Stanley's passion manifested itself in opposing the prime minister's son.
| Author: Feng Lu
| Editor: Ah Ye
| Editor: Su Su
With the New Year's Eve bell ringing, the UK officially leaves the EU. This New Year's gift undoubtedly made British Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejoice - as an important figure who contributed to the successful Brexit of the United Kingdom, he finally fulfilled the "Brexit dream" after many difficult negotiations, and he felt that he was very good. "This is a wonderful moment in our country, freedom is in our hands!" Johnson's excitement in his New Year's address was palpable.
However, Johnson, who was proud of the spring breeze, never expected that his old father was silently "demolishing the stage" behind his back. Recently, the prime minister's father, Stanley Johnson, declared with a raised eyebrow: "(I) am applying to immigrate to France and strongly want to stay in Europe."
Stanley told the media that he was applying for French citizenship.
The son leaves the EU and Lao Tzu enters France, which is more or less ironic. Apparently, Stanley is using this to express his dissatisfaction with Brexit. There are not a few Britons with the same mixed feelings, and Stanley's choice is in a way a microcosm of Britain's current situation.
"A lot of Brits still love Europe"
On the last day of 2020, Stanley publicly stated that he was currently applying for a French passport to maintain his ties with the EU after Brexit.
Stanley
The next day, France's Minister of European Affairs, Clement Bonault, responded positively, praising Stanley's application for French citizenship, "Mr. Johnson's father has every right to become a French citizen and thus maintain his european citizenship." This shows that many Britons still love Europe in different ways."
That may not be true. You know, the British have always had a deep prejudice against the French. In the recent history of Europe, Britain and France have been enemies of each other for far longer than they have been allies. Between 1702 and 1815, the two countries fought for almost half a century, and this mutual wariness continues to this day. In the everyday language of the British, "French farewell" refers to an impolite farewell, "peddler's French" is the black words of thieves, "French chickenpox" refers to syphilis...
However, amid the uncertainty and anxiety that comes with Brexit, Stanley's choice has become a microcosm of the current mentality of some Britons. Expressing concerns about the country's future, the British media outlet The Independent wrote: "Decoupling, or drifting? Scottish Government Chief Minister Nicola Sturgeon simply "overtures" the EU on social media: "Europe, Scotland will be back soon." Keep the lights. ”
According to British media statistics, since the 2016 Brexit referendum, more than 350,000 Britons have chosen to renounce British citizenship and apply for the citizenship of another EU country to continue to maintain their EU citizenship. Stanley is just one of those 350,000 high-profile people.
Of course, there are also Brexit activists who feel that it is not easy, and speak on social media: "Thank you to all the 'Brexiteers' for their persistence for more than 4 years, facing all kinds of personal or political attacks together, and fighting against this system that is unwilling to recognize the results of democratic elections. ”
Attitudes toward Brexit are mixed in the UK, and there are serious divisions within the Johnson family on the issue.
Stanley (left) with son Boris Johnson
A family with close ties to France
As early as the 2016 Brexit referendum, Stanley insisted on casting a vote for Remaining in the EU despite his son's status as the core leader of the Brexit movement.
In this regard, the British "Guardian" has analyzed that "Brexit" has divided the Johnson family, Johnson and his father, as well as two younger brothers and a sister, in the "Brexit" and "Remain" position choices are full of contradictions, staged one after another "family war" without smoke.
Nor did Stanley want to become French in a day or two. According to his daughter Rachel Johnson in Rachel's Progress: My Political Midlife Crisis: "Stanley's mother, Irene, was born in Versailles, France. ”
Cover of the book "Rachel's Progress: My Political Midlife Crisis."
"My mother was born in France, and my grandmother and great-grandfather were authentic French. Therefore, for me, applying for naturalization in France is nothing more than going back to where I was and re-proving my original identity. Stanley said in fluent French.
It is well known that the Johnson family has a prominent background. For generations, Stanley's grandfather, newspaperman Ali Kimar, was the last Minister of the Interior of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
This family has a tradition of valuing education. In an interview with the British media, some sources believe that Stanley's entry into French citizenship is precisely so that after Brexit, grandchildren can still have more opportunities to stay in EU countries to study, work and live.
Stanley himself is a graduate of Oxford University, with multiple identities such as conservative politicians, writers, and environmentalists, and has published 9 novels. He has served as a United Nations Ambassador for wildlife migration and received the Outstanding Environmental Service Award from Greenpeace. When Britain joined the European Union in 1973, Stanley was one of the first British civil servants to be sent to Brussels as Director of the European Commission's Directorate for Pollution Prevention. From 1979 to 1984, he was a directly elected member of the first European Parliament and served on the European Commission and the World Bank.
It is no wonder that he has a strong sense of belonging to Europe and has always been a staunch supporter of European integration. "I'll always be European, that's pretty sure. You can't say to the British that you're not a European. ”
He often contradicts his son
Stanley was in a hurry to become a French citizen, perhaps for the sake of convenience. At the very least, once he had a French passport, he would be able to travel and live freely in all 27 EU countries, a right that other Britons have now lost.
Born in 1940, Stanley was as passionate as a young man at the age of 80, a travel enthusiast and adventure lover. In April 2020, he also planned to travel to Uganda, Africa, with his 25-year-old friend and actress Georgia Tofolo, but was cancelled due to the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
Stanley and Georgia met in 2017 on a variety show called "I Am a Celebrity," which sends participants to survive in the deserted mountains and is an adventure project that some young people struggle to cope with. Stanley, on the other hand, was actively involved and developed a friendship with his partner on the show, Georgia, who broke the age line.
Stanley (right) with Georgia
Stanley's passion is also reflected in the opposition to the prime minister's son.
In March 2020, when Johnson called on the public to avoid going to bars as much as possible, Stanley immediately told reporters: "I have to go to the bar, I will definitely go to the bar!" ”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanley was repeatedly caught violating the epidemic prevention regulations personally announced by the Prime Minister, and took criticism as a wind in his ears. For example, repeatedly taking the london subway and going to the supermarket without wearing a mask, the British media even shouted at the prime minister in relevant reports: "Johnson, when will your father pay the fine?" ”
During the pandemic, Stanley was photographed visiting the supermarket without a mask.
Previously, Johnson was troubled by the extreme demonstrations of the "resistance to extinction groups" in London. At that time, Stanley, who was on a tiger's back, appeared in the procession happily, and said in a loud voice: "The action of the 'resistance to extinction' organization is very important for environmental protection!" It seems that Stanley did not care about his son's situation.
Even when Johnson became prime minister, he had a lever to lift: "Politics is only one of many professions, if someone asks me whether I would like to become prime minister or a famous painter like Monet, I would rather be the latter." 」 After all, you don't know how long the prime minister will be in office, maybe only two months? "Father's heart is the most deadly."
Although father and son work against each other in every way, there are also many similarities -
Stanley was married 2 times and had 6 children; Johnson was also divorced and also had 6 children. Both were also Oxford alumni, both studied classical literature, and acted in the same uninhibited style.
Stanley's muscular physique, cheerful personality, and slightly self-deprecating look were undoubtedly passed on to Johnson as they were. He also told reporters who interviewed him: "The most important quality that children inherit from themselves is a strong sense of humor. ”
Stanley (right) with son Boris Johnson
However, the constellations of the two are born to be wrongdoers, the father is a maverick Leo, the son is a whimsical Gemini, and no one obeys anyone. It is no wonder that father and son will "love and kill each other" in many things such as Brexit.