Genius or joker? British PM favorite Johnson set to face the world

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Genius or joker? British PM favorite Johnson set to face the world

 

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Loose cannon or influential statesman - what kind of British prime minister would Boris Johnson make on the world stage? Judging by his time as foreign secretary, possibly both.

 

When Johnson was given the foreign job in 2016, after Britain voted to leave the EU, he was viewed as an unlikely choice by politicians and public alike given his tendency to court controversy with gaffes, oddball jokes and off-the-cuff remarks.

The early days seemed to confirm the worst fears of those who saw the Conservative lawmaker as an unsuitable diplomat, at a critical time when Britain needed to forge new political and commercial ties with a slew of countries.

 

What should have been a routine conference in Italy, the “Mediterranean Dialogues Forum” aimed at building relations with leading envoys from the West and Middle East, instead turned into something of a diplomatic incident.

 

Johnson made headlines by going off-script and accusing Saudi Arabia, an important regional ally, of acting as a puppeteer in proxy wars under the guise of religion.

 

The backlash was swift from Prime Minister Theresa May, who said his comments did not reflect “actual policy”, dishing out what a government source described as a shocking and very public “cuffing” for a senior minister.

 

Now May is stepping down over her failure to extract Britain from the European Union. Johnson, a leader of the Brexit campaign, is the overwhelming favorite to become leader of the governing Conservative Party next month, which would also make him prime minister.

 

The 55-year-old, famous for his messy mop of blond hair and disheveled style, has turned upper-class English eccentricity into a political asset in Britain and perfected a personal brand based on a comic talent and a seemingly shambolic style.

 

His critics say this robs him of statesman-like gravity, arguing that it’s difficult to take seriously a man who once said the chance of him becoming prime minister was about as likely as finding Elvis on Mars.

 

However two of Johnson’s aides and another veteran Conservative who knows him said that he was often misunderstood and that beneath his blustering, self-confident demeanor was a shy, serious man focused on his goals.

 

He is a natural introvert, two sources close his team told Reuters, adding that his shyness is often construed as arrogance, and he needs a lot of time alone before speaking in public - distinctively at odds with the public perception of Johnson being a natural, unscripted showman.

 

“Before speaking to a room, he needs to corral himself,” said the veteran Conservative. “It’s not a performance but it saps him of energy. He just needs to summon up the energy.”

 

One aide, a government source and an EU diplomat also pointed to an influential, but behind-the-scenes, role he played as foreign secretary following the poisoning of a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, by a nerve agent last year in England.

 

One government source said Johnson had put his “shoulder to the wheel” to win international support for sanctions and Russian diplomatic expulsions from a long list of countries.

 

A senior European diplomat agreed that he was “professional” in this role, which attracted little publicity.

 

“People in Brussels didn’t take Boris seriously back then,” the diplomat said. “In March last year, he showed he could drop the clownish personality, he showed a will to discuss the Skripal affair in the most serious terms and to make the point to his counterparts that they needed to back Britain on this.”

 

IRREVERENT INSURGENT

 

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, to give his full name, is something of an enigma at home and abroad.

 

He is man of apparent contradictions, with his privileged background and bursts of Latin phrases seemingly at odds with his popular appeal when elected mayor of left-leaning London in 2008 with the biggest personal mandate in British history.

 

He is one of those rare politicians to be most commonly referred to by most members of the public by their first names.

Like U.S. President Donald Trump, he can emerge unscathed from gaffes and scandals that would sink any normal public figure. Other offensive remarks he has made include calling black people “piccaninnies” and saying Muslim women wearing burkas “look like letter boxes”.

 

“Boris is a flawed character and flaky but most politicians are underneath,” said Ed Costelloe, chair of the campaign group Conservative Grassroots. “It would be lovely to have Mother Theresa as prime minister, but it ain’t going to happen.”

 

In fact, some people love him all the more because he appears to be an irreverent insurgent who defies the media training of polished politics, shooting from the hip with comic timing and flair. Others seem to give him more leeway.

 

After his incendiary comments on Saudi Arabia, for example, two British officials said his words had not in fact gone down badly in Riyadh. “The Saudis appreciated his buffoonery, they understand his kind of humor,” said one of the officials.

The biggest task ahead, should he become leader, would be withdrawal talks with the EU, which has said it will not reopen the

 

Withdrawal Agreement agreed by May in November - a deal that was repeatedly rejected by British lawmakers and led to the original Brexit date of March 29 being pushed back.

 

Johnson has offended many in Europe, with remarks such as suggesting Italy should help with a Brexit deal to avoid losing out on sales of Prosecco sparkling wine and declaring it was “bollocks” to say that freedom of movement was a founding principle of the EU.

 

Yet the British government sources said his ability to wrestle changes to the deal from Brussels, as he has demanded, would come down to whether he can carry the support of British lawmakers and end a stalemate that has incensed EU officials.

 

“His success depends on whether the EU believes he can actually command a majority,” said one of the sources. “The thing about the

 

PM was that they just didn’t believe she could ever get it through so were never going to give any more ground. If they think Boris can get it through, they might shift.”

 

IT’S ALL ABOUT BREXIT

 

Johnson has cast himself as the only leadership candidate who can deliver Brexit on the next deadline of Oct. 31 - with or without a deal.

 

The sources close his team said he was approaching his bid in a similarly quiet way to the Skripal maneuvering. He has built support through behind-the-scenes talks with lawmakers rather through media appearances and speeches - and had been conspicuously absent from public sight until this week.

 

He has been listening closely to the counsel of his closest aides and veteran election strategist Lynton Crosby, who is not officially on the payroll but is offering advice.

 

Johnson’s strategy of steering clear of the airwaves and avoiding public head-to-head debates has been carefully thought through as part of a leadership campaign in the works for months in anticipation of May’s announcement five weeks ago that she would step down, said the sources.

 

The plan appeared uncharacteristic for a man who made his name by being highly visible, including appearing in comedy shows and one of Britain’s best-loved TV soap operas.

 

He even drew accusations from his only remaining leadership rival, Jeremy Hunt, of being a coward for avoiding head-to-head debates. Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd said she found Johnson’s decision to ignore live TV debates “very odd”.

 

The strategy was partly borne of the fact that Johnson is widely viewed as a near-certainty to win the party leadership, and become prime minister, barring an unforeseen catastrophe.

 

Foreign Secretary Hunt voted to stay in the European Union in 2016, which is likely to count against him among the around 160,000 party members who will choose the winner and are mainly pro-Brexit.

 

However Johnson was forced to veer from the gameplan and break cover this week when he was faced with exactly the kind of negative publicity his team had hoped to avoid, after a neighbor called the police upon hearing Johnson and his girlfriend shouting and smashing plates.

 

Police found no cause for action, but the story dominated the front pages of Britain’s newspapers, with some questioning Johnson’s character and past - he is divorcing his second wife and has had several reported affairs.

 

Following the furor, he changed gear and launched into a media blitz on TV and radio.

 

Nonetheless, few in his party believe anything can seriously impede his cruise to 10 Downing Street.

 

“Boris is still well ahead with the membership who will ultimately decide who the next prime minister is,” said Conservative lawmaker and Johnson supporter Andrew Bridgen.

 

“The overriding issue is Brexit and unfortunately Jeremy voted remain.”

 

Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Additional reporting by Robin Emmott in Brussels, and Andrew MacAskill and William James in London; Editing by Pravin Char

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-06-28

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[RotMahKid]

A Big Joke(r) with a very big  loud mouth that's for sure.

[bendejo]

32 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

He is a natural introvert

 

Yeah, I see what they mean

 

 

 

[VocalNeal]

Many people use humour to break what they perceive as tension in public situations. This does not mean the have low intellect. 

 

Quote

...the skunk got squashed and there you are!

Ever squashed a skunk? Better off to sell the car!

Edited June 28, 2019 by VocalNeal

[stephenterry]

How many more Boris posts by Jonathan Fairfield - who I suspect is a big fan of his, and wants to keep Boris in the headlines?

 

This post is a typical example of proclaiming Johnson's virtues, and laughing off the negatives. Well, Jonathan, I don't buy it, sorry.

[stephenterry]

1 minute ago, VocalNeal said:

Many people use humour to break what they perceive as tension in public situations. This does not mean the have low intellect. 

Quite right. It means they don't have the gravitus to take on the PM role. Johnson as PM? Seriously?

[Pilotman]

Boris is a buffoon, no doubt about that, but a large part  of me just thinks: what the hell, it's all such a mess anyway, let's have Boris and enjoy the ride.  After all, it can't get any worse than it is and it least it will be entertaining. I couldn't stomach another grey suited  nonentity in  Number 10 such as Hunt. 

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

 

What should have been a routine conference in Italy, the “Mediterranean Dialogues Forum” aimed at building relations with leading envoys from the West and Middle East, instead turned into something of a diplomatic incident.

 

Johnson made headlines by going off-script and accusing Saudi Arabia, an important regional ally, of acting as a puppeteer in proxy wars under the guise of religion.

Certainly explains why he is too scared to face live debates and avoids  tricky questions. 

[Pilotman]

11 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Certainly explains why he is too scared to face live debates and avoids  tricky questions. 

yes, he does have a tendency to tell the truth when under pressure,  quite unusual and not a desirable characteristic in a politician. 

[vogie]

9 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Certainly explains why he is too scared to face live debates and avoids  tricky questions. 

If he wanted to perform in a circus he would have better joining Billy Smarts, but 10/10 for originality. 

Carefully picked left wing audiences and left wing interviewers are better for the likes of Jeremy Corbyn. If the debates were evenly balanced I'm sure Boris would have no qualms in attending.

[RuamRudy]

2 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

yes, he does have a tendency to tell the truth when under pressure,  quite unusual and not a desirable characteristic in a politician. 

I am not sure I believe he makes cardboard buses for pleasure though.

 

Although there is a theory emerging that this was a deliberate ploy to bury his Brexit bus in the google search results. Google 'Boris Bus' now and you will see headlines about his love of decorative model making rather than his big red bus of lies. 

 

Did Boris Johnson Ramble About Model Buses to Manipulate Google's Search Results?

[Bluespunk]

10 minutes ago, vogie said:

If he wanted to perform in a circus he would have better joining Billy Smarts, but 10/10 for originality. 

Carefully picked left wing audiences and left wing interviewers are better for the likes of Jeremy Corbyn. If the debates were evenly balanced I'm sure Boris would have no qualms in attending.

So basically he’s a coward who wouldn’t face his rivals in a live Sky TV debate before the same audience. 

 

hunt, who I have no respect for, agreed to the debate. 

 

What’s johnson scared of?

 

Thanks for the chuckle though, sky tv, left wing. That’ll amuse me all day. 

Edited June 28, 2019 by Bluespunk

[vogie]

Just now, Bluespunk said:

So basically he’s a coward who wouldn’t face his rivals in a live Sky TV debate before the same audience. 

 

Thanks for the chuckle though, sky tv, left wing. That’ll amuse me all day. 

When remainers use coward in most of their posts they are either baiting or suffering from echolalia. 

If you don't think Sky is left wing you obviously havn't watched an Adam Boulton interview.

[Chomper Higgot]

The real joke is people pinning their hopes on this habitual liar.

 

But he’s posh, so doff your hats and tug your forelocks.

[vogie]

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The real joke is people pinning their hopes on this habitual liar.

 

But he’s posh, so doff your hats and tug your forelocks.

What has posh got to do with anything, do you judge a person by their accent?

[RuamRudy]

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The real joke is people pinning their hopes on this habitual liar.

 

But he’s posh, so doff your hats and tug your forelocks.

That's been the British way for centuries; nothing is likely to change any time soon.

[lemonjelly]

 

[Chomper Higgot]

3 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

That's been the British way for centuries; nothing is likely to change any time soon.

I think you could definitely say it’s been the English way, north of the border less so.

[colinneil]

Go Boris go... We all love you, get out there and prove the doubters wrong.????

[OneMoreFarang]

I think the problem are not people like Trump or BJ, etc..

The problem are the people who vote those jokers into high positions.

I guess it could be funny at a party with Trump, BJ and others. Stupid jokes, funny stories, etc.

But why would anybody give important jobs to those jokers?

If you would need someone to repair your car would you chose a good but maybe boring mechanic or the funny guy next door?

And how about if you need an operation? Would you chose the doctor who talks a lot and who tells you he can do everything? Or would you look for someone with experience?

And if you have to elect the PM or president, who would you chose? It seems lots of people don't care about qualifications or experience for the most important job in a country. They vote for the jokers. So who is to blame? The jokers or the stupid people?

[Chomper Higgot]

8 minutes ago, vogie said:

What has posh got to do with anything, do you judge a person by their accent?

Are you now going to deny the UK, England in particular, is a class ridden society?

 

Or that Johnson’s social class has no bearing on his chances of the PM job?

 

 

 

Edited June 28, 2019 by Chomper Higgot

[OneMoreFarang]

Just now, colinneil said:

Go Boris go... We all love you, get out there and prove the doubters wrong.????

If you would go with BJ to Soi 6 for a BJ that would be kind of funny. But...

[vogie]

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Are you now going to deny the UK, England in particular, is a class ridden society?

 

Or that Johnson’s social class has no bearing on his chances of the PM job?

 

 

 

I do not judge a person by his or her accent, if I was to do so it would be considered shallow and certainly wrong of me.

[sammieuk1]

He was factually correct about his wankera from Ankara poem about the Turkish dictator Erdogan but that bus has tainted him a bit since then????  

[Bluespunk]

27 minutes ago, vogie said:

When remainers use coward in most of their posts they are either baiting or suffering from echolalia. 

If you don't think Sky is left wing you obviously havn't watched an Adam Boulton interview.

I don’t like sky, but do watch them at times, they are not left wing. 

 

I’m not a remainer, took no part in last vote and certainly won’t take part in any others that may or may not happen. 

 

I don’t live in the uk, have no intention of living there again and have a passport that allows me passage throughout the EU-and will continue to do so whatever the british decide to do over brexit. 

Edited June 28, 2019 by Bluespunk

[VocalNeal]

30 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

But he’s posh, so doff your hats and tug your forelocks.

If someone had paid for me to go the Eton or harrow then I would have gone. Would that make me posh? (whatever that is). Richard Branson went to Stowe does that make him posh.

 

I went to both private primary and secondary schools. Does that make me posh. Or does it mean my parents thought that spending a bit of money on my schooling would give me a better education? 

 

When I go to visit my mother and she sets the table for lunch my napkin is inside my silver napkin ring which has my initials engraved on it. This was given to me at christening or some other such ceremony. I can't remember. Does this make me posh? It is the only time I use one.

 

Boris is definitely middle class. Only upper middle because he went to Eton. Otherwise he is just a normal slightly well off guy.

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

38 minutes ago, vogie said:

I do not judge a person by his or her accent, if I was to do so it would be considered shallow and certainly wrong of me.

It’s not simply a matter of accent.

 

If you don’t make judgements on perceptions and impressions you are one of of a kind.

 

Your posting history suggests you do make judgements on a whole range of characteristics that say nothing of an individual’s character.

[NightSky]

1 hour ago, Pilotman said:

Boris is a buffoon, no doubt about that, but a large part  of me just thinks: what the hell, it's all such a mess anyway, let's have Boris and enjoy the ride.  After all, it can't get any worse than it is and it least it will be entertaining. I couldn't stomach another grey suited  nonentity in  Number 10 such as Hunt. 

This is exactly the kind of 'ah well' attitude that likely got Trump into power -- what a sad state of affairs that has been so far -- Stand up and fight back man!

 

As an example give Lib Dems a go.

[Chomper Higgot]

The one very positive from Johnson getting the PM job is he gets to be accountable for the mess he helped create.

 

Of course he only jumped aboard the Brexit bus when he saw it was in his own personal benefit to do so.

 

Let’s see how he likes being in the driver’s seat as the cliff edge approaches.

 

 

Edited June 28, 2019 by Chomper Higgot

[vogie]

19 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It’s not simply a matter of accent.

 

If you don’t make judgements on perceptions and impressions you are one of of a kind.

 

Your posting history suggests you do make judgements on a whole range of characteristics that say nothing of an individual’s character.

So what really bothers you about 'posh people' is it the tweed suits, the monocles, or maybe their springer spaniels. I find it very strange when someone would use a phrase like:

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The real joke is people pinning their hopes on this habitual liar.

 

But he’s posh, so doff your hats and tug your forelocks.

As for my posting history, am I in your database or something, how far have you gone back, maybe you are mistaking 'judgements' with 'observations'