The Lemon Fool

I must be missing something.
Can someone please explain to me what his 'special' talent is to be a leader representing us all in any capacity?

Okay, he's got a daft (although fast fading) hairstyle but take that away, who or what exactly is he?
Likes girlfriends. Tick. (Don't we all? 0-0)
Rich and well educated. Er (sort of) tick. (0-0) just.
A man of the people who will do his best for the poor.- Nope. This fellah hasn't got a clue how most people live.

What happens next?
He will unseat TM but Corby is toast and Keir Starmer will be next PM

20/1 still available

The thing that really getts my goat about all the reporting of his PM ambitions is that political, rather than private matters are not mentioned.

I don't want to raise the subject of BREXIT (after all we all know what the vote was), however he kept repeating a set of figures that were provably wrong, despite the fact that they HAD been proved wrong and the leave campaign had dropped them.

Then there is the 3'ed runway thing. He prommised his contituents to vote a certain way. When the time came he made arrangments so that he didn't have to!

Seriously is this the sort of person anyone wants to represent them? Someone who knowingly spouts untrueths and avoids the prommises that he made to those who voted for him?

Urbandreamer wrote:Then there is the 3'ed runway thing. He prommised his contituents to vote a certain way. When the time came he made arrangments so that he didn't have to!

When you add all the other occasions when he's scarpered out of a situation: for example, in the wake of off-colour remarks that (rightly or wrongly) give offence to someone, a pattern emerges. A classic bully and coward.

Seriously is this the sort of person anyone wants to represent them? Someone who knowingly spouts untrueths and avoids the prommises that he made to those who voted for him?

People don't get elected based on their qualities, they get elected based on who they're not. He's not Corbyn, and he's not May. And he was London Mayor, a job that seems well-suited to nutjobs given not just Boris but also Ken's track records.

With both him and Rees-Mogg, the Tories now seem at risk of finding themselves with a leader every bit as unelectable by the mainstream as Corbyn ever was.

Beerpig wrote:I must be missing something.
Can someone please explain to me what his 'special' talent is to be a leader representing us all in any capacity?

He's a larger than life character and hugely popular. Politics is ultimately a popularity contest. Competence doesn't come into it. At least, not until you actually have the job. Although, he didn't do bad as mayor of London.

UncleEbenezer wrote:With both him and Rees-Mogg, the Tories now seem at risk of finding themselves with a leader every bit as unelectable by the mainstream as Corbyn ever was.

The difference is that the Tories know it. Above everything, Tory MPs want to keep their jobs. They would never put forward an unelectable. (Even without the hindsight of Corbyn)

IMO we have passed "Peak Boris". Too many people who matter have seen through his insincerity.

Gryff

gryffron wrote:He's a larger than life character and hugely popular.

Really? It's a long time since I visited the London Bubble so I may be a bit out of touch with that version of reality, but I've never in my life encountered anyone who doesn't think he's a complete joke, an idiot who shouldn't be put in charge of anything.

Scott.

UncleEbenezer wrote:People don't get elected based on their qualities, they get elected based on who they're not. He's not Corbyn

But he won't be standing against Corbyn as they are in different constituencies.

And we, the electorate don't get much of a say in who is PM, once the General Election is over.


I suspect that, out of the public eye, he is a much harder character than he shows and probably knows where many Conservative party bodies are buried, so him being in a relatively safe seat, should the Tories have the parliamentary majority after the next general election, he is in with a good chance of being PM.

Slarti

He's never really been the same since he appeared on HIGNFY

He might not have the most conventional let alone diplomatic way of going about things but when style is ignored much of what he says makes sense.

swill453 wrote:

gryffron wrote:He's a larger than life character and hugely popular.

Really? It's a long time since I visited the London Bubble so I may be a bit out of touch with that version of reality, but I've never in my life encountered anyone who doesn't think he's a complete joke, an idiot who shouldn't be put in charge of anything.

Nor me. But according to today's news he tops popularity polls amongst Tory supporters. Possibly Sun reader types. Although, I doubt many of them are voting Tory party members.

Who else have the Tories got? Phil Hammond makes TM look exciting.

Gryff

gryffron wrote:Who else have the Tories got? Phil Hammond makes TM look exciting.

Gryff

Speaking personally, I don't want exciting, I want competent.

malkymoo wrote:Speaking personally, I don't want exciting, I want competent.

Traditionally that's supposed to be Sir Humphrey's role. Out of the way of posturing populist toffs, class warriors, and the vagaries of a party and electorate.

I fear in their present state, competence is the last thing the Tories will stand (let alone look) for in a leader. You might be in with more chance with Labour, if they thought a competent candidate was in with a chance of replacing Corbyn.

swill453 wrote:... but I've never in my life encountered anyone who doesn't think he's a complete joke, an idiot who shouldn't be put in charge of anything.

Well, I think I would say pretty much the same (*) of Donald Trump, and look where he's ended up! Complete jokes can get elected to positions of power - and unfortunately they're no longer as funny if they do...

Basically, having seen Boris Johnson on Have I Got News For You, I think he's missed his true calling as a comedian, of a one-of-a-kind type. Another point that the two have in common - though obviously not the same type, otherwise it wouldn't be a one-of-a-kind type!

(*) In both cases, I would probably need to change "anyone" to "anyone whose opinions I respect" for true accuracy.

Gengulphus

malkymoo wrote:

gryffron wrote:Who else have the Tories got? Phil Hammond makes TM look exciting.

Gryff

Speaking personally, I don't want exciting, I want competent.

Well, he's certainly not that. I will never forgive his gaffe re Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe which is thought to have led to the extension of her gaol sentence rather than achieving her release. We also need reliability, integrity, kindness, understanding, diplomacy, seriousness, perception, application and dedication and someone who thinks before opening their mouth. There are several very deprecating quotes about him on page 9 of the Sunday Times today. I think this little gem from his former headmaster at Eton sums him up quite well: "They (the students) were doing some scenes from the Richard III, with Boris as the king. He hadn't had time to learn his lines, so had pasted them up behind various pillars. The whole performance consisted of him running from one side of the stage to the other and failing to read it properly."

Boris comes over as a chancer and a buffoon who can be very entertaining and might have a great future on the music hall stage if he could remember his jokes He seems largely interested in his own power and pleasures and IMHO not good prime minister material at all. He can't even manage his hair. I'd love to know how helpful his constituents find him but I expect he delegates all their problems to an assistant.

All very sad because when I first became aware of him I was quite impressed and thought he might be another Churchill but now I wouldn't trust him an inch. I should be delighted to be proved wrong but fearful of creating the opportunity.

Gengulphus wrote:Basically, having seen Boris Johnson on Have I Got News For You, I think he's missed his true calling as a comedian, of a one-of-a-kind type.

Or as a TV popular classicist. For those that haven't seen it already, Greece vs Rome, with Boris Johnson and Mary Beard (refereed by Andrew Marr) is immensely entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k448JqQyj8 (1h36m)

I can't stand the way he is constantly referred to as "Boris" which sounds friendly and doesn't really convey how ruthless and dangerous Johnson is.

Surnames are good enough for other politicians, why give him a special moniker?

sunnyjoe wrote:I can't stand the way he is constantly referred to as "Boris" which sounds friendly and doesn't really convey how ruthless and dangerous Johnson is.

Surnames are good enough for other politicians, why give him a special moniker?

Presumably to differentiate him from other MPs called 'Johnson', not least Jo Johnson - Boris's brother.

Watis

sunnyjoe wrote:I can't stand the way he is constantly referred to as "Boris" which sounds friendly and doesn't really convey how ruthless and dangerous Johnson is.

Surnames are good enough for other politicians, why give him a special moniker?

Presumably because he's the only "Boris" in current British politics, but (as already pointed out) not the only "Johnson". And BJ is NSFW. (As is Boris )