Gransnet forums

Chat

A Bit of a Boris Giggle

(63 Posts)
ferry23 Sat 20-Sept-25 17:34:18

I'm reading Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York

I'm not really a Boris Johnson fan, but he's gone up a bit in my estimation after I read what he said after being summonsed to lunch by Prince Andrew -

"I'm the last person to be a republican but f***, if I ever have to spend another lunch like that, I soon will be"

25Avalon Sat 20-Sept-25 17:38:29

He is a very good after dinner speaker I am told. Pity he wasn’t a very good pm.

Oreo Sat 20-Sept-25 21:01:31

Sounds like a good read ferry 😁
He could have been a good PM if he’d put his mind to it but he’s basically lazy so a journalist’s life suits him better.I find it hard to forgive the way he behaved at times.

Primrose53 Sat 20-Sept-25 21:18:19

Boris is good fun and has great charisma. He is big and lumpy with a dreadful haircut (if you can call it that) but I can understand why so many women have been attracted to him, married him, had affairs with him etc.

I will look out for the book. Thanks

valdavi Sat 20-Sept-25 21:40:03

I agree about the charisma.
I also agree Oreo that he could've been a good PM but after an initial burst of energy, he didn't put the hours in to be on top of the detail, & it caught up with him & it all ended up a mess. He did have Covid early on though, maybe that affected him, I might have to read the book.
I find it hard to forgive him campaigning for Brexit as I don't think he believed it was best for the country.

Calendargirl Sun 21-Sept-25 00:06:32

I’ve just finished ‘Entitled’ and I too, was amused by Boris’ comment.

I think he is a fervent monarchist.

Calendargirl Sun 21-Sept-25 00:10:28

Primrose53

Boris is good fun and has great charisma. He is big and lumpy with a dreadful haircut (if you can call it that) but I can understand why so many women have been attracted to him, married him, had affairs with him etc.

I will look out for the book. Thanks

I agree

Some time ago, I read the Tasha Swire (think that was her name) book ‘Diary Of A Politician’s Wife’, and she wrote how Boris was the best person to sit next to at dinner, witty, charming, flirtatious…

Just not great as PM.

Magenta8 Sun 21-Sept-25 15:17:54

Primrose53

Boris is good fun and has great charisma. He is big and lumpy with a dreadful haircut (if you can call it that) but I can understand why so many women have been attracted to him, married him, had affairs with him etc.

I will look out for the book. Thanks

I think you might be disappointed with "Entitled" as Boris does not feature much.

The book is mainly concerned with the disgusting and deeply shocking way that Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson behave.

It is not an amusing or uplifting read.

Allira Sun 21-Sept-25 15:41:06

Oreo

Sounds like a good read ferry 😁
He could have been a good PM if he’d put his mind to it but he’s basically lazy so a journalist’s life suits him better.I find it hard to forgive the way he behaved at times.

As valdavi reminded us, he had Covid and was in fact very ill with it.
Perhaps he had brain fog afterwards but didn't realise.

Chocolatelovinggran Sun 21-Sept-25 15:46:54

Well, I'm not fan of Mr Johnson, but that did make me smile - I'm even less enthusiastic about Prince Andrew.
I agree with everyone here who says that he was a poor Prime Minister because he lacked interest in putting the work in: those who have worked with him say that this is a recurring motif in his life.
My DIL heard him speak at a business dinner and said that he was very witty and engaging. That's definitely the right career for him.

MayBee70 Sun 21-Sept-25 15:51:35

Allira

Oreo

Sounds like a good read ferry 😁
He could have been a good PM if he’d put his mind to it but he’s basically lazy so a journalist’s life suits him better.I find it hard to forgive the way he behaved at times.

As valdavi reminded us, he had Covid and was in fact very ill with it.
Perhaps he had brain fog afterwards but didn't realise.

He caught covid because he didn’t take it seriously. And I believe he had to be prevented from going to see the Queen when he was suffering from it, too. The worst possible PM at the worst possible time imo.

Primrose53 Sun 21-Sept-25 17:11:29

This is Boris at his finest, reciting extracts of The Iliad in Greek.
You can see the lady interviewing him is enchanted and the audience just love it! Not many could do this.

youtu.be/VzJQ0TcBmqU?feature=shared

eazybee Sun 21-Sept-25 17:33:36

Boris was disorganised and impetuous; lack of attention to detail, but he was not lazy. He did get Covid badly but was trying to carry on working, something so many others did not do.
He had the full backing of the Tory party because he was good at winning; once he had won the Election they wanted to replace him with Sunak, hence all the conspiracy and jockeying to get him into position only to be pipped at the post by Liz Truss, because the Tory electorate did not like to be manipulated. When Sunak was finally in position he blew it, because he simply was not used to failing and couldn't cope with all the criticism; he took many good MPs down with him.
Now it seems that Labour is going the same way with infighting and different factions, and whatever I think of Labour it won't be good for the country if Starmer cannot pull them together.

ferry23 Sun 21-Sept-25 17:35:37

Primrose53

This is Boris at his finest, reciting extracts of The Iliad in Greek.
You can see the lady interviewing him is enchanted and the audience just love it! Not many could do this.

youtu.be/VzJQ0TcBmqU?feature=shared

I wonder if he ever thought, whilst at Balliol, what possible use will it be to be able to recite The Iliad. Well there you are. And it is impressive.

That's pretty much what I used to think about logarithms, sines and cosines and I still haven't found a use for them grin

Maremia Sun 21-Sept-25 18:14:17

Was he as badly ill as described? He was up chatting to the nurses all night, so his breathing was not too disturbed.

JenniferEccles Sun 21-Sept-25 18:19:29

I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Boris, despite his faults.

Teazel2 Sun 21-Sept-25 18:29:01

I have a soft spot for him too, he was stabbed in the back by his own party which is why .i will never vote Tory again. Will look out for the book.

Cumbrianmale56 Sun 21-Sept-25 19:08:29

I can remember a family friend who was a technician in the RAF and normally a monarchist, but he told us when Prince Andrew was doing his basic flight training at RAF Leeming, he was a complete snob who wouldn't speak to anyone but commissioned officers and was unpopular even with some of the officers.
Also there is a tale from a royal servant that Andrew was told off by the Queen Mother for calling the characters in Coronation St " these common people". Obviously the fool was too mch of a snob to realise the show appealed to an ex Queen and was sometimes watched by his mother,

JenniferEccles Sun 21-Sept-25 19:18:09

I have no doubt at all about how seriously ill he was, and although there was undoubtedly ‘an abundance of caution’ given he was the PM, he wouldn’t have been put in intensive care unless it had been deemed necessary.

I remember the very unpleasant rumours flying around at the time doubting the seriousness of his condition.

Visgir1 Sun 21-Sept-25 19:29:23

I met Boris when I was a "Games Maker" at the 2012 London Olympics. He stood and chatted to some of us, he came across as a charmer, natural with an easy wit. Only a short encounter but made an impression on me.

Allira Sun 21-Sept-25 19:37:56

Cumbrianmale56

I can remember a family friend who was a technician in the RAF and normally a monarchist, but he told us when Prince Andrew was doing his basic flight training at RAF Leeming, he was a complete snob who wouldn't speak to anyone but commissioned officers and was unpopular even with some of the officers.
Also there is a tale from a royal servant that Andrew was told off by the Queen Mother for calling the characters in Coronation St " these common people". Obviously the fool was too mch of a snob to realise the show appealed to an ex Queen and was sometimes watched by his mother,

I know someone who served with him in the RN. ☹

MayBee70 Sun 21-Sept-25 19:55:39

eazybee

Boris was disorganised and impetuous; lack of attention to detail, but he was not lazy. He did get Covid badly but was trying to carry on working, something so many others did not do.
He had the full backing of the Tory party because he was good at winning; once he had won the Election they wanted to replace him with Sunak, hence all the conspiracy and jockeying to get him into position only to be pipped at the post by Liz Truss, because the Tory electorate did not like to be manipulated. When Sunak was finally in position he blew it, because he simply was not used to failing and couldn't cope with all the criticism; he took many good MPs down with him.
Now it seems that Labour is going the same way with infighting and different factions, and whatever I think of Labour it won't be good for the country if Starmer cannot pull them together.

It was Johnson who threw out many of the good decent Conservative MP’s. And several of those that he didn’t throw out wouldn’t serve under him. Sunak didn’t destroy the party ( I think he was a pretty decent person and politician) Johnson and Truss had already done that.

Primrose53 Sun 21-Sept-25 20:10:10

Maremia

Was he as badly ill as described? He was up chatting to the nurses all night, so his breathing was not too disturbed.

Yes he was. He was absolutely grey in colour and his breathing was very poor.

Allira Sun 21-Sept-25 20:14:25

Maremia

Was he as badly ill as described? He was up chatting to the nurses all night, so his breathing was not too disturbed.

Who claimed that?
Were you there?

My DGN works there in ICU.

escaped Sun 21-Sept-25 20:25:37

He certainly has a way with words.
And gives a few laughs.