Is BoJo like Donnie?
18/12/19 20:28![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fridi posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
talkpolitics
Boris Johnson is often compared to Donald Trump, and not just because of their ridiculous hair style. Britain's presumed shift to the right (starting with Brexit in 2016, just a few months before Trump's victory) does kind of resemble the US experience, I'll give you that.
Now that the Tories have comfortably won a huge majority, we'll see how this comparison unfolds. Actually some believe Johnson will be free to unleash the social liberal within himself, departing from his pre-election populism. It's notable that the morning after the win, he said it's time for the polarizing debate on Brexit to end, and "healing to start".
He has the full majority now. He can do whatever he likes. And he's finally free of the Brexit hardliners, no longer their hostage. Which means he can afford to do things his way, and do the Brexit the way he wants, avoiding the worst-case scenarios, especially in terms of trade, and the delivery of essential goods.
Other issues that BoJo was active about during the election campaign, like limiting migration and introducing ID rules for voters, do look like something US Republicans could also sign up for, but there are issues that seem important in the US while they have little impact on UK politics, like abortion, or gun control.
Previous British governments (also Tory) didn't do much to address climate change, but unlike their current US counterparts, they don't deny it as a fact. Johnson has promised not to privatize the national healthy service, which is the main welfare pillar in the UK, and he doesn't seem likely to stick to his predecessors' austerity plans. So, no parallel there either.
He may look silly at times, but he's not as stupid as Trump, far from it. He knows that if he keeps moving to the right, he'd leave little room for maneuvering on policies like the environment, looking after the most vulnerable (unlike the US, British society is obsessed with this one), and he'd also be finding himself on the wrong side of the direction where most major UK corporations are moving right now.
The British stocks and currency rallied after his victory, which suggests that business expects Johnson to do the right thing now. Well, many in the US expected the same of Trump, but... Oh well.
(no subject)
Date: 18/12/19 19:58 (UTC)Word from the civil service is that they have distinct qualms about just how socially liberal Boris's administration will be.
He is bright, true; but also has a habit of saying one thing for publicity purposes and then doing whatever he wants anyway. So it may be that he has two policies and tosses a coin between the two of them, but one position for the purposes of political publicity.
(no subject)
Date: 19/12/19 08:01 (UTC)He's the perfect politician.
(no subject)
Date: 19/12/19 09:53 (UTC)https://johnny9fingers.dreamwidth.org/327418.html
And he may be a political genius, but he’s wrong about Brexit. I tried my best to let folk know what was what; but I fear my voice doesn’t carry.
(no subject)
Date: 19/12/19 23:28 (UTC)https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/19/queens-speech-nhs-funding-and-terrorist-sentencing-at-centre-of-plans
I guess the Queen’s speech gives us an inkling...