Boris was in Berlin yesterday and Paris today. This isn't the greatest advert for the UK but it is worth considering that if Brexit does indeed go ahead this could be the last time that a British prime minister gets to stride around European capitals and be taken seriously more or less by right. Britain is always going to be an important country. But without its EU links and with a smaller economy it is going to be significantly less important come November 1st - or whatever date the leavers manage to work out how to leave by.
With this in mind it would be rather better for the historical record if the trip were a bit more edifying in its stated purpose and a lot more so in its actual purpose.
I don't think anybody can be in any doubt that the only thing that Johnson is hoping to get out of his tour is the chance to plausibly blame the Europeans for everything going wrong. After all there is no way that leaving without a deal can be portrayed as a success. The only option is to blame it all on Johnny Foreigner.
If the United Kingdom lasts a thousand years - and with Brexit it wouldn't be that surprising if it couldn't manage another thousand days - the current attempt to pass off responsibility certainly won't be looked back on as its finest hour.
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