So the dishonest Prime Minister has finally done the decent thing. OK, let me try again. The lying Prime minister has finally done the honourable, OK, right.. Boris Johnson has resigned without resigning – after half his cabinet quit, and has installed himself as interim Prime Minister until the next one is elected. In his non-resignation speech he spoke of his sadness that his dream of being the king of the world has come to an end, particularly since he thought he was doing a jolly good job.
There was no regret, no shame, and no apologies. Instead, he gave us a couple of minutes of his highlights real, like they show on TV when a celebrity wannabee gets voted off a reality show, because they’re not like – anyone’s type – on paper.
His smugness and arrogance know no limits. It looked at one point as though the bailiffs might have to be called to evict him. But none of it should come as a surprise.
I’ve repeated this before, but it still astounds me that some people, who are otherwise perfectly normal on the face of it, voted for him because he was funny. Everyone that has ever worked with him, for him, or around him, has always known that he is a liar that cannot be trusted. His closest allies call him a liability. His biggest cheerleaders admit that he has the attention span of a gnat. Commentators say he is clueless when it comes to detail, and yet he won over swathes of voters, with his comical mannerisms and blatant lies. Despite his previous sackings for dishonesty, his attitude towards women and his all-around lack of respect for rules, he won a massive majority because Labour elected the wrong man.
Some will argue that things would have been even worse had Corbyn won, and in many ways, they might be right.
Boris Johnson’s premiership will be (if he goes in a timely fashion) the shortest in decades and yet it seems to have gone on for an eternity. He lied to the public, he lied to his wife, he lied to politicians, he lied about lying and then said he forgot about lying. He possibly even lied when he said he was stepping down. His underlings have been sent out time and again to defend him. Even when his behaviour was indefensible, they defended him shamelessly. We sacrificed their own dignity, self-respect and credibility repeatedly to facilitate his lies and deceit. In the face of irrefutable facts, they told bare-faced lies to protect him. Now, when it has become clear that the country has finally woken up from the hypnotic trance that they have been in, and their own cash cow is in peril, they would have us believe they have suddenly developed a conscience. Absolute utter tripe.
They are lining up now to have their own shot at power – some of them feigning reluctance, claiming that they have received so many texts from supporters that it would be rude not to. His loyal troupe, that have finally turned on him, tried to trivialise his deceit at every opportunity. ‘He had a slice of cake – he was ambushed by a karaoke machine and a suitcase full of shampers.’ That’s government-speak for he was on the lash, while you plebs followed the rules. He broke the very rules he set, while the Queen sat alone at her husband’s funeral, and while members of the public were unable to say goodbye to loved ones. He was found to be dishonest and corrupt time and time again, and they were resolute in their defence of his contempt for us. The outpouring of exasperation and mass resignations should fool no one. Self-promotion and self-preservation are all the Tories are interested in. There has been and will be no levelling up. There will be no end to the north-south divide. There will be no end to them protecting their privilege and doing dodgy deals with friends and mistresses to line their own pockets or further their own careers. They allowed thousands of people in care homes to die, presumably viewing it as natural selection. They have failed to get a grip on the economy, on crime, on housing and on education. They have widened the gap between the richest and the poorest people in society. They have taken us out of Europe on the back of a pack of lies and false promises. The austerity they imposed on the public and blamed on the Labour party after the worldwide global crash has left massive holes in local authority budgets. Their only policy appears to be attacking the opposition for the state the country is in, seemingly oblivious that they have been in charge for over a decade. The one truth we have seen from Johnson, is his being true to himself. He openly said he will never change. We all knew what he stood for. I don’t blame him. I blame the people who voted for him. The people on TV, now saying I voted for him but I won’t vote Tory again, have brought this on us. It’s not acceptable to blame it on Jeremy Corbyn or remainers. There were missed opportunities to get rid of them way before Corbynism. History told us what state the Tories would leave this country in – there are still communities up and down the country struggling to recover from the last time they had the keys to Downing Street, but people ignored that in favour of a clown. Boris didn’t cause this, those that voted for him did. Shame on them.
Jason Holyhead 