We all know that Prime Minister Johnson will say and do anything to gain and retain power.
What he does bears no particular resemblance to what he says.
You'll recall that his party threatened C4 and BBC when they did not acts as publicists for the tory party like most of the mass media which is owned by overseas tax-dodging billionaires.
Which of his acts will he start with?
By James Blitz
December 16, 2019
"Is Boris Johnson a “one nation” Conservative who wants to govern from the centre? Or is he a brash populist in the mould of Donald Trump who will govern from the right?
These questions are starting to be discussed following his victory — and the answer is complicated.
On the one hand, Mr Johnson clearly pitches himself as a one-nation Conservative concerned about the plight of people on lower incomes.
The prime minister is aware that he owes his victory to voters in the north of England and the Midlands who have traditionally backed Labour but have lent their vote to the Tories for the first time.
He plans to direct billions of pounds of investment into these areas — with huge amounts earmarked for infrastructure.
On the other hand (as the commentator Matthew d’Ancona points out in this tweet), Mr Johnson is espousing policies that are rightwing and illiberal, and we should be under no illusions about this.
Hence, Mr Johnson is threatening the BBC over the future of its licence fee, while his election manifesto contained a blank cheque clause to rein in the power of the courts that is profoundly troubling lawyers.
He looks as though he wants the Department for International Development to be folded into the Foreign Office, potentially undermining the UK’s longstanding commitment on overseas aid.
Above all, there is his approach to Brexit. We cannot be sure what kind of trade deal he will aim for with Brussels. But he is currently committed to achieving a Canada-style hard break on a one-year timescale that few believe to be credible.
It is too early to predict what kind of leader Mr Johnson will be or (no less crucially) what kind of Tory parliamentary party has been elected. Experience suggests he will do whatever it takes to preserve himself. But commentators should stop using the phrase “one nation” to describe him.
“One nation” Conservatives like Ken Clarke and David Gauke have always mixed their commitment to the free market with socially liberal, pro-European policies. On issues like crime and the constitution, however, Mr Johnson has some very authoritarian tendencies with which they would never concur.
These are early days. But people should give up on the idea that Mr Johnson is going to be a nice moderate Harold Macmillan dressed up like Donald Trump."
What he does bears no particular resemblance to what he says.
You'll recall that his party threatened C4 and BBC when they did not acts as publicists for the tory party like most of the mass media which is owned by overseas tax-dodging billionaires.
Which of his acts will he start with?
By James Blitz
December 16, 2019
"Is Boris Johnson a “one nation” Conservative who wants to govern from the centre? Or is he a brash populist in the mould of Donald Trump who will govern from the right?
These questions are starting to be discussed following his victory — and the answer is complicated.
On the one hand, Mr Johnson clearly pitches himself as a one-nation Conservative concerned about the plight of people on lower incomes.
The prime minister is aware that he owes his victory to voters in the north of England and the Midlands who have traditionally backed Labour but have lent their vote to the Tories for the first time.
He plans to direct billions of pounds of investment into these areas — with huge amounts earmarked for infrastructure.
On the other hand (as the commentator Matthew d’Ancona points out in this tweet), Mr Johnson is espousing policies that are rightwing and illiberal, and we should be under no illusions about this.
Hence, Mr Johnson is threatening the BBC over the future of its licence fee, while his election manifesto contained a blank cheque clause to rein in the power of the courts that is profoundly troubling lawyers.
He looks as though he wants the Department for International Development to be folded into the Foreign Office, potentially undermining the UK’s longstanding commitment on overseas aid.
Above all, there is his approach to Brexit. We cannot be sure what kind of trade deal he will aim for with Brussels. But he is currently committed to achieving a Canada-style hard break on a one-year timescale that few believe to be credible.
It is too early to predict what kind of leader Mr Johnson will be or (no less crucially) what kind of Tory parliamentary party has been elected. Experience suggests he will do whatever it takes to preserve himself. But commentators should stop using the phrase “one nation” to describe him.
“One nation” Conservatives like Ken Clarke and David Gauke have always mixed their commitment to the free market with socially liberal, pro-European policies. On issues like crime and the constitution, however, Mr Johnson has some very authoritarian tendencies with which they would never concur.
These are early days. But people should give up on the idea that Mr Johnson is going to be a nice moderate Harold Macmillan dressed up like Donald Trump."
