Boris Johnson is a Charlatan. Discuss

[Heym SR20]

A little more effusive than Hemmingway perhaps but it is quite amusing that on “freedom day” Boris and most of his government are in isolation!

Boris Johnson’s ‘freedom day’ isolation tells us the virus is everywhere | Polly Toynbee

The prime minister’s U-turn reveals the true cost of his Covid bungling, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

www.theguardian.com

 

[kennyc]

I'd disagree. He was by far the best London mayor to date. The competition was pretty poor admittedly. Also, he had had quite a successful private sector career, taking a massive pay cut to go into politics.
The alternatives were Hancock, May, Hunt - who created much of the current disaster, Corbyn and Starmer. Take your pick.

have you read his Wiki?

 

[User00036]

All you need to hijack democracy is an actor who thinks he's convincing enough to con & fascinate over a tv screen, a celebrity. Look behind the smoke & mirrors, what do you see? I see something that is the same beast the world over, & it lies on a mountain of jewels & riches far beyond our imagination, & it is laughing at us.

 

[Apthorpe]

Why would I? Apt for you to be asking this when one of Wikipedia's founders described it as having become biased and left-wing only this past weekend.

 

[Mungo]

Not sure where you got that from "only noticing now"
Maybe you are working off the Johnson playbook?
A quick ill considered reply/post .
Do you as an educator teach critical thinking ?
I see no evidence in your post.
Its polemics ( wont be in your playbook- find an old dictionary and look it up )

Gosh. You’re in a bad mood!

I’ll admit I read it as a statement indicating some surprise, but still…

 

[JabaliHunter]

I think the Tories will stab him in the back quite soon. They too think he is a Charlatan.

Even if they don‘t think that, they’ll stab him in the back anyway, just because he’s Tory leader…

 

[casper]

I don't think so, I remember Tim Burgess and Rob Collins but I don't recall Boris being in the band.

 

[TomDeer]

He is a perfect example of the adage "you can fool all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time but never all of the people all of the time".

It is as though we have some priapic chancer brought to life from a work of fiction made Prime Minister. Think Flashman, but without personal honesty or humour set within Fleet St and politics. Even Evelyn Waugh couldn't do justice to this one.

 

[Jgray]

I don't think so, I remember Tim Burgess and Rob Collins but I don't recall Boris being in the band.

great post

 

[nick.308]

I think the tories are taking this pandemic in the right direction. Whoever is PM needs to have a thick skin because no one can keep everyone happy. I think the majority of the country will be behind the government too.
I think its a good idea to have travelling abroad and going to nightclubs only when fully vaccinated.
I think its the right move to ease restrictions while most are recently vaccinated, schools are closed for summer, weather is best to reduce transmission etc. Its now or never.

 

[Apthorpe]

He is a perfect example of the adage "you can fool all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time but never all of the people all of the time".

It is as though we have some priapic chancer brought to life from a work of fiction made Prime Minister. Think Flashman, but without personal honesty or humour set within Fleet St and politics. Even Evelyn Waugh couldn't do justice to this one.

I don't buy all this artificially-generated-by-the-staff-of-the-Guardian-fake-outrage-bullsh1t about Johnson. It has been almost universally generated by people who wanted Corbyn as PM. There is nothing exceptionally disreputable about him at all, except for elements of his personal life. Name a preferable alternative.
The undeniable fact is that he was the most popular politician of his generation and considerably less out of touch than the rest.

I'd far rather a PM with a reputation for sleeping around and perhaps some questions over his honour to the alternatives of a group of people far worse in every respect, except that some of them can't get laid.

WTF he thinks he's playing at this year is a mystery though.

 

[Grannysmith]

Like my old gramps used to say if anyone declares an interest in being a politician for Christ's sake ban him from being one!

 

[jimmer.13]

 

[jimmer.13]

As above .......he would get my vote for PM..... better leader of men than any politician since Sir Winston Churchill had the helm. Even he was not without flaws.... as I recall he had a key role in the disaster that was Gallipoli ..... none of us are perfect I suppose but why and who prescribes Cnut tablets for those who ply their trade in the houses of parliament. Clearly they overdose on them on a regular basis......just an observation like

 

[jimmer.13]

.....woof woof

 

[Fadcode]

I'd disagree. He was by far the best London mayor to date. The competition was pretty poor admittedly. Also, he had had quite a successful private sector career, taking a massive pay cut to go into politics.
The alternatives were Hancock, May, Hunt - who created much of the current disaster, Corbyn and Starmer. Take your pick.

I am sure the people he has enobled up to now, or put into high places, makes up for the pay cut. The Tories have a habit, or an addiction for stabbing the ruler in the back, no doubt his time will come, I don't think it will worry him at all, he was appointed above his level of competence, and I am sure he knows it, a lot will depend on the damage he causes, he has already messed up the Brexit agreement, with his false promises, alienated Northern Ireland, and no doubt will give in to Scotlands devolution aspirations, and the handling of this pandemic shows how weak and disorganised the Govt has been, in times of crisis, a Govt stands proud or caves in, I fear the latter has been our reward for voting him in. The other thing that strikes me as odd, is the way Cameron, Osbourne, et al, just disappeared, which shows just how little loyalty Politicians have for their party. i am sure Boris and his ilk will go the same way.

 

[User00035]

I don't buy all this artificially-generated-by-the-staff-of-the-Guardian-fake-outrage-bullsh1t about Johnson. It has been almost universally generated by people who wanted Corbyn as PM. There is nothing exceptionally disreputable about him at all, except for elements of his personal life. Name a preferable alternative.
The undeniable fact is that he was the most popular politician of his generation and considerably less out of touch than the rest.

I'd far rather a PM with a reputation for sleeping around and perhaps some questions over his honour to the alternatives of a group of people far worse in every respect, except that some of them can't get laid.

WTF he thinks he's playing at this year is a mystery though.

I have lots of reasons why I don't support Johnson. All of them to do with his urban, metropolitan outlook, his unspoken but demonstrable plans to increase the population and his ongoing attempts to dismantle the planning laws. There is so much to fear from a continued Johnson premiership and none of it has anything to do with his background, his plumminess, his double-barreled toff dishevelment or his old Etonian roots. None of which are of the slightest importance or interest. Nor is it his handling of the Covid crisis. It's been pretty farcical for sure, but from the beginning all his opponents have been demanding measures that would have been even worse.
The best the hate-Boris brigade ever manage to come up with to throw at him is his tendency to bed-hop. Who cares.

There is never any attempt to dissect his policies, to listen to what he says (and, more crucially avoids saying - and it's there that his immigration plans are revealed). It's just Boris is in it for himself, he's a phoney, brown paper envelopes under the table blah, blah, blah. Predictable tedious stuff from page one of the political book of cliches that reveal mindless party political hate rather than thought or reasoning or any desire to examine his record or future plans rationally. It's classroom jeering that isn't worth getting involved with.

 

[old keeper]

I honestly don't know what people expect from our "leaders" especially a PM. Would the vast majority of normal people want the job, no! there must be a considerable number of people with the ability and expertise to do the job, most of them could do it better than the people in power, but they wouldn't touch the "top jobs" with a bargepole.
The result is that you get the glory seekers and the rather strange bunch that are prepared to set themselves up in well-paid jobs where the most important asset has to be a hide like a rhinoceros!

 

[User00025]

He's just one of those unfortunates, whose cock is his compass and only has half a brain.

 

[TomDeer]

I don't buy all this artificially-generated-by-the-staff-of-the-Guardian-fake-outrage-bullsh1t about Johnson. It has been almost universally generated by people who wanted Corbyn as PM. There is nothing exceptionally disreputable about him at all, except for elements of his personal life. Name a preferable alternative.
The undeniable fact is that he was the most popular politician of his generation and considerably less out of touch than the rest.

I'd far rather a PM with a reputation for sleeping around and perhaps some questions over his honour to the alternatives of a group of people far worse in every respect, except that some of them can't get laid.

WTF he thinks he's playing at this year is a mystery though.

I certainly don't buy the Guardian's point of view and never wanted Corbyn (although I do sometimes wonder whether Corbyn could actually have been much worse).

Your "name a preferable alternative" point would seem to underline the real issue. How on earth have we come to a point where at the last election the choice for PM was between Johnson and Corbyn?

As for his bed hopping, that's his shout. At the same time, if those closest to him cannot trust him in his private life, I struggle to see how or why I should trust him in his professional one.