Is there no end to Johnson's high self regard and vanity?

GrammyGrammy

I would welcome Boris back as PM in a heartbeat. But then some of us are not leftie zombies, can think for ourselves and don't get brainwashed by the press as readily as those of you who were jibby jabbed and fell for the daily drip of anti-Boris stories. Boris at least tried to stand up against the enemies of this country.

There is a huge swathe of "lefties" who voted for your 'Boris' and for Brexit. Why do you assume that anyone who opposes him is on the Left anyway? They are not.

And I don't know where you get your information from - but I suspect it's the same place as the rest of us... the news and the media. And the 'daily drip' of anti-Boris stories is equally matched by the column inches devoted to attacking Starmer and, indeed, anyone else who doesn't support Boris.

And, who are the 'enemies' of this country? Boris has some questions to answer regarding Russian oligarchs on that point.

Ok, I'll grasp the nettle Grammygrammy: why would you welcome Boris back in a heartbeat?

What did he do for you that was so outstanding that you are able to overlook the standards of normal, decent behaviour such as honesty, integrity, hard work for others, faithfulness etc?

Or do these not matter to you, as long as you get what he told you you think you wanted?

I am trying, but arguably failing, not to be too snarky in my question, but you are going against the opinion of most political commentators, not just a few 'leftie zombies' such as myself on GN

HousePlantQueen

... I'm still trying to work out what jibby-jabbed means!

According to slangdefine.org it means "a moderate to large sized marijuana cigarette or joint", but some anti-vaxxers also use the phrase - so I'm a bit puzzled .

Never heard that name for a joint.

I wondered if it was another Roald Dahl-based thing…

‘Do you fancy a toot on my jibby-jab? It’s jolly good stuff’, the BFG asked young Sophie.

No wonder he had to be censored, the rotter

The Buffoon's claim to be running for Secretary General of NATO is ludicrous. He would need to be supported by the UK government as well as requiring the votes of the other members. Sunak is very unlikely to support him. It's just another bit of bluster to keep him in the public eye like pontificating about Ukraine or the NI protocol. If the Tories ever elect him as their leader again they're mad. Only Truss was a worse PM.

FannyCornforth

I wondered if it was another Roald Dahl-based thing…

‘Do you fancy a toot on my jibby-jab? It’s jolly good stuff’, the BFG asked young Sophie.

No wonder he had to be censored, the rotter

Oh snork, Fanny!

This week should be interesting. Sunak is attempting to get the NI agreement through and Johnson along with the ERG are threatening to scupper it.

I reckon whoever wins will show whether the far right is still in the ascendancy.

I have everything crossed that Johnson is defeated.

FannyCornforth

I wondered if it was another Roald Dahl-based thing…

‘Do you fancy a toot on my jibby-jab? It’s jolly good stuff’, the BFG asked young Sophie.

No wonder he had to be censored, the rotter

😄

eazybee

You just can't stop , can you?

You know, if Johnson had quietly removed himself from the political arena which is a bit of a bear-pit and which he - as much as anyone - helped to make it so... then I could understand why people might be upset at the constant attention he is getting.

Some politicians, when they've disgraced themselves or over-stepped the mark, just retire 'gracefully'. In fact it was the tradition.

Well Boris Johnson has made it clear that he has no intention of fading into the background - quite the contrary.

If you are going to strut the national and international stage, jostle with members of your own party - even its PM - stir 'things' up, or take on the mantle of the fictional Francis Urquhart as Chief Whip and put a bit of stick about and make 'em jump... then you are going to get a reaction - not only from your own party but from the wider public, the media, and all those with an interest in politics.

You just can't stop , can you?

We could - but why should we? Why should Johnson not be held accountable any less than other Members, other PMs, other politicians have been?

He's riding the crest of the wave of his previous popularity, hoping to fulfil his personal ambitions in one role or another. But he's paid from the public purse - and we are the public. In spite of all the hubris, he is still a public servant and we, the public, have every right to question his motives and his actions because it is us who suffer the consequences of them ultimately. Johnson is not a political novice, he knows exactly what he is doing... and so do we.

Sunak - a true Brexit believer, has the sense to recognise that the NI agreement which he fully supported at the time is not working. But don’t let him fool you into thinking that he has rode in like a knight on a charger to mend something over which he had no part. Not so - he is trying to fix a problem that he enthusiastically helped to create.

Whitewavemark2

Sunak - a true Brexit believer, has the sense to recognise that the NI agreement which he fully supported at the time is not working. But don’t let him fool you into thinking that he has rode in like a knight on a charger to mend something over which he had no part. Not so - he is trying to fix a problem that he enthusiastically helped to create.

quite so...

I think we are all agreed that Johnson's ambitions regarding NATO are likely to be scuppered; even if some in this country think the sun shines out of him, many non UK politicians see him for what he is.

A quick reminder of what investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr said : In 2018, after the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, NATO called an urgent summit to discuss Russian sanctions. Johnson left it, skipped his security detail and flew to Italy where he met an ex_KGB officer whose son he later ennobled.

I think we should all keep this in mind. In the 1960s with the spy scandals and double agents, Johnson would have been arrested.

His visits to bunga bunga parties with Russian oligarchs, hae never been addressed. And th fact he was told not to go, and that he was barely compos mentis on the day he returned. He is very probably being blackmailed to this day, and his side of the Party is refusing to agree to sever links and redistribute any Russian money seized to Ukrainian funds to look after people there, left freezing and hungry and without basic medicine or care.

The whole thing stinks.

Yes, your post sums up my thoughts exactly, Fleurpepper, if we are to return to good old British values as beloved by Brexiteers, then arresting this man would be a good start, he is to my mind, a serious risk to this country's security, and the fact that so many voters are prepared to overlook these facts of his very close relationship with the Kremlin, just as long as they get Brexit is chilling. Surely, security services have him in their sights?

Fleurpepper

His visits to bunga bunga parties with Russian oligarchs, hae never been addressed. And th fact he was told not to go, and that he was barely compos mentis on the day he returned. He is very probably being blackmailed to this day, and his side of the Party is refusing to agree to sever links and redistribute any Russian money seized to Ukrainian funds to look after people there, left freezing and hungry and without basic medicine or care.

The whole thing stinks.

The whole thing stinks.

It does.

I deliberately did not mention any of his 'activities' - but skipping the NATO summit deserves to be mentioned again.

Everyone is aware - if they bother to look - of his failings, his lies, obfuscation... and in particular, the way he deflects any criticism by changing the subject and attacking his critics... surely one of the most obvious signs of dishonesty?

How anyone can champion him in the light of all this I really don't understand.

Report in Daily Mail online (I know) that Johnson is deeply upset over Sunaks negotiations in NI. Reported to have said "Fuck the Americans" in what the DM refer to as a "jocular" comment. Can you imagine the hysteria if Starmer had said such a thing?

In my defence, I picked up the quote on twitter from one of the political commentators I follow, which led to the link

Dickens, I think you have the knack of putting things succinctly and saying what I wish I had! Your posts of 11:18:06 and 13:11:55 are spot on.

This is so ridiculous it's hardly worth commenting on.

Yes, Jane71, but so were Trump becoming US President and Brexit before they actually happenend. Neither of those went well, did they? I just hope enough members of NATO see it as being sufficiently ridiculous to prevent it from happening.

'F*ck the Americans' is just another example of Johnson speak which demonstrates he is unfair for any public office except perhaps dogcatcher (and that may be unfair to that trade).

Grantanow

'F*ck the Americans' is just another example of Johnson speak which demonstrates he is unfair for any public office except perhaps dogcatcher (and that may be unfair to that trade).

'F*ck the Americans' - 'F*ck Business', and money "spaffed up the wall" that was funding historic child abuse investigations which he thought was a waste of time - and money, obviously.

Is he just a coarse oaf, or does he believe he's 'getting-down' with the working-class or something by using this kind of language?

For an educated man his lexicon seems severely limited.

He's so damned flippant, I doubt he'd have the diplomatic skill required for the position he now covets in NATO. Not to mention his grasp of detail which appears to be rather lightweight, to put it mildly.

I can hardly think of anyone who could be a worse choice to lead Nato.

varian

I can hardly think of anyone who could be a worse choice to lead Nato.

Trump?