Forum Topic

Where's Wally?

Missing In (in)Action, it seems (older readers will remember the Where's Wally? newspaper game). But no worries, I'm sure our real prime minister, Dominic Cummings, is at the helm.

Richard Carter ● 2271d16 Comments

Richard, Boris hasn't changed.The real question is why did the DM and other papers/media expect him to be different?

Ed Robinson ● 2271d

The pattern of inaction, avoidance of scrutiny and disregard for parliament has been set from the beginning. But the slogan Get Brexit Done got him into power and those who voted him in can now repent at leisure while the government blunders its way through the Covid catastrophe, the school exams fiasco and the looming but still avoidable disaster of a no-deal Brexit on Dec 31st.  Just a pity that we’re all in it together.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2271d

Ed. I assume the owners of that section of the press wanted "their man" rather than Corbyn in power. Let's face it, Murdoch, the Barclay bros et al will all be shielded away from Covid, aren't worried about state schools or exams and have their money safely invested awash from the tax authorities ...Jonathan. Yes, Johnson is peformins as per expectations. Avoiding scrutiny of his incompetent actions and (when he's seen) bluffing his way with inaccuracies through Parliament.

Michael Ixer ● 2271d

Here's another, from the time when Johnson hid in a refrigerator to avoid reporters:

Richard Carter ● 2271d

Michael that is obviously true but doesn't explain the behaviour of the rest of the media.The Guardian and the BBC, for example, both held the opposition to a higher level of scrutiny than the government and Johnson. Not to mention so called centralists or as I call them the status quo brigade :)

Ed Robinson ● 2271d

Ed. There could be various reasons ... the BBC obviously has concerns about its licence revenue if it upsets the Tories too much and there was a lot of infighting in the opposition which may have been reflected in more scrutiny by the Gardian, etc? Corbyn seemed to be particularly unpopular. To be honest as Corbyn  was never likely to win an outright victory so any Labour minority government would have had its policies moderated by the centre parties. 

Michael Ixer ● 2271d

Dont see the problem half the nation is 'working from home' (on Brighton and Bournemouth  beaches). Surely he is available by phone etc if needed and isnt that why we have a cabinet with responsibly.

Andy Pike ● 2271d

Michael, the 2017 election results would seem to disprove many of those assumptions you mentioned according to a source!The point I was making, badly, it is the perceived moderate media that probably had most impact than Murdoch etc. If you take the independent and Evening Standard for example, they have provided huge support for Johnson. Fairly obvious given the ownership but no mention from many at the time.I always thought it was odd that there were more complaints about Johnson putting Lebedev in the Lords than there was about Lebedev helping to get Johnson in number 10!

Ed Robinson ● 2271d

Ed. Those were just hypotheses that I thought of for the 2019 election but I'd accept I could well be wrong. I think things changed between the 2017 and 2019 elections. From what I remember May lost her majority rather than Corbyn gained seats - again,  from memory, May was unpopular at that time and Corbyn seemed to grab the younger vote? Although I don't like his style, I think Johnson while superficial was a better (more plausible to those not analysing what he said?) salesman than Corbyn before the 2019 election? So he sold better to news editors and the voters?

Michael Ixer ● 2271d

I agree there were lots of mistakes and ultimately too much energy wasted infighting within the party. The election was almost certainly thrown with its Brexit policy for the sake of party unity.Regarding interviews, yes if only fridge light bulbs stayed on when the door shuts then perhaps Johnson's faults could have been illuminated a bit more!

Ed Robinson ● 2271d

The Mail reports that "Johnson's Great Escape descended into farce this afternoon after it emerged he had camped in a local sheep farmer's field without permission." What a fool! https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8650799/Boriss-Great-Escape-PM-flees-tent-moves-Old-School-House-remote-peninsula.html

Richard Carter ● 2271d

Give the guy a break, he had serious Covid a few months ago, his partner had a baby, he's had a lot to cope with.... nobody is superman/woman.  He needs a break and I think it's disgusting that the DM has "tracked" him down.  Even though they went to a place that was so remote, the papers are relentless in harassment and stalking, I find it really appalling and probably illegal, or it should be.

Bunny Payne ● 2271d

Excuse me, but isn't he supposed to be in charge of the country? If he's not up go it for health (or other) reasons, he should step down and let someone else do the job.

Richard Carter ● 2271d

Normally I'd consider it good for someone in a stressful job to take a break away from it. However, in order to do that one needs a strong and competent deputy who can be trusted to make decisions. The trouble is who is there that can fulfil the role in Johnson's cabinet? Raab stood in while Johnson was in hospital but didn't inspire confidence in his time doing that - Johnson might trust him on the basis that he's not a likely to make a bad decisions because he won't make any decisions ....there's Gove - but I can't see, given his record, Johnson trusting him ... Sunak might be competent but would Johnson be worried about being shown up by him? I can't see any other deputies in the yes, sir, three Brexits full, sir bunch in the cabinet.

Michael Ixer ● 2271d

If anyone came to my house looking like unshaven dissolute  Johnson in that bobble hat (printed in Daily Mail) I'd lock the door.

Alexander MacLeod ● 2270d

It seems our incompetent PM pitched his bell tent in the farmer’s field next to the garden. Without permission. Then used chairs from the cottage to clamber over the fence. The rented cottage looks quite nice in the pictures in the papers, I can’t see the logic of using a tent bearing in mind his newborn baby and dog. Perhaps he was “pretend camping” so he could claim he was just like ordinary people. That doesn’t seem to have gone well - he lasted three days. I did say he was incompetent ...Nick

Nicholas Evans ● 2270d