Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is under increasing pressure after his disastrous misstep when he falsely stated that British citizen Nazanin Ratcliffe – on the verge of early release from a five-year sentence for supposedly trying to orchestrate a ‘soft overthrow’ of the Iranian regime – had been in Iran to train journalists.
Ms Ratcliffe is neither a journalist nor a trainer of journalists and was in Iran on holiday with her young daughter to visit her Iranian family. Johnson’s recklessness has put her at risk of another five years or more in an Iranian prison – and his false statement has already been used by media and courts in Iran as incriminating evidence against her.
Last week, Johnson was challenged by Labour MP for Oxford East, Anneliese Dodds, who has been among those trying to secure Ms Ratcliffe’s release, to admit his error in order to help a UK citizen gain her freedom and end the huge stress on her family.
His response was staggering in its hubris, self-justification and heartlessness:
‘Not my mistake, not my fault, don’t blame me’ – in very nearly as many words.
Johnson’s line was echoed by Environment Secretary Michael Gove on the BBC’s Marr programme this morning in what is clearly a ‘spin’ designed to try to save Johnson’s blighted career.
Which is clearly of a lot more importance to Johnson and his allies in the Tory party than the freedom of a British woman and the massive burden his reckless idiocy has put on her family.
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Tories talk a lot about the individual, (individualism) , but when it comes to defending individuals such as this, suddenly they become less important.
Only when people unite, do people like the Tories sit back and listen, which says everything you need to know about their belief in individualism.
Yes, indeed. Less important when some poor sod suffers because of their idioc, incompetence or carelessness
Cases of (For example) DWP causing the deaths of people via sanctions….’We won’t go into individual cases’
People dying in custody…’We won’t go into individual cases’
But when it’s a proven load of total bollocks, like this…
https://youtu.be/qXM7DzeMLe4
Reblogged this on Hercules space.
Johnson and Gove are unbelievable. The nation has not yet forgotten or forgiven their antics during the Brexit campaign, and here they are again creating mayhem. How dare Boris Johnson, the British Foreign Secretary, make dangerous comments about a situation he is unaware of, and how can he, given his position, be unaware of it? Having made such a faux pas, why is not doing everything he can to put things right, rather than shrugging his shoulders and denying all responsibility. Michael Gove has just made a bad situation worse, by claiming that he had no knowledge of the details, during his interview with Andrew Marr. How could he not know? The newspapers have been full of it for days now. Why does Teresa May tolerate these two appalling men in her cabinet? She should send them both packing a.s.a.p., if only as a warning to other thoughtless fools that dangerous talk costs lives.
Reblogged this on SidLabour and commented:
I’m sorry
I made a mistake
Said Stanley Johnson 19/6/1964
🙂
Johnson cannot weasel out of responsibility by blaming the Iranian authorities for taking his words, the words of a senior cabinet minister ie the Foreign Secretary, seriously. I have also to ask what are Johnson’s advisors in FCO and security services doing? Surely Johnson did not pull this statement out of thin air? No matter what Johnson was or wasn’t briefed, Johnson made a statement that should not have been voiced in public and has endangered a British citizen further as a direct result.
With these dangerous words uttered by Johnson and the Patel scandal what is going on in the FCO?
Hubris, self-justification, heartlessness and cowardice.
You forgot to mention the cowardice it takes to put a woman in greater jeopardy to save your own worthless, miserable excuse for a career.
the mistake lies with Iranian authorities – well, what are you going to do about it BJ?
… and it wasn’t Johnson who said wed’d save £350 million a week for the NHS either; it was the red bus that lied.
JOHNSON THEN GOVE, THEY ARE BOTH IN TOTAL DENIAL!
BOTH TARRED WITH THE SAME BRUSH!
MARR, LET HIM OFF THE HOOK, WHICH IS TO BE EXPECTED!
IT ALL ENDED GOING BACK TO BEING GOOD CHUMS, AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW!
IT MAKES ME WANT TO SPIT!
Reblogged this on elizapdushku's World.