The Telegraph’s ‘7 reasons why Joe Biden and Boris Johnson will get on’ is a proper jaw dropper

John Plunkett. Updated February 14th, 2024

The Daily Telegraph today had a list of seven reasons why Joe Biden and Boris Johnson will get on and it went viral because, well, have a read of it for yourself.

And it’s fair to say that point about Biden’s great, great, great grandfather struck people as not entirely quite right, highlighted first by @PeterKGeoghegan on Twitter.

If number 1 on your list of 'why Joe and Boris will get on fine' is 'because Biden's great, great, great grandfather fled the famine in Ireland, then part of the UK' fear might be struggling @Telegraph pic.twitter.com/GMDOgnMbRx

— Peter Geoghegan @ democracyforsale.substack (@PeterKGeoghegan) January 20, 2021

And here are some of the other things people were saying about it today.

Oh my god. Oh lads. An article in the telegraph today. Reasons why Joe Biden will be kind to Britain. They think the famine is why he will be kind to Britain. A journalist wrote this. You silly English man with your silly English history education 😩 pic.twitter.com/Zsj5ZAGtrn

— The Blindboy Podcast (@bbboatclub) January 20, 2021

OMG, I checked. This is really real for real.

"Biden's great, great, great grandfather, Edward Blewitt, left Ballina, co Mayo, Ireland for America during the Irish famine 170 years ago, which could mean he is well disposed towards Great Britain."–the Telegraph

— Priyamvada Gopal © (@PriyamvadaGopal) January 20, 2021

It’s pretty astonishing that you can be the Chief Political Correspondent of The Telegraph and think that if, it had any relevance at all, the Irish Famine would make somebody MORE sympathetic to Britain. (Note the sub-clause, angry twitter: I’m not carrying any famine grudge). https://t.co/lIO2CLBkJF

— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) January 20, 2021

"Joe Biden probably likes Britain because of how we genocided his ancestors" is top tier Britain in its own history books/Britain in everyone else's history books content https://t.co/5Qu3jzFd8k

— katie spalding (@supermathskid) January 20, 2021

Hand on heart, I thought this was a piss-take.
But no, it's the Telegraph. https://t.co/Qv90olOKou

— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) January 20, 2021

Last word to the author of the piece.

Thanks for this Tom. You are right. I was not trying to make light of the Irish famine and never would.
I was simply trying to draw attention to Biden's connections to his ancestors in Ireland. That's all. https://t.co/PGIyc3uSPm

— Christopher Hope📝 (@christopherhope) January 20, 2021

Source @PeterKGeoghegan