BoJo exposed

[luzribeiro]

The first news is that the "fat pig", as former Prime Minister David Cameron used to call his friend Boris Johnson, has once again slipped out of the hands of his opponents. The other news is that the British prime minister has survived a no-confidence vote invoked by his own conservative party members, with a worse result than his predecessor, Theresa May, three years ago. I suspect there's hardly anything else that angers Johnson more than this fact.

The historical examples are not very encouraging anyway. Theresa May resigned six months after that vote, when it was found that only 60% of her party members supported her. And her political collapse came in part because Boris Johnson, the guy in question, was tirelessly plotting political intrigues behind her back, so that Ms Mae had no choice but to wave the white flag and quit.

John Major, on the other hand, survived a no-confidence vote over the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, but failed miserably in the next election. These facts do not bode well for Johnson either.

The British Prime Minister should take a very serious cue from his party's vote. But the master of fast-paced Downing Street moves also excels at being able to adjust political facts as he sees fit. The fact that 59% of his MPs still voted for him will now be interpreted by him as a victory that gives him a mandate to continue on the same path. After this vote, he'll still have a whole year during which he has no reason to fear new attacks from inside his own ranks.

Brexit Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg likes to say, "A one-vote majority is still a majority." This adage is very convenient for Boris Johnson, but it's actually a fallacy. Because after this vote, Johnson has lost his special political power of a man who in all circumstances remains a brilliant political winner. Now that brilliance has faded, the prime minister has been irreparably weakened. No matter how long he manages to stay in office, Johnson no longer has the prospect of great deeds, so he's doomed to barely move from now on, let alone maneuver.

The result of yesterday's vote was a real failure for one more reason - it showed how Johnson's party members appreciate his character. Let's not forget that the reason for the growing discontent among Johnson's party members was the scandal surrounding those fun parties on Downing Street during the severe lockdown. And they were not just one or two. Johnson and his closest associates have repeatedly violated strict isolation rules imposed by themselves on British citizens. The social media is full of testimonials from angry Britons who were not allowed to see their dying relatives in hospitals while people in the government were having fun time. In the ensuing hearing in the Commons, the prime minister even lied to parliament, denying any violations of the rules. Even that would be reason enough to resign or replace Johnson.

When Johnson came to power, the former editor-in-chief of the Conservative newspaper the Telegraph wrote of his former colleague Boris that for all his talent as a political showman, he was "completely incapable" of holding a senior position because he was being led by vanity and selfishness. Everyone in the Conservative Party was aware of this assessment, and many probably shared it, but after his victory two and a half years ago, they were clearly inclined to turn a blind eye to all his shortcomings.

Meanwhile, 60% of Britons, however, believe that the prime minister should resign or be removed from office - his winner aura has faded too much. The municipal elections in May have already brought serious losses to the Tories, and the second round is likely to end badly for them as well. It is also a fact that the prime minister's big projects - from the economic catching up in the British North to his healthcare reform - are just talk. Instead, the cost of living is rising and large sections of the population are impoverished.

This is all bad news for a man like Boris Johnson, who has focused mainly on self-expression instead of what is politically significant. Every next vote in the House of Commons will be a real test for him, and the drama in London will continue. This prime minister is unable to propose the serious policies that the country and many of his party members expect of him. Boris Johnson was a media star even before he entered politics, but then he never managed to become a real politician. And no whe has been exposed.

Comments

[dewline]

Yeah, there's knives being sharpened with him in mind, politically speaking. I figure on it taking six months, a year at most.

[draxil]

I think he [Cameron] actually called him [Johnson] a greased piglet?

But then he often had pigs on his mind so perhaps he had multiple pig related nicknames.

History says having a confidence vote where a large chunk of your own MPs don't want you around isn't promising. I'd guess he'll last longer than May did after hers.. This was probably the best outcome for Labour, denying the Torys a fresh start.

[luzribeiro]

Ah! Piglet it is, then. Quite fitting, admittedly.

[abomvubuso]

Isn't it curious how a scandal related to some folks doing some nasty partying while others are denied that pleasure, is more capable of knocking down an entire government than, say, its ineptitude in dealing with financial and economic challenges that really affect the bulk of the populace?

Priorities, I guess.