Birds of a feather flock together
It would be easy to simply say “bad hair” and walk away, but there are other similarities between the two goofballs listed at the top of this blog. There is an old song by The Who that goes something like this, “Now he’s dropped on to the floor, heading for the bedroom door. Maybe he’s as scared as me, where’s he gone now, I can’t see – Boris the spider – Boris the spider.” The song written by Who bassist John Entwistle is fitting because of the ending, “He’s come to a sticky end, don’t think he will ever mend, Never more will he crawl ‘round, He’s embedded in the ground.” And thus ends the almost three-year reign of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister of the UK.
Unlike US politics, when the Prime Minister in the United Kingdom’s parliamentary-based system loses the confidence of his or her own party, they get the boot. Now I’m not talking about that place we call the trunk, although, I’m sure some UK politicians would like to put Boris in a trunk and drive him away. The good news is Mr. Johnson cannot claim the voting was rigged, because everyone has stated their position against him on TV. In a rather transparent and efficient way, the majority of the Houses has decided Boris is a goner and he’s now embedded in the ground for good.
Boris Johnson was once called the Donald Trump of British politics, and he didn’t push back at all; he rather liked the comparison. His trademark messy hair as well as his brash and common language may have massaged the working class, but his position on Brexit created momentum that landed him the job. No one in either House, and probably the Queen herself, had faith in Teresa May to bring the Union Jack back to full power. Johnson may have done a fantastic job with that massive change, but his lack of transparency and ducking the rules mortally wounded him in the end.
You may or may not care about UK politics, but let’s hope there’s a smooth transition of power and the next PM staunchly supports Ukraine. Boris should have just apologized and rode into the sunset, but baby-minded people like Trump and Johnson don’t have the wherewithal to admit they’ve lost and move on. Trump wants to be loved more than anything else, and his oversized ego will not allow him to even realize the cut of defeat.
Johnson, could come back as an “I told you so” politician later in life, but for now he’s not going to immediately step aside. Trump thinks he is still President and close to announcing whether he will run for President in 2024. Should that happen, it will send the RNC and the Republican party into a panic room. If the Donald runs again, the party will be divided right down the middle, those who believe the “Big Lie” and those who do not, and something will have to give.
As for Johnson, when he got caught in lies, he did not admit he was wrong. He thought doing so would be acts of weakness. When pictures of his staff having maskless parties in the cabinet room surfaced, he eventually had to admit he was wrong for doing it and then wrong for trying to cover it up. When a government operative was accused of sexual harassment and public lewdness with young men, Boris used the old “trumpian” response of “forgetting” about the accusation against the man. That was a bold-faced lie, and everyone saw straight through it.
Consider these lines from Trump’s, “I hardly knew the woman,” and “that person was only a coffee boy,” and then, “that person wasn’t very good, no one liked her, she was a leaker and a never-Trumper.” Well, if all these things are so, Mr. Big Pants, why did you have so many of these types of people overseeing the most sensitive issues and projects in your White House? Check me here, but after firing more than one hundred people doesn’t that point to the man at the top being a terrible judge of talent?
It’s highly unlikely Boris Johnson can claw his way back to being the leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, and that’s a good thing. It implies fresh ideas and forward momentum. The peaceful transition of power we brag about so much here has been forever stained by Donald Trump’s inability to just fucking admit he lost the election. If I see one more sign in the front yard of an American taxpayer screaming “TRUMP WON” I will vomit. It’s okay to be an idiot in the USA, but to publicly advertise your stupidity and lack of awareness, well, that’s on YOU.
Both Trump and Johnson think they are the smartest person in the room, and Boris actually has some credibility on the intelligence side of things, but that doesn’t give him license to throw away the rules and skirt traditions. British people understand language, much better than Americans I might add, and when you use a new lie to beat down your previous lie, the common folk will say, “Hit the road, you wanker.”
Had the Republican party truly wanted to make their brand stronger, they would have impeached and convicted Donald Trump for the January 6th insurrection, voted to disqualify him for future office and moved on. Sadly, they have too many members who will hold on to the Donald like he hugs the flag, even if it means their own political incineration. There are so many Congresspeople who are damaging democracy, and in any other country they would have been arrested and disqualified to serve. Our founding fathers laid out rules to prevent “dumb people” from being in control. Remember, they originally allowed only white men who owned land to vote. Native Americans, women and slaves did not have a voice. They figured that would keep the “dummies” out of office.
The forces in British politics will go through the pain of campaigns, rhetoric, and falsehoods to find their next leader, who will be just another politician having the challenge of always telling the truth. If that sounds a bit negative, well let’s just say I’m a realist. If Donald Trump runs again for president, know now that if he loses again, he will try to steal the position. Why? It’s plain and simple; he is a dishonest man. Boris Johnson is an example of what can happen when a smart man runs a country. Trump happened because dumb people wanted him to run this country. Don’t let it happen again. STOP HIM!
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One difference between Boris and the Big Peach that I appreciated was that when Johnson got covid, he changed his tune. If you will remember, the two were like co-joined twins about the “hype” of covind and discouraged full-throttle government response and personal responsiblity. Once Boris got sick, however, he rethought his bravado. Trump never did, and I believe that is why, to this day, there is still resistance to vaccine and common-sense safety precautions. No one was thrilled with what covid wrought anywhere, but I think ‘ol Boris standing up and saying, “That nearly killed me” helped some of his more rabid followers to roll up their sleeves. Bless his scruffy little heart.
Watching Johnson was fun while it lasted — particularly since he wasn’t OURS, and while he SAYS he is leaving, as of this writing he has yet to inform the palace, a critical step in the process of replacing him. He may have a few Trumpian moves up his sleeve, yet. But I think the most important thing about Boris is to watch who follows him. He rose to power on the rebellious nationalism of Brexit. He lasted only 3 years. Will he be replaced by another nationalist — or will Britain seek a more traditional PM more interested in restoring the sparkle to governemnt. It could be a clue as to how our election will go in 2024. Let’s hope Johnson isn’t the only self-serving knucklehead to catch on like wild fire and burn out fast.