Stop campaigning, start governing

The PM and his ministerial team have been campaigning for the best part of four years, one referendum, two elections.

There is nothing else to campaign about, but it is all they know.

The UK is about to suffer a pincer attack by Brexit and the coronavirus, either one of which would stretch any administration. But one fighting reality, the EU, the BBC, the Judiciary, the Civil Service, the Diplomatic Service, all with a PM and Ministers promoted well above their abilities.

Don't get me wrong, Labour, the LibDems, the Greens or whoever else could have been voted in would have done little better, but looking at the Tory's front bench, there is no talent there. Labour meanwhile is going through the longest election campaign in history for a new leader, with Corbyn still there as interim leader, but there is no opposition. Not that there is much sign of Johnson either, apparently he spent the weekend finishing a book he was overdue in writing, so had to do that or pay a quarter million pounds back.

Meanwhile, the north and Severn Valley is flooded, thousands of people are homeless, and all JOhnson can says is we can cope. He can cope, others have little choice. And at the same time, numbers of infected people by the virus climbs, and getting measures in place now will decide how bad things will get.

And next week, the UK and the EU begin talks on the future relationship, with the issues we know so well still at the heart of everything.

Questions as to how the NI "Frontstop" is to be implemented. Britain is out of the EU, SM and CU, but NI is still in the SM for some goods, so there will have to be a border, a regulatory one, in the Irish sea. and this will cause paperwork, delays and costs. But both the Scttish Parliament and the NI Assembly both said today that neither would allow border infrastructure to be built at their ports.

This will be problematic, as Johnson broke the Sewel Convention and did not seek the devolved administration's approval on his WA or WAB. So, they are pissed off, and will not help. And so Johnson's bullishness to "get Brexit done" will have consequences. Just not the ones he thought of.

Lets hope Johnson channels more of his hero, Churchill, than he has so far shown.

Johnson's WA is a deal he predecessor in Number 10, May, rejected as a deal no UK PM could accept. Johnson also rejected it as a Minister, twice. And yet it is the same terms on NI as he waved through having got "it done".

The WA explicitly demands checks on goods from Britain entering NI have rules of origin checks and other paperwork carried out. And how will goods destined for just NI and those that are passing through to Eire be identified? The devil is always in the detail, and Johnson cares not for detail, but don't worry, the EU does.