Boris and his lockdown birthday party

Callistemon21

^It truly grieves me to see the UK a laughing stock all around the world, because of him.^

From what I hear, there is so much worry and so much dissatisfaction with politicians in general around the world that they barely give Boris or the British a thought.

The people I know from around the world certainly aren't devoting hours of their lives to worrying about our PM, but they are wondering what on earth has happened to the UK, and Boris is the figurehead that represents what has gone wrong.

The idea that every politician is bad is partly what got us into this situation in the first place.

I do hear complaints from people who actually live in those countries whose politicians are held up as shining lights on GN.

janeainsworth

^It truly grieves me to see the UK a laughing stock all around the world, because of him^.
I don’t think we need you to rub salt into our wounds Kali.
Personally I don’t care what you or the rest of the world thinks of our country.
What I care about is the fact that our young people are growing up in a country where sleaze, corruption and dishonesty in public life are now seen as the norm.
I don’t have much faith that we can recover from this either.

Well, I care what the rest of the world thinks of the UK.

Despite not being a flag-waving "patriot", I've always been quite proud to be part of a country which was admired (warts and all). It's really not nice to be made fun of - and there certainly are people in other countries who know what's been happening in the UK.

Are other countries actually making fun of us, and enjoying the spectacle? That’s what ‘laughing stock’ implies.

Untrustworthiness is a very serious charge, I agree, but very different from being a laughing stock.

Being described as a ‘laughing stock’ perhaps says more about those doing the laughing than those being laughed at.

I see nothing to laugh at in our present situation. If others want to laugh, let them.

So I looked up the meaning of laughing stock in the online Collins dictionary:

If you say that a person or an organization has become a laughing stock, you mean that they are supposed to be important or serious but have been made to seem ridiculous.

Seems apt. No actual laughing involved.

BJ is appalling and must go but I don't agree Theresa M is a pillar of perfection: look at her hostile environment approach to immigrants and the incompetent actions of the Home Office, both when she was in charge there. She is better than BJ though.

Are other countries actually making fun of us, and enjoying the spectacle?

Yes.

For starters ...

www.itv.com/news/2022-01-13/darkest-days-the-worlds-media-reacts-to-boris-johnsons-party-scandal

The only way May is preferable To Johnson is that she appears honest and has a modicum of integrity.

Well, most people are higher in those stakes than Johnson.

And she’s not stark, raving bonkers

Whitewavemark2

The only way May is preferable To Johnson is that she appears honest and has a modicum of integrity.

Well, most people are higher in those stakes than Johnson.

May was totally controlled by the ERG, hard Brexit, 'Free' markets, deregualation, wing of the tory party in just the same way that Johnson is now. It was the ERG that brought her down.

There's absolutely no reason to believe that she could do any better the second time around.

Any leader that tried to tame them would split the party and that is what the party is most frightened of because it would mean losing power.

I've come to the sad conclusion that we're stuck with Johnson until the next GE.

Alegrias the word ‘ridiculous’ is derived from the Latin verb ‘ridere’ meaning to laugh.
The Cambridge Dictionary definition of ridiculous is ‘stupid or unreasonable and deserving to be laughed at’.
I can’t help suspecting that was what Kali had in mind when she described us as a laughing stock.

Yes I know. But thanks anyway.

A bit of a classical education is the one thing I have in common with our PM. Although mine stopped when I was 17.

However, we are a still laughing stock. And we deserve it.

janeainsworth

Alegrias the word ‘ridiculous’ is derived from the Latin verb ‘ridere’ meaning to laugh.
The Cambridge Dictionary definition of ridiculous is ‘stupid or unreasonable and deserving to be laughed at’.
I can’t help suspecting that was what Kali had in mind when she described us as a laughing stock.

Sounds about right to me.

''Are other countries actually making fun of us, and enjoying the spectacle? That’s what ‘laughing stock’ implies.''

yes, the Press everywhere in the world, the cartoonists, social media- and people I talk to all the time. I find it heart-breaking, and spend all my time trying to re-dress, but in vain.

Having been alive a long time ,and gone in and out of different leaderships. Both main parties are as bad as each other, Who ever gets to be Prime Minister ,.After a while it becomes the same ,and everyone is criticizing them. I did hear that the Labour party had some sort of Xmas celebration, that seems to have gone quiet. Just how much can we believe from Politicians. If Boris gets booted out, we can then start criticizing the next Leader and on it goes, Its rather petty for this to be main news, when there is talk of Russia and there invasion. Surely we should be focusing on that and not a birthday party.

I don't believe it's petty at all. It shows that we have a leader who makes rules which he's not prepare to follow himself and then to lie about it. I expect more from the person leading my country.

Any leader that tried to tame them would split the party and that is what the party is most frightened of because it would mean losing power And this is exactly why we are in the mess we are in, due to Cameron trying to calm the ERG by calling the referendum, and we all know how well that is working out don't we? So, not only are we being ruled by a minority administration, there is a minority within the minority, so about 35 people? Terrifying, Mark Francois, Peter Bone........god help us

janeainsworth

Are other countries actually making fun of us, and enjoying the spectacle? That’s what ‘laughing stock’ implies.

Untrustworthiness is a very serious charge, I agree, but very different from being a laughing stock.

Being described as a ‘laughing stock’ perhaps says more about those doing the laughing than those being laughed at.

I see nothing to laugh at in our present situation. If others want to laugh, let them.

I suspect much of Kali's posts are cut and paste jobs from many of her earlier posts over very many years.

so, not only are we being ruled by a minority administration, there is a minority within the minority, so about 35 people? Terrifying, Mark Francois, Peter Bone........god help us

Not such a minority, GillT57. They are pretty much the people who voted against the Covid Regulations in December. 100 of them. That's the tory majority gone...

What a powerful lever they hold over any PM.

Callistemon21

janeainsworth

Are other countries actually making fun of us, and enjoying the spectacle? That’s what ‘laughing stock’ implies.

Untrustworthiness is a very serious charge, I agree, but very different from being a laughing stock.

Being described as a ‘laughing stock’ perhaps says more about those doing the laughing than those being laughed at.

I see nothing to laugh at in our present situation. If others want to laugh, let them.

I suspect much of Kali's posts are cut and paste jobs from many of her earlier posts over very many years.

Prove it?

Why are you attacking the poster? If you don't think her stance is correct then prove it's wrong, don't make snidey posts about it.

They are pretty much the people who voted against the Covid Regulations in December. 100 of them

And huge thanks to them from many. The best response ever in Europe.
Look where we are and our FREEDOMS!
Excellent.

Just an aside - I like the new font for italics - it’s much clearer!

I wasn't attacking the poster, just saying that so many of these posts sound so familiar.
I don't have to prove it to anyone who has a good memory.

I sometimes see cartoons from other countries about Johnson. Since Trump departed I don’t recall seeing cartoons about other world leaders so surely that means that he is regarded as a figure if fun both here and abroad?