progressive home for a global community.”
It seems that each new risible development in the United Kingdom’s slow dance towards the cliff-edge is met with a pained sigh followed by an hoarse boo.
This follows de Pfellel’s own chest-beating address on the steps of Downing Street in which he suggested the removal of the Irish Backstop as a part of any new Brexit negotiation. Reuters reported BoJo as saying;
“Our mission is to deliver Brexit on the 31st of October for the purpose of uniting and re-energizing our great United Kingdom and making this country the greatest place on earth”
Before adding, on the Irish border question;
“It must be clearly understood that the way to the deal goes by way of the abolition of the backstop”
This claim, in turn, prompted a terse response from EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier who told EU members;
“As suggested by his rather combative speech, we have to be ready for a situation where he gives priority to the planning for ‘no deal’, partly to heap pressure on the unity of the EU27.”
To coin a phase oft-used by critics of Donald Trump – if you elect a clown, you get a circus. Well, in the case of the UK and the Brexit omnishambles, the clown may be unelected but the circus is most definitely of our own design.
