Boris Johnson - The Prime-Minister of the United Kingdom

Zoophonic said:
No I am not surprised at the gullibility of people when it comes to populism. Even in the face of damned evidence that this man exhibits values of selfishness, greed and dishonesty my only conclusion is that many of those 40% of “red wallers” hold dear those same appalling values.
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Boris managed to work out that a large proportion of the working class are absolutely gullible of those things, and seem to respect his ability to lie and proneness to selfishness/greed. Of course it isn’t the entire working class, but it’s enough.
 
The Tory con hasn't changed. It's still based upon getting enough people to believe that they are the same as the politicians who would represent them when in fact they have little or nothing in common with that ruling elite.

It was similar to the Brexit vote where Leave campaigners were able to tell a proportion of the population that the Remain campaigners thought they were stupid, when it was they who were relying on them being stupid. It worked.

I think they might just be running out of room to play this card though. The Tories have probably gone a bit too extreme for them to be a credible governing party. Most people are generally small c conservative in their attitudes and thinking and can't be bothered with everything being a battle against something or other. Who cares about cancel culture when you can't afford your mortgage and your energy bills?
 
It makes me despise him even more seeing him in Israel and Ukraine before that even though he is not PM anymore. He doesn’t give a sh*t about the people there, it’s all about him.
 
atypical_boro said:
Boris managed to work out that a large proportion of the working class are absolutely gullible of those things, and seem to respect his ability to lie and proneness to selfishness/greed. Of course it isn’t the entire working class, but it’s enough.
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Or at least Cummings did and Johnson (and his persona) was the perfect front man for it.

I think like Trump it's more luck than judgement that they tap into this part of some folk's psyche.

They could both actually be a lot smarter with it and even more popular, but thankfully for most of us they're prone to shooting themselves in the foot in idiotic ways.
 
festa5 said:
Or at least Cummings did and Johnson (and his persona) was the perfect front man for it.

I think like Trump it's more luck than judgement that they tap into this part of some folk's psyche.

They could both actually be a lot smarter with it and even more popular, but thankfully for most of us they're prone to shooting themselves in the foot in idiotic ways.
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Good point about Cummings, yes it was clearly him more than Boris, but I think you have to give them credit for something, and not just put it all down to luck.

The fact they’ve totally messed up since doesn’t mean they didn’t get it right five years ago. Labour need to make sure it never happens again. All Corbyn had to do was say he’d make sure the UK left the EU and he’d have hung on to most of those seats.
 
atypical_boro said:
Good point about Cummings, yes it was clearly him more than Boris, but I think you have to give them credit for something, and not just put it all down to luck.

The fact they’ve totally messed up since doesn’t mean they didn’t get it right five years ago. Labour need to make sure it never happens again. All Corbyn had to do was say he’d make sure the UK left the EU and he’d have hung on to most of those seats.
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Well labour (and most other parties and even some Tories) made the mistake of underestimating him. Or possibly overestimating him depending on your pov.

He tore up the rulebook. Think it caught everyone out. No attempt to campaign on facts or let truth get in the way and it turns out there was nothing with any teeth to prevent it happening. Some probably also thought he wouldn't completely ignore doing damage to the country just to further his personal ambition.

So they got that "right" I suppose. But then Johnson would've lied anyway whether it was the right thing to do for his election chances or not.

Johnson is at least charismatic. Trump is more baffling as he has all the charisma of a wet fart.
 
Boris Johnson was never fit to be prime minister

But that was the gamble the people's vote were prepared to take
 
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Hes about done now Johnson, I think the old racist gammon people knew what the person they voted for really was. A chancer with a few certificates from sodomy college, but he supported their inner shy racism and trumpet blowing pompous view.
However once it cost them £ in real life and accompanied with the knowledge that its not going to get better whilst these xxxxx are power and we are out of the EU. I think they may change how they vote next time.
I think the right wing press are going to full on to paint him in a different light ie) Dorries DM and BBC Panorama attacking Labour shortly.
 
I think my view is that where Johnson and Trump meet is that they fundamentally aren't good people.

I will never agree with the policies and ideology of certain people (I'll exclude Cameron from this as I don't think he had any) but I think most are trying to do something with regard to a certain section of society.

I think Trump and Johnson are just bad people, who were only ever in it for themselves. For Trump it was about protecting himself for his countless crimes over the years and with Johnson it was all a jolly jape that he would use for his financial gain. I wonder how many people who supported him know that while he was an MP he had earnings of many millions of pounds outside of parliament.

Here's just the last entry in the Register of Interests.

Payments from Hodder and Stoughton UK, Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ, via United Agents, 12-26 Lexington St, London W1F 0LE:
12 July 2022, received £439.82 for royalties on book already written. Hours: no additional hours. (Registered 28 July 2022)
10 August 2022, received £519.69 for royalties on book already written. Hours: no additional hours. (Registered 23 August 2022)
5 October 2022, received £1,771.82 for royalties on book already written. Hours: no additional hours. (Registered 27 October 2022)
14 March 2023, received £673.11 for royalties on book already written. Hours: no additional hours. (Registered 03 April 2023)
5 April 2023, received £2,590.85 for royalties on book already written. Hours: no additional hours. (Registered 24 April 2023)
Payments from HarperCollins UK, 1 London Bridge St, London SE1 9GF, via Rogers, Coleridge and White Ltd, 20 Powis Mews, London W11 1JN:
30 April 2022, received £382.03 for royalties on books already written. Hours: no additional hours. (Registered 27 May 2022)
18 October 2022, received £171.03 for royalties on books already written. Hours: no additional hours. (Registered 27 October 2022)
6 January 2023, received £510,000 as an advance on an upcoming book yet to be published. Hours: approx. 10 hrs to date. (Registered 12 January 2023)
4 May 2023, received £402.81 for royalties on books already written. Hours: no additional hours. (Registered 16 May 2023)
7 July 2022, received £88.73 from Editions Robert Laffont, 30 PL d’italie, 75013 Paris, France, via United Agents, 12-26 Lexington Street, London W1F 0LE, for royalties on book already written. Hours: no additional hours. (Registered 29 July 2022)
Payments received via the Harry Walker Agency, 355 Lexington Avenue, Floor 21, New York, NY 10017, USA:
14 October 2022, received £276,130 from the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB), 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 750 Washington DC, 20004-2608 US, for a speaking engagement. Transport and accommodation also provided for me and two members of staff. Hours: 8 hrs 30 mins. (Registered 04 November 2022)
9 November 2022, received £277,723.89 from Centerview Partners LLP, 31 West 52nd Street, 22nd Floor New York, New York 10019, for a speaking engagement. Transport and accommodation provided for me and two members of staff. Hours: 9 hrs. (Registered 06 December 2022)
17 November 2022, received £261,652.34 from Hindustan Times, HT Media Ltd, Hindustan Times House (2nd Floor), 18-20 Kastuba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi – 110 001, India, for a speaking engagement and VIP reception. Transport, food and accommodation provided for me and two members of staff. Hours: 8 hrs 45 mins. (Registered 07 December 2022)
13 December 2022, received £253,880.90 from ParallelChain Lab, 100 Tras Street #16-01, 100AM Singapore 079027, for a speaking engagement. Transport, food and accommodation provided for me and two staff members. Hours: 9 hrs. (Registered 09 January 2023)
23 November 2022, received £215,275.98 from Televisao Independente, S.A. Rue Mario Castelhano, no40, Queluz de Baixo, 2734-502 Barcarena, Portugal, for a speaking engagement at CNN Global Summit Lisbon. Transport, food and accommodation provided for me and two members of staff. Hours: 8 hrs. (Registered 07 December 2022)
6 December 2022, received £50,000 plus VAT from Ballymore Group, Ballymore Properties Ltd, Marsh Wall, London E14 9SJ, for a speaking engagement. Hours: 7 hrs. (Registered 21 December 2022)
14 December 2022, received £200,892.86 from Aditya Birla Management Corporation PVT Ltd, Aditya Birla Centre, C Wing 3rd Floor, S.K. Ahire Marg, Worti, Mumbai, India, via London Speakers Bureau, 235 Kensington High Street, London W8 6SF, for a speaking engagement. Transport, food and accommodation provided for me and two staff members. Hours: 8 hrs. (Registered 10 January 2023)
23 December 2022, received £3,000 from The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP, for an article. Hours: 1 hr. (Registered 20 January 2023)
13 January 2023, received £246,406.57 from Bloomberg Singapore, Bloomberg Singapore Pte. Ltd, 23 Church Street, 12th Floor, Capital Square, 0149481 Singapore, for a speaking engagement. Transport and accommodation provided for me and two members of staff. Hours: 7 hrs. (Registered 23 January 2023)
3 January 2023, received £2,488,387.53 as an advance for speaking engagements arranged via the Harry Walker Agency, 355 Lexington Avenue, Floor 21, New York, NY 10017, USA (a speaking agency). Hours: none. I consulted ACoBA about this arrangement. Payments under this arrangement are listed below; earlier payments received via the Harry Walker Agency are listed above. (Registered 26 January 2023)
6 March 2023, received £261,596 from Brand Finance PLC, 3 Birchin Lane, London EC3V 9BW, of which £183,246 was deducted in relation to the advance registered on 26 January 2023. Hours: 7.5 hrs. (Registered 15 March 2023)
13 March 2023, received £266,031.60 from Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check LLP, 280 King of Prussia Road, Radnor, Pennsylvania 19087, USA, of which £186,359.03 was deducted in relation to the advance registered on 26 January 2023. Transport and accommodation was provided for me and two staff members. Hours: 7 hrs. (Registered 15 March 2023)
11 April 2023, received £239,009.42 from Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation, 9a Raymond Njoku St, Ikoyi 101233, Lagos, Nigeria, of which £180,323.85 was deducted in relation to the advance registered on 26 January 2023. Flights and accommodation provided for me and two members of staff. Hours: 13 hrs. (Registered 20 April 2023)
23 April 2023, received £191,235.44 from Sportico Media LLC, 11175 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025, of which £139,762.83 was deducted in relation to the advance registered on 26 January 2023. Hours: 6 hrs. (Registered 15 May 2023)
Payments from Hodder and Stoughton UK, Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ, via Rogers, Colderidge and White Ltd, 20 Powis Mews, London W11 1JN:
28 February 2023, received £42,500 as an advance on a book. Hours: none to date. (Registered 13 March 2023)
2 May 2023, received £6,800 for royalties on books already written. Hours: no additional hours. (Registered 16 May 2023)
20 March 2023, received £2,463.66 from Dow Jones, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY10036, for three articles in the Wall Street Journal. Hours: 7.5 hrs (2.5 hrs per article). (Registered 23 March 2023)
 
Unravel_Morrison said:
For Trump it was about protecting himself for his countless crimes over the years and with Johnson it was all a jolly jape that he would use for his financial gain
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I agree they were entirely in it for self- gain, but in each case I think it was the power, fame and the ultimate self-indulgance that narcissists like them crave.
festa5 said:
Johnson is at least charismatic. Trump is more baffling as he has all the charisma of a wet fart.
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I think you have to acknowledge that different people have different versions of charisma.

Trump is akin to a cult with his base, who are far more extremist and partisan than BJ supporters.

They both tricked the working class voter to belive they represented their voice; caricatures in themselves, they traded on their persona, rule breakers and men who would simply 'get in done'.

It's all an poorly dressed illusion of course, but then many voters have little interest or knowledge of anything beyond the visual they see in front of them.
 
Jonny Ingbar said:
I think you have to acknowledge that different people have different versions of charisma.

Trump is akin to a cult with his base, who are far more extremist and partisan than BJ supporters.
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To a point.

I think with Trump it's more the message than the messenger. Plus the idea that he's some sort of respectable self made businessman (which is bollox of course). In the eyes of some he "legitimises" certain views that are probably racist, misogynistic etc. They love him for it and I think turn a blind eye to, or forgive, his personality because of it.

With Johnson it's both the message and messenger.

If the two were nobodies who you randomly met in a pub one night, I think most would find Johnson quite entertaining and amusing. And I think most would just find Trump weird.
 
festa5 said:
If the two were nobodies who you randomly met in a pub one night, I think most would find Johnson quite entertaining and amusing. And I think most would just find Trump weird.
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I think the thing with Boris is that he operates like he is in the pub trying to entertain and the next night he goes in a different pub and does the same act and he'll only stop when people stop buying his drinks.

I'm not sure whether a lot of the public almost see him as some sort of abstract 'character', because when you actual properly look at what he's done in his personal and professional life there's no way you would trust him on a human level.
 
Unravel_Morrison said:
I think the thing with Boris is that he operates like he is in the pub trying to entertain and the next night he goes in a different pub and does the same act and he'll only stop when people stop buying his drinks.

I'm not sure whether a lot of the public almost see him as some sort of abstract 'character', because when you actual properly look at what he's done in his personal and professional life there's no way you would trust him on a human level.
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That's the problem isn't it? How many actually bother to properly look?
 
The British, or perhaps specifically the British press, love a bit of a character who seems to be one of the lads as it were. Always amazes me that our most successful sportsman in my lifetime, Nick Faldo, isn't widely liked because he was single minded and worked hard, rather than being part of a clubable matey set. Not too sure about Americans, think they are just a bit thick!
 
h_m_boro said:
Think one of the problems with England is a lot of the population still have this cap doffing mentality to the rich
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I think the opposite.

The great lie that Johnson managed to pull off was convincing a section of the electorate that he was anti-establishment, a political outsider, a man of the people and that by voting for him, and Brexit, you were somehow sticking it to the man.

In reality he was just another rightwing-elite organ grinder making the monkeys dance for his interests.

However, his appeal lay in presenting himself as somehow different to the political class. Maybe he was, in terms of presentation, but not in substance.
 
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festa5 said:
To a point.

I think with Trump it's more the message than the messenger. Plus the idea that he's some sort of respectable self made businessman (which is bollox of course). In the eyes of some he "legitimises" certain views that are probably racist, misogynistic etc. They love him for it and I think turn a blind eye to, or forgive, his personality because of it.

With Johnson it's both the message and messenger.

If the two were nobodies who you randomly met in a pub one night, I think most would find Johnson quite entertaining and amusing. And I think most would just find Trump weird.
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Don't agree with that to be honest.

Trump is a brand in himself in the US, albeit not here of course, someone who is a self-made man who rails against the establishment. His brand and persona is definitely a selling point when attracting votes.
 
It’s exactly like the Bannon scenario. Dismantle truth…reconstruct an alternative.
Then fill the room with shoite.
 
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