Why do Conservatives like Johnson?

I can understand how in the past leaders got elected and later turned out to have feet of clay.

But in this case, how anyone could contemplate voting for someone who has repeatedly shown himself to be an unrepentant, amoral liar is beyond mystifying.

Everyone is entitled to make a mistake and the hope is they go on to demonstrate that they have learned from it. Despite his many privileges, Johnson has built his career on doing the opposite. For which he is repeatedly rewarded. How do we explain his premiership to the younger generations we tried to bring up as decent, honest people?

crystaltipps
I'm happy to repeat the reference:

“Boris is a gold medal egomaniac… His chaotic public persona is not an act – he is, indeed, manically disorganised about everything except his own image management. He is also a far more ruthless, and frankly nastier, figure than the public appreciates… I would not take Boris’s word about whether it is Monday or Tuesday… He is not a man to believe in, to trust or respect, save as a superlative exhibitionist. He is bereft of judgment, loyalty and discretion. Only in the star-crazed, friviolous Britain of the 21st century could such a man have risen so high, and he is utterly unfit to go higher still.”
Sir Max Hastings
under whom B. Johnson worked at the Telegraph for several years.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Interesting reference from one of his previous employers - “I wouldn’t trust Boris to tell me whether it was Tuesday or Wednesday “

he tells its how it is

I have seen this phrase a few times in connection to NF and BJ.

What does it mean?

Do you mean something like
"The opening of the doors to 29 million Romanians and Bulgarians is going to become a huge issue"

"It is said that the Queen has come to love the Commonwealth, partly because it supplies her with regular cheering crowds of flag-waving picaninnies; and one can imagine that Blair, twice victor abroad but enmired at home, is similarly seduced by foreign politeness. They say he is shortly off to the Congo. No doubt the AK47s will fall silent, and the pangas will stop their hacking of human flesh, and the tribal warriors will all break out in Watermelon smiles to see the big white chief touch down in his big white British taxpayer-funded bird"

It will be so interesting when it is narrowed down to two, and goes out to members of the party. Don't take it for granted yet Boris. They might not like you!

Such fun.

Lord knows.

He was a member of the infamous Bullingdon Club when he was younger and has (IMHO) always been a privileged buffoon.

Perfect PM material!

Say no more.

Boris - Trumplike or Trumplite? That is indeed the question. Either way disaster lies. That Britain should lose the Empire was inevitable but that it should lose it's soul?

I can only think he 'has the dirt' on them. Cannot express how low my opinion of him is.

O Come on , he tells its how it is . The trouble with people in Britain today they want everything sugar coated . He want to see brexit through that so many million voted for . Let him get us out of the EU , then if he is doing a bad job , you can then kick him to the kerb .

There was a thread on Mumsnet recently by people that had worked with or for Johnson. The general consensus was that he looked down on ordinary people and was only interested in his own posh clique. He was also lazy and disorganised but good at delegating and taking the credit for the work of others. The only women he was interested in were the ones he considered beddable.

It made interesting reading.

trisher, I think you have hit the nail firmly on the head.

His father also appears on reality TV show, adding to the myth that they are jolly fun people with larger the life personalities.

I agree with Nanniejcl too - all the polls say that BJ is the one to defeat Jeremy Corbyn. Tory MPs want to keep their jobs and members of the Tory party want to keep their party in power.
Though I am a socialist I could never support the Labour party whilst Corbyn is in power. His dyed in the wool 60's Socialist Worker policies would be far worse for the British economy and citizens than any hard Brexit.
I do not believe May and the EU when they say that the deal on the table is the best that can be achieved. BJ definitely has major faults but his bravado and blustering may actually result in a better deal. And since we have democratically decided to leave this is what we must hope for.

I think Boris has charisma in bucket loads which, sadly Mrs May was distinctly lacking. I think the Tory party will hope that he will reinstate some lost popularity with the electorate at the next election.

PS Nanniejcl thanks you answered my question

Nanniejcl wrote:

"With Nigel & the Brexit Party snapping at their tails they have to chose someone who will win the most votes in a General Election ,which may not be too far away & I’m afraid if they don’t give us Brexit the Conservatives will be finished.I preferred Rabb but unfortunately The MPs we have at the moment are a sorry bunch & he didn’t get the votes.The only reason Rory Stewart has got through is because the Tory MPs who want to remain have voted for him.Many of the Tory MPs who are Remainers are representing a leave voting constituency so will be de -selected as will the labour MPs who did the same.May be the making of Boris but sadly we may be saddled with another May,we really need a strong Pm & politics needs a real shake up."

Then do we need proportional representation? Would PR get rid of party affiliations?

If he wins he'll be the uk equivelant if Trump, although not chosen by the electorate.

What is the world coming to.

I'd favour Rory Stewart but I think he's too honest, and possibly too weak to win.

I live in a very safe conservative seat with an MP who was an early Boris supporter. He's an intelligent man, so I really can't understand what he is thinking, except he's an ardent Brexiteer. I am also a member of the party (joined so I could vote in the last round when May got the crown). I'll be voting for the Any One but Boris candidate and if the philandering buffoon wins will be returning my membership and voting Liberal at the next GE

Urmstongran wrote:

"I think they want Brexit.

And the Conservatives let us have the referendum and know Nigel Farage is watching events and waiting to hoover up votes if they don’t get it done."

I do understand that, Urmston. I cannot understand how any MP from any party could put the safety of his party before the country.

Interesting

I just read that in a speech Johnson gave to business men over the weekend he stated that he would almost certainly keep Mays deal but just tinker with it.

Anyone surprised ? No? Neither am I

With Nigel & the Brexit Party snapping at their tails they have to chose someone who will win the most votes in a General Election ,which may not be too far away & I’m afraid if they don’t give us Brexit the Conservatives will be finished.I preferred Rabb but unfortunately The MPs we have at the moment are a sorry bunch & he didn’t get the votes.The only reason Rory Stewart has got through is because the Tory MPs who want to remain have voted for him.Many of the Tory MPs who are Remainers are representing a leave voting constituency so will be de -selected as will the labour MPs who did the same.May be the making of Boris but sadly we may be saddled with another May,we really need a strong Pm & politics needs a real shake up.

varian: "Why do Italians like Silvio Berlusconi or Beppe Grillo?

People vote for clowns." Plus, what Trisher wrote.

Yes, I see that. However, MPs are basically intelligent and are not likely to be carried away by a handsome pair of trousers. MPs even some Labour MPs are career people . So how is Johnson going to serve them?

urnanstrong. Wrong AGAIN. I’m not a Tory but he’s the only one who is listening and he wants an orderly Brexit ( an act of disastrous self harm!) He has tried to get the withdrawal bill through,! Get your facts right instead of just showing your prejudice. But he has a terrible record of voting for austerity. He says he has followed Corbyns style of campaign because he managed to quadruple membership .

He's a baffoon, and for a party that is a joke, well suited.

I agree with what so many have said in this thread - and think BJ is riding high for the same, or similar, reason as Trump is in America. There is an uprising of whatever "populism' means - people who feel neglected or in some way not heard; they seem to vote for reasons not related to the well being of the country. For instance many seem to have voted for Brexit "as a protest". What does that really mean? So BJ knows he rings a lot of bells for these voters and like Trump can get away with being incompetent, unreliable, and all the rest - so long as he has tousled blond hair (a bit less towsled now he wants to be PM) and people think he is a 'jolly good fellow'. We could do with a leader who is rational and not on an ego trip, and cares for the long term wellbeing of our country, the world, and all of us, especially the most disadvantaged . Where is she/he?