Unit I – Ideas and Action

Brexit and Beyond (3)

I – Warm-Up/Oral Comprehension
A – Listen to Boris Johnson’s speech at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, on the
3rd of February, 2020, and answer the following questions :
1) At 0:20, the PM invites the audience to :
look up/ look at the ceiling ('raise your eyes to the heavens')
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2)
a) Replace the following names in the correct order: Thornhill, Vatican, Greenwich,
Michelangelo. [0:23]
Vatican
“The _________________ Michelangelo
has __________________.”
Greenwich
“____________________ Thornhill
has ___________________.”

3) Summarise Thornhill’s story as told by Johnson. [0:28 – 0:47]

He spent 20 years on his back painting the ceiling of Greenwich, which left him permanently crippled.
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4) At 0:47, a date is mentioned.
1707 (Act of Union)
a) Transcribe the correct date here: ____________
b) What does it correspond to? What does it “celebrate”, according to Johnson?
It corresponds to the Second Act of Union, which materialised the union of the two kingdoms of
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Scotland and England. According to Johnson, it celebrates the triumph of liberty and peace over
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tyranny.
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c) What are the characteristics of that particular moment in British history? [1:27 – 1:40]
This moment was characterised by stability, certainty, optimism, and the explosion of global trade.
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It was also the end of a divisive political question.
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5) Listen from 1:47 to 2:20. What other historical event is mentioned? Is it named?
Johnson mentions 'the instructions of the British people', by which he means the Brexit referendum.
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He talks about a long standing question of sovereign authority. But he refuses to mention the name of the controversy,
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'except that it begins with a 'B' and it's receding in the past behind us'.
6) What could it mean for the future of the UK, according to the PM?
It could be an opportunity to go 'out into the world' for the UK. It is already taking back control of its tariff
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schedules. For Johnson, the UK is 'leaving its chrysalis'. It is 'reemerging after decades of hibernation as a
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campaigner for global free trade.' In a word, Johnson thinks that Brexit could help the UK fulfill its destiny.
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B – Look at the painted ceiling mentioned by Johnson.

a) Give a brief description of the picture.

This is a heavily decorated ceiling. We can see angels/cupids/nymphs (which are well-fed, according to Johnson)
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At the centre of the image, in a golden frame, we can see a glorious depiction of William of Orange and
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Mary II, his wife. The picture glorifies the monarchs and celebrates what is called the 'Glorious Revolution',
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which marks the end of the reign of James II.
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b) Using elements from both the speech and the picture, identify the ideas and comparisons
developed by Boris Johnson in his speech. In your opinion, what is the purpose (goal) of this
particular speech?
Johnson makes a parallel between the events of the Glorious Revolution (end of the reign of James II, a catholic,
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after the intervention of William of Orange, a protestant) and Brexit. As for him, both mark the end of
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tyranny and the beginning of new 'golden age' of prosperity and parliamentary freedom. This golden age
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would be characterised by the 'explosion of global trade', one of the main arguments of Brexiteers (remember Hannan)
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Ironically, the Glorious Revolution is often described by modern historians as a foreign coup or invasion,
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which makes Johnson's choice appear less judicious, especially when talking about sovereignty from foreign powers.
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 II – Written Comprehension
Note : Doug is a left-wing journalist and writer who mainly writes for the Guardian. Nigel is
the son of one of Doug’s old friends, and works in David Cameron’s cabinet. They meet on a
regular basis to discuss political issues and Nigel gives Doug some information about what is
going on in Downing Street.

April 2015

On 14 April 2015, the Conservative Party launched its manifesto for the forthcoming general election.
Doug read through the first paragraph of David Cameron's introduction while waiting for Nigel to arrive
at their usual meeting point, the café at Temple tube station.
“Five years ago,” he read “Britain was on the brink…”
5 Since then, we have turned things around. Britain is now one of the fastest growing economies
in the world. We are getting our national finances back under control. We have halved our deficit
as a share of our economy. More people are in work than ever before. Britain is back on its feet,
strong and growing stronger every day. This has not happened by accident. It is the result of
difficult decisions and of patiently working through our long-term economic plan. Above all, it
10 is the product of a supreme national effort, in which everyone has made sacrifices and everyone
has played their part… Our friends and competitors overseas look at Britain, and they see a
country that is putting its own house in order, a country on the rise. They see a country that
believes in itself.
“Did you write any of this rubbish?” Doug asked, as Downing Street's perennially youthful deputy
15 assistant director of communications arrived and sat down opposite him. Nigel smiled a frosty smile,
but seemed neither surprised nor especially put out by this opening gambit.
“Ah, Douglas,” he said. “Always on the attack. Always trying to score the first point. If I thought that
you meant any of it, I'd be offended. But I’ve come to know you better than that, after all these years.”
“How's morale at Number Ten?” Doug asked, passing Nigel the cappuccino he had already ordered for
20 him. “The panic is off the scale, I should think.”
“The confidence, Douglas, the enthusiasm – that’s what's off the scale. Dave's ready for this fight, and
do you know why? Because he knows he’s going to win.”
“He hasn't been reading the opinion polls, then?”
“We never take any notice of opinion polls. They're always wrong.”
25 “The television debate didn't go too well. Ed Miliband put up a pretty good show.”
Ed's a nice guy, but we're not worried about him. The people of this country will never vote for a Marxist
as prime minister.”
“Where did you read that he was a Marxist?” said Doug. “The Daily Mail? Ed Miliband isn't a Marxist.”
“His father was. According to the Daily Mail.”
30 “Oh, come on, Nigel, don't be silly. Having a father who was a Marxist doesn't make you a Marxist.”
[…]
 Doug sighed. He had been meeting Nigel two or three times a year, now, for five years, and was still no
closer, as far as he could tell, to breaking through his facade of cheerful obfuscation.
“I should have known better,” he said, “than to think you'd do anything other than pretend everything
35 was hunky-dory. That is your job, after all.”
“I wouldn't say everything was hunky-dory, Doug. It's a bit complacent of you to think that, if I may say
so. We still face a lot of challenges. Austerity's still biting, and mostly hurting the people who are least
able to deal with it. Dave's aware of all this. He's not a monster, however you may like to think of him.
But we're pretty good at reading the mood of the country, and it's obvious that when things are so
40 difficult, and the future's so uncertain, people would be mad to vote for change. Continuity, stability –
that’s what they need to get them through this sticky patch.”
Doug scratched his head. “But that literally makes no sense. Under the current administration, the
country's in a mess, so the only solution is to vote for the current administration?”
“In a nutshell, yes. That's the very clear message we're going to be putting across to the electorate in the
45 next few weeks.”
“Well, good luck with that.”
[…] Doug sighed again.
“OK. Let's get down to brass tacks.”
“The nitty-gritty,” Nigel agreed.
50 “Exactly. The nitty-gritty. Page seventy-two of the manifesto: “Real change in our relationship with the
European Union.”
Nigel beamed happily. “That's right. A crucial part of the manifesto. Almost its unique selling point,
you might say.”
“Well, whoever wrote this, I must give them credit – it's pretty clear. “Only the Conservative Party will
55 deliver real change and real choice on Europe, with an in-out referendum by the end of 2017.”
“That's right.”
“Is that really such a good idea?”
“It's Dave's idea. Of course it's good.”
“But supposing there's a referendum and we vote to leave?”
60 “Then we leave. The people will have spoken.”
Impressed as he was by this unqualified commitment to direct democracy, Doug couldn't help objecting:
“But people don't really care about the European Union. Whenever the public are asked to list their main
political concerns they say things like education or housing, and the EU doesn't even come in the top
ten.”
65 Nigel had been looking puzzled, but his face now cleared: “Ah, you're talking about the public. Sorry,
that's not what I meant by ‘people’.”
“What did you mean by ‘people’?”
“I meant people in the Conservative Party who keep banging on about how much they hate the EU and
won't shut up until we do something about it.”
70 “Ah, those people.”
 “Those people.”
“So that's why Cameron is promising this referendum. To silence those people.”
“Don't be silly, Douglas. Holding a referendum on such an important issue just to silence a few annoying
people in his own party? That would be a highly irresponsible thing to do.”
75 “But that's just what you said he was doing.”
“No I didn't. I said nothing of the sort. Have you not read the manifesto?”
“Of course I have.”
“Well, it says here why we're promising the referendum.” He picked up Doug's copy from the table,
where it was still folded at the relevant page. “Listen: ‘It will be a fundamental principle of a future
80 Conservative Government that membership of the European Union depends on the consent of the British
people.’ That's why, after the election, we will negotiate a new settlement for Britain in Europe, and
then ask the British people whether they want to stay in the EU on this reformed basis or leave. We will
hold that in-out referendum before the end of 2017 and respect the outcome. Now, what could be more
simple than that?”
85 “Hold on a second,” said Doug. “You left a bit out.”
“I did?”
“Yes – give me that. You missed a bit.”
“I don't think so.”
“That sentence about the consent of the British people...”
90 “Yes?”
“Just after that. Here...” He took the pamphlet back from Nigel and rapidly scanned the page. “Yes, here
we are: ‘Membership of the European Union depends on the consent of the British people – and in recent
years that consent has worn wafer-thin.’”
“That's right. It has.”
95 “So what Cameron's doing is extremely risky, in other words?”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because he's proposing to hold an in-out referendum and he knows in advance that the majority is
going to be wafer-thin.”
Nigel shook his head and tutted. “Honestly, Douglas, you writers! With your ridiculously creative
100 interpretations of things. You take a perfectly clear, perfectly innocent phrase and you twist it, you
distort it…”
“I suppose you could always make the result dependent on a supermajority – sixty per cent or something
like that.”
“That idea was suggested, but there's no real need.”
105 “Why not?”
“Because the referendum will be purely advisory.”
 “Really? But that's not what it says here. It says, ‘We will hold that in-out referendum before the end of
2017 and respect the outcome.’ That doesn't sound like an advisory referendum to me.”
“Of course it does. It means the British people will give us their advice, and we'll take it.”
110 Doug did not look particularly convinced by this argument, so he added: “In any case, would it be so
bad if we left the European Union? As a socialist, you must have a lot of problems with it. Look at the
way they've been treating the poor Greeks, for instance.
Finishing his cappuccino, Doug rose to his feet and put the manifesto pamphlet away in his coat pocket.
“That's true,” he said. “But I assume that Cameron wants to stay in.”
115 “Of course.”
“In which case I think he will be taking an enormous gamble if he offers a fifty-fifty vote on something
where he already thinks public opinion is closely divided.”
“It is a gamble,” Nigel agreed. “A huge gamble. The country's future decided on the roll of a dice. The
fact that Dave's prepared to take it is what makes him such a strong, decisive leader.”
120 Impressed as always by Nigel's logical contortions, Doug shook his hand and asked one final question:
So Cameron isn't at all worried about promising this referendum?”
“Well, he would be, Nigel answered, buttoning up his coat. “But the bottom line is, it's not going to
happen.”
“Why not?” asked Doug.
125 “Because there's no way he's going to win an overall majority. All the opinion polls say so. Don't you
ever look at them, Douglas? You really should.”

Jonathan Coe, Middle England, 2018.

A little help:

Ed Miliband: former leader of the Labour Party

The Lib Dems: the Liberal Democrats, another British political party
To get down to brass tacks/the nitty-gritty: to get down to business
 Questions:

1) Explain briefly where the action takes place, and what happens in this excerpt :
The action takes place at a café in London (Temple tube station). Two characters are present: Doug and Nigel. They meet because
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Doug is a journalist who wants to have information of the Conservative Party's manifesto. Nigel is a member
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of David Cameron's (former British PM) cabinet. The whole excerpt is a dialogue between the two.
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2) Doug and Nigel meet to talk about one important event; which one?
They meet to talk about the 2015 general election (élections législatives de 2015); the two main
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candidates are David Cameron and Ed Miliband.
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3) Give elements to describe the personalities of both characters:

Doug Nigel
Can be described as curious, inquisitive, more He sounds more cynical, more cunning than
candid (or less cynical) than his friend Nigel. Doug, probably due to his job as a political advisor.
Nonetheless, he seems intelligent and does not He seems quick-witted, with a tendency to
believe everything Nigel or the Conservative use euphemisms and half-truths.
manifesto can say or read. He sounds bolder than Doug on complex
political questions.

4) Read from l.4 to l.46. What is the opinion of both characters on David Cameron and the
Conservative Party’s projects? Illustrate your answers with examples.
Doug Nigel
His opinion? As for him, the manifesto is He's very confident, or at least
'rubbish' that's what he says. He's enthusiast
He thinks Cameron is wrong for the coming election.
to think he's going to win
His arguments? He dismisses the opinion polls
He thinks Ed Miliband (Labour)
He accuses Miliband of being a Marxist
did pretty good in the debate
He thinks the difficult economic context
The opinion polls are bad for
will force people to vote for the present
The Conservatives
administration, for the sake of stability.
5) Read from l.48 to l.77.
a) What exactly is the main issue discussed by the two characters?
The central issue is the in-out referendum on EU membership that was announced by Cameron in 2015
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should he obtain a majority in the next general election.
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b) Explain the different meanings of the term “people” used by the characters. Why is the
distinction important?
For Doug 'the people' means the people of the UK, the citizens who voted in the referendum. As far
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as Nigel is concerned, he refers to the eurosceptic fringe on the right of the Conservative Party. Indirectly,
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he also refers to the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and especially Nigel Farage.
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6) Read from l.78 to l.109.
Is Cameron’s strategy described as a safe one by Doug? Why?
No, Cameron's strategy is described as very dangerous. It is a 'gamble': Cameron wants to silence the
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eurosceptics, but he risks the UK's EU membership in the process. What's more, personally, Cameron
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wants to remain in the EU. Doug points out that offering a fifty-fifty vote on an issue on which public
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opinion is already divided is dangerous. In a word, it means that the future of the country will be decided
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'on the roll of a dice'.
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7) Read from l.110 to the end of the extract.
a) Can you identify contradictions in Nigel’s arguments?
First, Nigel seems to be enthusiastic about the referendum even if his own party wants to remain, and
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it sounds very risky. What's more, after having dismissed the opinion polls at the beginning of the text,
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he invokes them to say that there's no risk of Cameron winning an overall majority, and thus that the referendum
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does not represent any risk.
b) What could it tell us about the character? About the author’s intentions?
The character, with his 'logical contortions', becomes the symbol of cynical politics, as he constantly
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rearranges the truth in a convenient way for him and his party. The author might have wanted to denounce
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political tactics that resulted in a hasty decision ; in a word, in his opinion, the referendum was
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probably held for the wrong reasons.

III – Grammaire et traduction

A – Observez et comparez les phrases suivantes, extraites du texte:

- He had been meeting Nigel two or three times a year, now, for five years.

- “How's morale at Number Ten?” Doug asked, passing Nigel the cappuccino he had
already ordered for him.

- “He hasn't been reading the opinion polls, then?”

- Nigel had been looking puzzled, but his face now cleared.

- ‘Membership of the European Union depends on the consent of the British people – and
in recent years that consent has worn wafer-thin.”
B – Exercises

a) Complétez les phrases qui suivent avec l’adverbe qui convient.

already have done so.

1) Don’t buy the record: I __________
recently
2) The price of houses has __________ risen sharply.
ever
3) Have you _________ met a well-known actor?
just
4) I've __________ rung your sister,and she says she's fine.
not yet reached £1 a litre, but may soon do so.
5)The price of petrol has _______

b) Les phrases qui suivent sont au passé composé francais. Traduisez-les en faisant le
choix du prétérit ou du present perfect.

1) « Je n'ai jamais vu La Guerre des Étoiles. – Moi je l’ai vu l'an dernier pendant
les vacances d'été. »
"I've never seen Star Wars!" "I saw it last year, during the summer holidays."
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2) « J'ai fini mes révisions ! – Mais tu as dit cela la semaine dernière! »
"I've finished my revisions!" "But you said that last week!"
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3) La situation économique s'est améliorée après l'élection du nouveau président, mais elle s'est
récemment détériorée.
The economic situation improved after the new president was elected, but it recently got worse.
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4) J'ai fait beaucoup de voile (=to go sailing) quand j'étais au lycée, mais c'est la première fois
que je fais de la planche à voile (=to windsurf).
I went sailing a lot when I was in high school, but it is the first time (that) I have windsurfed.
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c) Complétez les phrases qui suivent avec les verbes donnés entre parenthèses au
present perfect simple ou a la forme be V +-ing:

have been playing

1) You __________ (play) for two hours. It's time you stopped.
have played (play) the video game, you can take it back to the library.
2) Now that you ____________
 have come
3) We ________________ (come) to give you a hand with the cooking.
has been walking
4) Look at the carpet! Someone _____________ (walk) here with muddy feet.
've watched
5) I _____________ (watch) the news to get the latest casualty figures.
has been watching
6) It's strange: I think someone _____________(watch) us all morning from the house opposite.

d) Complétez les phrases qui suivent avec for ou since.

since
1) I haven't seen her _________ Christmas.
since
2) We haven't been to the concert ________ the holidays.
for
3) Unemployment has been rising ________ two months.
for
4) Things are quiet here; nothing has happened _________ a long time.
since
5) She's had a new job _____________ last Monday.

e) Traduisez.
1) Je ne suis pas allé à la piscine depuis qu'elle a rouvert.
I haven't been to the swimming pool since it reopened.
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2) J’aime les escargots depuis que jen ai mangé chez vous.
I have loved snails ever since I had some at our place.
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3) Leur maison est inondée (to flood) depuis une semaine.
Their house has been flooded for a week.
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4) Jai lu ce livre il y a trois mois.
I read this book three months ago.
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5) Il y a trois mois que je n'ai rien lu.
I haven't read anything for three months.
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f) Complétez les phrases qui suivent avec les verbes donnés entre parenthèses au prétérit,
present perfect ou past perfect (forme simple ou forme be V + -ing).
came
1) When the telephone call ___________(come) with the news that she had been awarded the
had been painting
prize for her first novel, Lorie __________ (paint) the dining-room walls and her hands
were
_________ (be) full of yellow paint.
have been driving
2)-Can you make me a cup or tea, Joan? I _______________ (drive) for hours and feel thirsty.
haven't had
I _______________ left
(have + not) anything to drink since I ___________ (leave) home this
morning.
 had been rising
3) Įn September 2005, the price of petrol ______________ (rise) for several months, aııd
chose
many people _____________ (choose) to use public transportation instead of their cars.
had invited
4) They ____________ (invite) us to the restaurant twice before, but this was the first
had ever seen
time we ______________(see + ever) their home.

IV – Written expression
Using examples from the documents or you own knowledge, write a structured essay to
answer the following question: Are the best ideas necessarily found in politics?
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