How did we get BoJo as PM on Channel 4

Greta

What other languages does he speak fluently?
I have heard him try speaking French and it was painful.

Yes, but isn't that franglais business all done on purpose? Exactly the same as Churchill did with his speeches in French. The tenses and pronouns are impeccable, but the accent and blends of English vocabulary are used to effect. Boris is fluent in French from having lived and worked in Brussels.

You don't become fluent in a language just because you live and work there. As for using Franglais for effect I think that's childish.

I think most 9 year old children living in a country for over 2 years absorb the language pretty well.

Greta

You don't become fluent in a language just because you live and work there. As for using Franglais for effect I think that's childish.

Actually you do. It’s the best way to learn a language by living and working within a country. He’d would have had a great grounding in languages anyhow at school.

Cossy

Callistemon21

I was interested in what made him the type of person he became.

I hadn't realised he had had hearing problems when he was a child, which probably set him apart from his siblings and other children at school.
Neglectful parents? Surely they should have taken him to a specialist?

No wonder he has problems having a father like Stanley.

I don’t feel at all sorry for him! His sister seems ok, not sure about his brother. His mother seems long suffering and his father is abysmal, but as an adult one cannot keep on blaming one’s parents for shortcomings.

I read a really interesting statement some years ago from one of his old house masters from Eton (?) pretty sure it was Eton! He stated,
Writing of him in a school report in April 1982, he said: “Boris really has adopted a disgracefully cavalier attitude to his classical studies . . . Boris sometimes seems affronted when criticised for what amounts to a gross failure of responsibility (and surprised at the same time that he was not appointed Captain of the School for next half): I think he honestly believes that it is churlish of us not to regard him as an exception, one who should be free of the network of obligation which binds everyone else.”

Says it all really!

So you don't feel sorry for the deaf child he was, whose father was a bully who hit his wife?

This was interesting to watch and try to work out why he became the person he is.
As soon as his mother left the psychiatric hospital after months there and rejoined the family in Brussels, his father sent Boris to England to boarding school.
It was not a normal bringing.

By the way, his mother died a little while ago.

Joseann

I think some of the problem comes from his desire to seek recognition and self worth, but going about it in the wrong manner. It was weird during his campaigns how many times he was shown to have said to the camera, "What do you want me to say?"
And all the swearing at the plant on his desk in Brussels?
I think the childhood trauma had a huge effect on him.

I think the childhood trauma had a huge effect on him.

Yes.

I simply don’t know Johnson at all, so am in no position to say what drives his behaviour. Everything I “know” about him comes second/third hand and certainly puts me in no position to form an opinion about what drives his personality.

However I am sure from what I saw during his tenure as Mayor and PM that he should never ever be near public office again.

Callistemon21

Joseann

I think some of the problem comes from his desire to seek recognition and self worth, but going about it in the wrong manner. It was weird during his campaigns how many times he was shown to have said to the camera, "What do you want me to say?"
And all the swearing at the plant on his desk in Brussels?
I think the childhood trauma had a huge effect on him.

I think the childhood trauma had a huge effect on him.

Yes.

Unfortunately his childhood trauma had a huge effect on the rest of us too.

That’s a good point flappergirl. Sadly his inability to take responsibility for the way his childhood trauma (mis)shaped his personality impacted on his wives/lovers/mistresses and of course on his children

I’ve only watched 3/4 of episode one but what good tv it is

I had never seen the big reveal of his yes or no statement before the referendum. Watching it now it struck me how difficult it was for him to actually say he was backing Leave. It seemed a real struggle for him to actually form the words. Couple that with the look on his face when the result was announced and I'm sure his instinct was to stay in the EU, but to further his career he chose to go against it.

Well I’ve finished the series.

I thought overall it wasn’t bad, and it revealed nothing new, but I thought some stuff was remarkable by its absence.

It may be because like the rest of us, it doesn’t yet have the truth of the matter.

Incidents like visiting a top KGB agent in Italy and returning very much the worse for wear minus any “minder” or official whatsoever. Is one thing I think needs answering, amongst others.

It's possible to hold both views surely, that any child who experienced what he did is likely to be very damaged, (I have seen social care intervention for much less), and that he has in turn caused harm.

I’ve only seen one episode, but I agree, Galaxy. Jack The Ripper way have had a terrible start in life, but most would agree that he was a Very Bad Man. We can’t just write off bad behaviour because we might understand the cause of it. We have to judge on how people act, and whereas we might make allowances for our nearest and dearest because ‘it’ is just the way they are’, that doesn’t cut it when someone is in charge of a country.

I am prepared to believe that he is kindly enough on a personal level (although he was, allegedly, willing to burn £50 notes in front of homeless people as a youth), but the obvious flaws in his character, however they were formed, meant that he was never going to be a good Prime Minister.

I didn't watch the programme but I must agree with WWM in that he has proved himself unsuited to public office. That is not the place to work on one's personal demons.

I feel sorry for him on a personal level as I would for any child who had a childhood like his.

However .... he was very unsuited to be PM.

Galaxy

It's possible to hold both views surely, that any child who experienced what he did is likely to be very damaged, (I have seen social care intervention for much less), and that he has in turn caused harm.

Exactly what I said in my early comment, that Boris was highly unsuited to the job, possibly because of his traumatic childhood. (Though I didn't link the two as well as you did here!).
It has been proven that damaged children use disobedience and disrespect to authority as a source of relief, as Boris did at school. Then it spills into their later life.

Sparklefizz

I feel sorry for him on a personal level as I would for any child who had a childhood like his.

However .... he was very unsuited to be PM.

X post

A friend mentioned this programme to me yesterday. I intend to watch it this weekend. I like Boris (for all his flaws). He is a people pleaser I think. A libertarian of sorts. I’m glad he went against the grain (experts) and didn’t continue lockdown at the last occasion. Starmer and Sturgeon were all for it with bells on.

Probably extremely clever with a short (boredom) attention span. Not a details man. Lazy? Possibly. Charismatic? Definitely. He is still very popular with a good many voters (just not on here).

I don’t think he could be persuaded to return to front line politics now. He is making too much money. And I expect Carrie wouldn’t be keen.

Greta

You don't become fluent in a language just because you live and work there. As for using Franglais for effect I think that's childish.

Actually you can. My sister did that and is fluent in her language. The best way to learn is to use it , didn't you know that? No free classes for her.

I thought the programme rather colluded with BoJo's facade of bumbling through whereas other programmes have demonstrated the Brexit tactics were carefully crafted. And one recalls that the same Tory grassroots who elected BoJo also elected Truss - an even worse PM: they seem to have learned little.

Wheniwasyourage

Learning something off by heart is not the same as understanding it, or being able to translate from English into Ancient Greek! Those take a bit more intensive work.

Wasn’t his degree in Classics, though? So presumably he must have been reasonably adept at translating both ways.

I’m no fan of Mr Johnson. I’d be fascinated by a good psychological assessment . His childhood was far from ideal. He was the oldest child, close to his mother and witnessed abuse from his father to mother.
He craves excitement, is easily bored, he’s impulsive and shines as the centre of attention. He seems like his father, unable/unwilling to be faithful to his current partner or wife
He was very entertaining on HIGNFY and totally unsuited to be PM
I’m sure you will enjoy the programme Urmston. It even made me laugh despite my lack of respect or affection for him

Grantanow

I thought the programme rather colluded with BoJo's facade of bumbling through whereas other programmes have demonstrated the Brexit tactics were carefully crafted. And one recalls that the same Tory grassroots who elected BoJo also elected Truss - an even worse PM: they seem to have learned little.

I think that the Brexit tactics were carefully crafted by Dominic Cummings and others. Johnson was just a front man.

MaizieD

Grantanow

I thought the programme rather colluded with BoJo's facade of bumbling through whereas other programmes have demonstrated the Brexit tactics were carefully crafted. And one recalls that the same Tory grassroots who elected BoJo also elected Truss - an even worse PM: they seem to have learned little.

I think that the Brexit tactics were carefully crafted by Dominic Cummings and others. Johnson was just a front man.

The tv series This England showed exactly that MaisieD, it is worth a watch if you haven’t seen it, Kenneth Branagh played Johnson.

I have never really bought the whole bumbling through life thing. I also dont really think he was a libertarian or not one with any conviction anyway. I think he wants people to like him though.