How Boris silenced John Humphrys – with Latin

By Harry Mount

This morning, on the Today Programme, John Humphrys repeatedly asked Boris Johnson whether he supported Maria Miller. Every time, Boris stonewalled until he came up with the ultimate ruse – speak Latin.

"Nemo iudex in causa sua," Boris said, quoting the old legal maxim – "No one should be a judge in his own cause"; ie Parliament shouldn't decide the punishment of MPs like Miller.

Humphrys was silenced and Boris had had the last word – that was the end of the interview. As Boris well knows, Latin is the ultimate answer.

Latin gives the impression of planet-brained intelligence on the part of the Latinist. And, because there's an odd expectation that we should all know Latin idioms, no one questions it or asks for a translation. The interviewer is silenced; the interviewee triumphs.

You couldn't suddenly drop into German, or Swahili, in the middle of the Today Programme. You'd be considered bonkers and a translation would be demanded of you. But Latin is the interviewees' magic weapon. Res ipsa loquitur.



This appeared originally on April 8th, 2014 at http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harrymount/100074292/how-boris-silenced-john-humphrys-with-latin/