Does Boris Johnson really believe that the EU “Kills female cyclists”?

One of the most unnerving things about Boris Johnson’s self serving and self pitying resignation letter was the fact that a British citizen has just been killed from collateral damage of yet another Russian assassination, on UK soil. Yet he didn’t mention it once. Preferring to pitifully bloviate about “customs” and some neo-imperial nonsense about being a “colony”.

Outrageous, absurd behaviour from a man supposed to be Britain’s top diplomat, sure. We expect that.

But what really irritated many veteran-watchers of Johnson’s casual dishonesty, was his completely fabricated anecdote about “female cyclists”. His letter seems to suggest that Johnson was unable to design new “juggernaughts” with lower cabin windows, resulting in the needless death of “mainly female cyclists”. Because the EU is apparently too slow and the member states have their hands tied and have to wait.

Essentially, Johnson’s implication is that :

“Europeans kill female cyclists with their un controllable, distant, slow, bureaucracy. Over which the UK government has no control“.

Anyone who knows Johnson’s track record would assume that he made at least part of it up.

But in this case, the reality is actually exactly the opposite of what he says in the letter.

Not a minor embellishment, or even a kernel of truth, blown out of proportion. The exact opposite. It was actually Johnson who was actually trying to prevent the UK government at the time, from blocking EU wide rules.

As with every Europe-wide regulation ever implemented;

The democratically elected European parliament must agree

2. The member states’ national governments must also agree, via the council of ministers.

There is no “waiting for the EU to legislate”.

Of course Johnson needs to continue his 3 year long lie, that the EU is something separate, foreign and out of member states’ control. However, the European parliament, directly elected by citizens, APPROVED the safety regulations, ahead of the nation states. Who still needed to agree, of course, via the council of ministers.

Because the nation states control, and run, the EU, via the council of ministers.

In fact, rather than “waiting for the EU to legislate” the Boris Johnson of 2014 was very concerned that the UK would use it’s sovereign right as an EU member state to BLOCK the safety regulations that had been approved by the European Parliament.

He was so concerned that the UK would “take control” and block the democratic will of the people via the European Parliament, he said:

“If these amendments, supported by dozens of cities across Europe, can succeed, we can save literally hundreds of lives across the EU in years to come. I am deeply concerned at the position of the British government and urge them to embrace this vital issue.“ – Boris Johnson, 2014.

Channel 4 News fact checked this Johnson fabrication back in 2016:

The most troubling thing about Johnson and other mini-Trumps and their assault on truth, is that they can lie, completely make something up. Then put it on official Foreign Office headed paper or similar, then post it online. But never face any consequence other than a few irritated twitter users and Channel 4 journalists fact checking and debunking it. Johnson is clearly very happy to be debunked and fact checked and move forward without a care.

The lie is already out there, how many people now believe, or suspect, that the EU really does kill “mainly female cyclists” with it’s pernicious imperial bureaucracy?