I was and remain an enthusiastic supporter of
Brexit and have awaited good news on that vital front since 2016. The good news
pickings have been sadly sparse and yet advocated by Boris, supported by Boris
in governments in which he has held high office, and finally a central pillar
in his own government from 2019 to 2022, “getting Brexit done” has been Boris’
repeated mantra ever since. An imperfect Brexit deal was eventually done with a
botched Northern Ireland protocol, but Boris’ government lost its momentum, and
later Boris blotted his copybook with misleading Covid statements and it has
all turned to ashes. He long ago was eased out of the Tory Leadership following
various scandals and a mass resignation of his ministers. Boris has now resigned his parliamentary seat
amid complaints of a “witch-hunt” (à la Trump). He talks of returning but, frankly,
I think that highly unlikely. I have no stomach for kicking a former hero when
he is down. Mind you, his own hero Winston Churchill was in the wilderness for
8 years - so you never quite know.
Boris at bay
His rise and fall embrace a sad story of inspiration,
apotheosis, failure and arrogance. Born into a rather exotic well-connected
liberal family then resident in the US, Boris thrived at Eton and Balliol,
Oxford, reading Classics (he got a 2nd) becoming President of the
Union. He was not universally popular or admired but on coming down in 1986, he
became a Times and later Telegraph correspondent, based in
Brussels. Re-reading his journalistic anthology Have I got Views for You, reminded
me of how amusing, thought-provoking and (that much misused word) “brilliant”
Boris’ writing could be. Although most of it was written in his bantering
manner, he certainly got about, meeting the principal actors in the Middle
East, the EU, Yugoslavia and the USA, building up a reputation and a following.
He often quarrelled with his editors and his enemies thought him superficial
and even racialist, but I found him exuberant.
Inevitably Boris entered politics, winning a
seat in 2001, editing The Spectator and entering the shadow cabinet. In
2008 he won the London mayoralty from Labour and had two terms until 2016.
London had been considered hostile to Tories but Boris’ populist approach had
much appeal. He was always controversial and his eye for the ladies had become
notorious, but broadly his London stint was a major success (he had the good
luck to host the Olympics in 2012).
On returning to Westminster, he decided to defy
David Cameron and support the Brexit cause. Boris, Michael Gove and Nigel
Farage were the leading lights in the “Yes” Campaign though Dominic Cummings
dominated the backroom. On the resignation of Cameron, Boris was expected to
succeed him, but Gove suddenly withdrew his support saying Boris was unfit for
the Tory leadership. Boris withdrew and the baleful Theresa May became Prime
Minister for almost 3 years. May made Boris Foreign Secretary, later she lost
seats in a snap election and there was a hung parliament with the Tory
government frustrated by its lack of a reliable majority, a solid pro-Europe SNP
bloc, a feeble Labour party under appalling Jeremy Corbyn and a highly partisan
and hostile Speaker in John Bercow. Theresa May was eased out and Boris won the
leadership in Spring 2019, followed by many parliamentary manoeuvres of dubious
legality. A general election took place in December 2019 resulting in an
80-seat majority for the Tories, a rich reward for Boris’ vigorous campaigning.
The UK formally left the EU, warming the hearts of many Eurosceptic Tories like
me.
Boris was triumphant but almost immediately his
luck turned for the worse. A Covid epidemic, bubbling about in China for some
months smashed into an unprepared UK and Europe. With no vaccine many died, and
Boris himself was struck down, and only narrowly survived. The first of 4
national lockdowns were announced soon after, which remain highly controversial.
The early 2 lockdowns had draconian limits on personal movements, badly
affecting business gatherings, industrial working, children, teaching and
leisure pursuits including spectator sports. They were imposed on the
recommendation of the “expert” Sage committee. Industry and the economy were
curbed mercilessly. Economic activity dwindled and ruinously expensive subsidy
schemes had to be cobbled together; “work from home”, a poor substitute for
“working with your peers”, was the fate of schoolchildren, students, new
entrants to the jobs market, most office workers and even medical
professionals. Many careers were completely derailed. Without much thought for
his bourgeois electoral base, Boris enforced petty regulations with some
severity; family life was made difficult and there was suffering and
unhappiness. This would be bearable if everyone pulled together, but it later
emerged that Boris and his retinue, and many senior Whitehall figures, often
ignored the new legal rules. This was the origin of “Partygate”.
Which brings us to Boris’ character. His motto
seemed to echo Rhett Butler’s words from Gone with the Wind; “Frankly,
my dear, I don’t give a damn!” That is all very well in a chippy new member but
it is not ministerial language nor the idiom of a prime minister. Boris is of
course a privileged toff but his voters do not care for senior politicians who
bed-hop blatantly, who dress like an unmade bed, who ignore hallowed custom and
tradition, favour their cronies and denigrate the House of Commons.
His government was also blown off course by the
Russian invasion of Ukraine (where at least he helped resist evil) and by the
subsequent energy dislocations, followed by rampant inflation (which even the
Bank of England failed to foresee). The Partygate inquest took a long time to
mature, but all the time Boris had blustered that he was faultless, statements
which many realised were Porkie Pies (aka lies). It all surfaced and came to a
crisis in June 2022 when he hopelessly defended a groping Tory whip called
Pincher, and his cabinet and other supporters could not support him any longer.
He lingered on the back benches but The Privileges Committee produced a
scathing report in June 2023 finding that he had indeed repeatedly lied to the
House and tried to undermine committee members. Before any punishment was meted
out, Boris fled ignominiously to civilian life.
A mea culpa from me. For some time, I
have supported Boris in my blogs, often in a very partisan fashion. I was
deceived and now feel let down. My critical faculties did not work logically
and I maintained my support for Boris much too long. I should have spotted “a
bad ‘un” much earlier. I unreservedly apologise to all my friends and readers.
SMD
17.06.23
Text copyright © Sidney Donald 2023
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