Boris Johnson plans a ‘bonfire of EU red tape’ and the déjà vu is off the scale
You could be forgiven for having a feeling of déjà vu, as the goverment trumpets a post-Brexit removal of EU regulations from the statute books, loosening environmental rules and scrapping red tape. In other words …
Monday’s TIMES: “Bonfire of EU laws in bid to boost economy” #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/RUaxaVTsRf
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) May 8, 2022
A bonfire of EU laws, in one form or another, was one of the great promises of Brexit and has been headline news many, many times – including these.
I wonder if they'll still be writing this same story in a decade? I bet they will. https://t.co/I8G695adAW pic.twitter.com/Rsa7vQMqLZ
— Paul Crusteau. (@ghosteggs) May 9, 2022
The most recent announcement was met with a mixture of dismay and scepticism. Here are some astute responses.
1.
What EU laws? There are no EU laws. We've left the EU. Johnson means British laws put there by his own government that they lazily copied and pasted from the EU.
So this should read "Bonfire of Boris Johnson laws in bid to boost economy." pic.twitter.com/nciTzNZgqn
— Otto English (@Otto_English) May 9, 2022
2.
Hang on a second…
Why do we need a bonfire of EU laws?
We’re supposed to be sovereign
Free of the EU
With our own laws
Unless of course…
This is all absolute horseshit. pic.twitter.com/YeZoxsrT5w
— Marina Purkiss (@MarinaPurkiss) May 9, 2022
3.
Earlier every year gag
I remember when Bonfires of EU laws was less commercial gag
Other gags gag pic.twitter.com/nQ0GpSvQa5— Al Murray – DKMS.ORG.UK 🇺🇦 (@almurray) May 9, 2022
4.
BREAKING: The Tories are set to announce a "bonfire of EU laws" to boost the economy. It looks like chickens washed in chlorine and fish glowing from radiation are going to become a reality, after all! Who else is excited? x
— Laura Kuenssberg Translator (@BBCLauraKT) May 8, 2022
5.
Can't wait to hear about the bonfire of red tape from a government which has done more than any other in my lifetime to impose it on British businesses.
— Ian Dunt (@IanDunt) May 9, 2022
6.
For those cheering on the ‘bonfire of red tape’..
Red tape = protective regulation.
If you reframe the argument to say govt will scrap measures that protect the environment or the worker/consumer so they can exploit us for profit, this sly proposal becomes far less appealing.— sarah murphy (@13sarahmurphy) May 9, 2022
7.
I see it is bonfire of red tape day. My favourite day of the month.
— Sam Lowe (@SamuelMarcLowe) May 9, 2022
8.
By “EU laws” they mean consumer protections.
They cannot find any particularly bad ones to burn – let alone a “bonfire” of them. Furthermore, burning consumer protections does not help the economy; it generally helps unscrupulous companies at the expense of the public. pic.twitter.com/ELhJlB192A
— Mike Galsworthy 🇺🇦 (@mikegalsworthy) May 9, 2022
9.
Pitch: A bonfire of all the bonfires of red tape
— gabyhinsliff (@gabyhinsliff) May 9, 2022
10.
There are two reasons the government keeps recycling the “We will be slashing EU red tape to unleash billions!” story. One is it gives the false impression Brexit will get better; the second is, it is in place of any genuine ideas for how to fix the economy, given they have none.
— Nick Tyrone (@NicholasTyrone) May 9, 2022
If the oft-promised ‘bonfire’ doesn’t happen, Holger Hestermeyer has come up with an excuse they can use.
If it does not happen, we can always say that a bonfire of EU laws would violate our CO2 commitments… https://t.co/7li7jTKWgQ
— Holger Hestermeyer (@hhesterm) May 8, 2022
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