Yes, people are starting to take the whole enterprise seriously. Not Polly Toynbee, of course: "Boris Johnson’s crew will repel voters – there’s no need to fear him". But elsewhere in the Graun: "Labour risks total wipeout if it fails to take Boris Johnson seriously".
The Irish are worried, too - and well might they be. Keeping Varadkar waiting for a call was cheeky but good tactics; and the pained hand-wringing isn't slow to follow, as the Graun relates:
An Irish government spokesman said Varadkar had also invited Johnson to Dublin for further talks on Brexit. [I'll bet he did - see Airport Fever above] “The taoiseach restated the need for both governments to be fully committed to the Good Friday agreement" ... the spokesman said. “He recalled that the agreement requires the sovereign government to exercise power with rigorous impartiality on behalf of all the people in full respect for their rights, equality, parity of esteem and just and equal treatment for the identity, ethos and aspirations of both communities.” [Presumably a quotation from the preamble. Ooh, that's telling him!] A No 10 spokesman said both leaders committed themselves to maintaining a warm and deep relationship between Ireland and the UK... Johnson had been accused of snubbing his Irish counterpart by leaving it so long to speak to him ...Faced with all this new reality, others too are inevitably starting to strategise. Back to the Irish again: here's a sign of someone getting their brains into gear:
Brexit: mess with Good Friday and we’ll block UK trade deal, US politicians warn. Hostile Congress could hold up trade dealA decent Remainer attempt to open up a new front: and a bit more imaginative than dropping the IRA into the conversation. And I suggest there's another scare we shall be hearing a great deal more about, too, as faithfully disseminated by the Beeb:
No-deal Brexit 'would cause civil unrest' in rural WalesYes, the threat of civil unrest on a much larger scale than Welsh sheep-farmers will doubtless be bruited about in the coming weeks: and can a General Strike be far behind? Or pupils staying away from school, spearheaded by the saintly Greta? I have a suspicion Stormzy will be musing over the possibilities, too. And Miller. And Soros.
If you want an entertaining read from someone who clearly does a lot of thinking, follow Montanatorice, a CiF commenter. He or she writes quite a lot, and repeats stuff over several comments, but the one you are looking for is what appeared BTL under the "Take Boris Seriously" article linked to above. I think this link should take you straight in (it takes a second or two to resolve to the comment). It's even been given the accolade of a 'Guardian Pick'; and a Golden Cleric award can't be far behind.
ND