Episode 5 (30:00-37:37)

Before you watch

Study the following words and phrases:

Raft (the whole raft of foreign policy issues) – a large number or amount of something)

To play ball with smb – to cooperate with smb

To shaft smb – to treat smb unfairly or cheat them

to have your cake and eat it – to have two good things at the same time that are impossible to have at the same time, i.e. if you eat your cake, it’s gone, you can’t have it anymore

to make business from smb – unlike ‘to do business with smb’’suggests taking advantage of someone rather than equal partnership and honest cooperation

needy – not confident and needing support from others; in other contexts may mean the poor, those who do not have enough money, food, clothes

entourage – a group of people who travel with an important person

edifice – a large impressive building, such as the Foreign Office building in London 

’or Quai d’Orsay in Paris (Quai d’Orsay is the address of the French foreign Ministry building, and the French Foreign Ministry itself is often referred to by this name)

While you watch

Answer the following questions:

  1. According to Caroline Wilson, what is the reason for the occasional disagreements between the UK and France, or as Boris Johnson puts it “They are not playing ball with us, why?” 
  2. Why does Carol Wilson warn Boris Johnson against his using the analogy of cake too much? What does she suggest saying instead? 
  3. What is the ultimate message that Foreign Secretary must get across to his French partners? 
  4. How does Caroline Wilson respond to Boris Johnson’s “Why do they shaft us? Because they want more money?”  
  5. How does Boris Johnson recap this preliminary discussion on board? 
  6. What is the next day’s breakfast dedicated to? 

After you watch

                 Discuss the following issues:

  • Why did Foreign Secretary choose to speak French to his French partners?
  • How does Caroline Wilson feel about this initiative? Does she express her opinion explicitly?
  • “Though French is no longer an official language of diplomacy, she speaks it fluently.” Does modern diplomacy have an official language? Does it need one?
  • “The tyranny of the Twitter feed is relentless.” How does Foreign Secretary feel about having to post on social media? Does he come across as an Internet savvy person?