The Boris Johnson Appreciation Thread

[MrsGently]

If you have any doubts about whether or not the man is a genius:

watch this discussion with Mary Beard ( my personal fav historian, read The Triumph I believe? is it called amazeballs!)

And I know he was the main proponent of Brexit and it turned out that got turned into a mess, but the idea could have worked if (as is often sadly not the case) the people in governement would have actually worked for the well-being of the citizens and not to 'get one up' on the other 'camp'.

 

 

The man had a sound plan. But kind of what since Obama globally the main theme seems to be in two party countries: stall, discredit, obstruct, fight...

That is the issue with the UK and Brexit. Not The Man Johnson Boris.

 

My impression, we can discuss that if you want to.

Looking forward to your opinions.

[pellinore]

People who actually know him, know his public persona is a charade:

Many of those who have known him well have questioned his suitability for high office:

“Boris, well, he’s the life and soul of the party but he’s not the man you want driving you home at the end of the evening.”
Cabinet minister Amber Rudd, speaking during a 2016 debate before the Brexit referendum

“It is a common mistake to suppose Johnson a nice man. In reality he often behaves unpleasantly.”
Max Hastings, Johnson’s editor at the Daily Telegraph, in a 2018 column for the Times

“[He is] much diminished in terms of integrity, in terms of political courage and in terms of credibility… I used to think he would be fantastic at Number 10 but those days look a long time ago.”
2018 BBC interview with Guto Harri, director of communications for Johnson’s mayoral administration, 2008-2012

“I wanted to help build a team behind Boris Johnson so that a politician who argued for leaving the European Union could lead us to a better future. But I have come, reluctantly, to the conclusion that Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead.”
Michael Gove, launching the leadership bid that derailed Johnson’s attempt to become prime minister in 2016“

[Johnson is] a man who waits to see the way the crowd is running and then dashes in front and says, ‘Follow me’.”
Michael Heseltine, Good Morning Britain interview in 2018

“The Johnsonian creed [is] that it is, in his own words, acceptable, sometimes desirable to lie. Certainly that approach has been advantageous to him. But it must come at a price.”
Sonia Purnell, Johnson’s biographer and one-time deputy in the Telegraph’s Brussels bureau, writing after he withdrew from the leadership race in 2016

“He’s lied his way through life, he’s lied his way through politics, he’s a huckster with a degree of charm to which I am immune. As well as being mendacious he’s incompetent.”
Conservative former minister Chris Patten in May interview with Bloomberg

“I’m afraid he’s shown, especially during his period as foreign secretary, that he doesn’t have the necessary skills and capacity [to be leader].”
Conservative MP and former attorney general Dominic Grieve in May interview with LBC

“He’s an enormous character but not a team player… And he doesn’t know if he’s a journalist or a politician, but he does know it’s all about him. The more he repeats what everyone can see is not credible, the more his own credibility disappears.”
Former foreign office colleague Sir Alan Duncan, 2018 interview with the Times

“The worst foreign secretary we’ve ever had... Disinterested and out of his depth he cared nothing for our situation. Good riddance.”
John McKendrick, attorney general of Anguilla, bidding farewell to Johnson as foreign secretary with criticism of his response to the British Overseas Territory’s devastation during Hurricane Irma in 2017

“I think he honestly believes it is churlish of us not to regard him as an exception, one who should be free of the network of obligation which binds everyone else.”
Johnson’s Eton housemaster, Martin Hammond, in 1982 school report

 

[Unusual Tournament]

7 minutes ago, pellinore said:

Johnson is] a man who waits to see the way the crowd is running and then dashes in front and says, ‘Follow me’.”

…sounds like most politicians to me. The age of the statesman is well and truely over with social media and opinion news. 

[MrsGently]

challenge accepted.

Quote

“Boris, well, he’s the life and soul of the party but he’s not the man you want driving you home at the end of the evening.”

as politician I don't need him to drive my car, but to be able to navigate amongst people and be enjoyable or 'the life and soul' really of every group he is in.

Quote

“It is a common mistake to suppose Johnson a nice man. In reality he often behaves unpleasantly.”

As genius he naturally sometimes despairs in the 'slowness' of those around him. that's just normal.

Quote

“[He is] much diminished in terms of integrity, in terms of political courage and in terms of credibility…

exactly what I said in my opening post: camp fights have destroyed his politics.

Quote

“I wanted to help build a team behind Boris Johnson so that a politician who argued for leaving the European Union could lead us to a better future. But I have come, reluctantly, to the conclusion that Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead.”

answered itself with what follows: Michael Gove, launching the leadership bid that derailed Johnson’s

Quote

[Johnson is] a man who waits to see the way the crowd is running and then dashes in front and says, ‘Follow me’.”

exactly, like every good politician would. That's what it is about, politics I mean, isn't it? Figuring out what your peeps want and trying to achieve it?

... all the 'lies': in diplomacy or politics you have to deal with the fact that not everybody at all times can see your cards if you want to achieve something.

the rest is just badnouthing and the last one:

Quote

“I think he honestly believes it is churlish of us not to regard him as an exception, one who should be free of the network of obligation which binds everyone else.”
Johnson’s Eton housemaster, Martin Hammond, in 1982 school report

 

are you serious? His school records? Because why? You were born perfect and never needed any lessons in how to behave?

[pellinore]

3 minutes ago, MrsGently said:

challenge accepted.

as politician I don't need him to drive my car, but to be able to navigate amongst people and be enjoyable or 'the life and soul' really of every group he is in.

As genius he naturally sometimes despairs in the 'slowness' of those around him. that's just normal.

exactly what I said in my opening post: camp fights have destroyed his politics.

answered itself with what follows: Michael Gove, launching the leadership bid that derailed Johnson’s

exactly, like every good politician would. That's what it is about, politics I mean, isn't it? Figuring out what your peeps want and trying to achieve it?

... all the 'lies': in diplomacy or politics you have to deal with the fact that not everybody at all times can see your cards if you want to achieve something.

the rest is just badnouthing and the last one:

are you serious? His school records? Because why? You were born perfect and never needed any lessons in how to behave?

You are either being provocative, or you are just stupid. You don't actually know Johnson, yet you believe your knowledge of his character trumps the opinions of the people who know or knew him intimately.

[MrsGently]

@pellinore I had no idea you know him personally? You just quoted people with a professional interest to discredit him

[pellinore]

5 minutes ago, MrsGently said:

@pellinore I had no idea you know him personally? You just quoted people with a professional interest to discredit him

You don't know him personally either, but I credit the opinions of people who do over yours. HIs one-time boss Max Hastings had this to say about him:

Dignity still matters in public office, and Johnson will never have it. Yet his graver vice is cowardice, reflected in a willingness to tell any audience, whatever he thinks most likely to please, heedless of the inevitability of its contradiction an hour later.

Like many showy personalities, he is of weak character. I recently suggested to a radio audience that he supposes himself to be Winston Churchill, while in reality being closer to Alan Partridge......

 My old friend Christopher Bland, when chairman of the BBC, once described to me how he received an angry phone call from Johnson, denouncing the corporation’s “gross intrusion upon my personal life” for its coverage of one of his love affairs.

“We know plenty about your personal life that you would not like to read in the Spectator,” the then editor of the magazine told the BBC’s chairman, while demanding he order the broadcaster to lay off his own dalliances.

Bland told me he replied: “Boris, think about what you have just said. There is a word for it, and it is not a pretty one.”

.....Johnson would not recognise truth, whether about his private or political life, if confronted by it in an identity parade. .

In a commonplace book the other day, I came across an observation made in 1750 by a contemporary savant, Bishop Berkeley: “It is impossible that a man who is false to his friends and neighbours should be true to the public.” Almost the only people who think Johnson a nice guy are those who do not know him.

....Yet the Tories, in their terror, have elevated a cavorting charlatan to the steps of Downing Street, and they should expect to pay a full forfeit when voters get the message. 

I was Boris Johnson’s boss: he is utterly unfit to be prime minister | Max Hastings | The Guardian

Edited February 12 by pellinore

[L.A.T.1961]

Compare and contrast Boris with the current leader of the free world. 😉

Unfortunately, politically and for someone who is supposedly a rightwing politician he is much more a middle of the road guy. 

But he terrified his political opponents and removing him became a kamikaze mission for some. It was him or them, and them after years in the trenches won. 

He made some tub thumping speeches over time including to fringe events at tory party conference.

 

[L.A.T.1961]

8 minutes ago, pellinore said:

You are either being provocative, or you are just stupid. You don't actually know Johnson, yet you believe your knowledge of his character trumps the opinions of the people who know or knew him intimately.

And had an 'angle'  for their views.

Edited February 12 by L.A.T.1961

[pellinore]

3 minutes ago, L.A.T.1961 said:

And had an 'angle'  for their views.

The angle being they care about the UK. Unlike him.

Edited February 12 by pellinore

[L.A.T.1961]

Just now, pellinore said:

The angle being they care about the UK.

No, just themselves.

[MrsGently]

14 minutes ago, L.A.T.1961 said:

Compare and contrast Boris with the current leader of the free world. 😉

Unfortunately, politically and for someone who is supposedly a rightwing politician he is much more a middle of the road guy. 

But he terrified his political opponents and removing him became a kamikaze mission for some. It was him or them, and them after years in the trenches won. 

He made some tub thumping speeches over time including to fringe events at tory party conference.

 

I know he is kind of a dumbass, that makes him just more likeable to me though.

'Genius' doesn't mean you are always right and perfect. The opposite actually since there is so much happening in your head, with layers of thought, they're most of the time if not always somewhat awkward, or peculiar... I prefer peculiar it sounds more cute.

Edited February 12 by MrsGently
'r

[MrsGently]

18 minutes ago, pellinore said:

You don't know him personally either, but I credit the opinions of people who do over yours. HIs one-time boss Max Hastings had this to say about him:

Dignity still matters in public office, and Johnson will never have it. Yet his graver vice is cowardice, reflected in a willingness to tell any audience, whatever he thinks most likely to please, heedless of the inevitability of its contradiction an hour later.

Like many showy personalities, he is of weak character. I recently suggested to a radio audience that he supposes himself to be Winston Churchill, while in reality being closer to Alan Partridge......

 My old friend Christopher Bland, when chairman of the BBC, once described to me how he received an angry phone call from Johnson, denouncing the corporation’s “gross intrusion upon my personal life” for its coverage of one of his love affairs.

“We know plenty about your personal life that you would not like to read in the Spectator,” the then editor of the magazine told the BBC’s chairman, while demanding he order the broadcaster to lay off his own dalliances.

Bland told me he replied: “Boris, think about what you have just said. There is a word for it, and it is not a pretty one.”

.....Johnson would not recognise truth, whether about his private or political life, if confronted by it in an identity parade. .

In a commonplace book the other day, I came across an observation made in 1750 by a contemporary savant, Bishop Berkeley: “It is impossible that a man who is false to his friends and neighbours should be true to the public.” Almost the only people who think Johnson a nice guy are those who do not know him.

....Yet the Tories, in their terror, have elevated a cavorting charlatan to the steps of Downing Street, and they should expect to pay a full forfeit when voters get the message. 

I was Boris Johnson’s boss: he is utterly unfit to be prime minister | Max Hastings | The Guardian

He is mostly just funny and eager to please. That is not per se a bbad quality, only when literal people with no or less sense of humor expect politicians to be 'Christ preaching dogma'

 

Like this

Quote

“I have as much chance of becoming Prime Minister as of being decapitated by a frisbee or of finding Elvis.”

That's just objectively funny.

where the Johnson quote is from, the standard

 

mixed with wisdom

Quote

“There is absolutely no one, apart from yourself, who can prevent you, in the middle of the night, from sneaking down to tidy up the edges of that hunk of cheese at the back of the fridge

that is true & funny

Edited February 12 by MrsGently
add

[L.A.T.1961]

Just now, MrsGently said:

I know he is kind of a dumbass, that makes him just more likeable to me though.

'Genius' doesn't mean you are always right and perfect. The opposite actually since there is so much happening in your head, with layers of thought, there most of the time if not always somewhat awkward, or peculiar... I prefer peculiar it sounds more cute.

I think Biden was a professional politician, illustrated by how long he has been around, but now he is a sorry shadow of his former self and should stand down for the good of everybody concerned. If I meet him in the pub I would expect an interesting chat. 

 

[MrsGently]

5 minutes ago, L.A.T.1961 said:

I think Biden was a professional politician, illustrated by how long he has been around, but now he is a sorry shadow of his former self and should stand down for the good of everybody concerned. If I meet him in the pub I would expect an interesting chat. 

 

Biden

 

Exactly as you say he at some point 'served well' and was to US politics for sure helpful along the way but democracy shouldn't be 'and now it is your turn to play king for 4-8 years'

Edited February 12 by MrsGently
image placing

[pellinore]

57 minutes ago, MrsGently said:

I know he is kind of a dumbass, that makes him just more likeable to me though.

'Genius' doesn't mean you are always right and perfect. The opposite actually since there is so much happening in your head, with layers of thought, they're most of the time if not always somewhat awkward, or peculiar... I prefer peculiar it sounds more cute.

He appeals to a certain part of the electorate. They 'like' him. He has been sacked from every job he has had through dishonesty, including his last one as PM. You like him because you don't know him- neither do I, but people who do, from his schooldays through to the present think he is detestable, selfish, lazy and narcissistic.

[MrsGently]

1 minute ago, pellinore said:

... detestable, selfish, lazy and narcissistic.

well there is your answer: they say the same about me.

[L.A.T.1961]

Boris is set to have a regular spot on GB news. His comment's on there could well have a noticeable impact on the UK election.

And upset the likes of Emily Maitlis and Adam Boulton.

https://inews.co.uk/news/bbc-emily-maitlis-impartiality-robbie-gibb-1814934

https://order-order.com/2023/09/28/how-to-complain-to-ofcom-about-newsnights-extreme-unbalanced-coverage-of-gb-news/

 

[pellinore]

56 minutes ago, L.A.T.1961 said:

Boris is set to have a regular spot on GB news. His comment's on there could well have a noticeable impact on the UK election.

And upset the likes of Emily Maitlis and Adam Boulton.

https://inews.co.uk/news/bbc-emily-maitlis-impartiality-robbie-gibb-1814934

https://order-order.com/2023/09/28/how-to-complain-to-ofcom-about-newsnights-extreme-unbalanced-coverage-of-gb-news/

 

Maybe, maybe not. He has a regular column in the Mail and gets little support in the comments section. He is pretty much accepted as a liar by the electorate now. People are still hurting by not being allowed to be with their loved ones while they died, while he was whooping it up at parties. The drunken Abba party took place the night before Prince Phillips funeral.

[pellinore]

1 hour ago, MrsGently said:

well there is your answer: they say the same about me.

You're not detestable.