Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Shambolic Johnson
There is a famous scene in Dr Who, when David Tennant, playing the eponymous time traveller, brings down British Prime Minister, Harriet Jones with six words. "Don't you think she looks tired?" he suggests to an aide, thus planting the seed to question if Harriet is fit to continue being Prime Minister, or if she is 'too tired'.
Judging by his performance over the last few weeks, tiredness is the least of Boris Johnson's worries, and yet it took an ITV reporter to plant the seed, the 'Doctor seed' we shall call it, when he asked the Prime Minister to his face if everything is okay?
That widely reported question is going to stick in the minds of MPs and commentators for some time, especially after the shambolic speech Johnson gave to business leaders yesterday, in which he lost his way repeatedly, talked about his trip to Hampshire’s Peppa Pig World, imitated the sound of an accelerating car with grunts that the official Downing Street release transcribed as “arum arum aaaaaaaaag” and compared himself to Moses over his plan to help business invest in tackling climate change. Even by Johnson's standards this was an extraordinary contribution to public debate.
It is little wonder then, that the Guardian is reporting that Conservative MPs are increasingly worried about Boris Johnson’s competence and drive. They say senior members of his own party want Johnson to get the government back on track after a disastrous two weeks:
The prime minister was also facing a substantial rebellion over his social care proposals, anger at the decision to scale back rail improvements for the north and frustration over the government’s failure to keep its promises on small boats crossing the Channel. It caps a difficult fortnight for the prime minister after he admitted he “crashed the car into a ditch” in his handling of the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal.
Nervousness among Tory MPs about No 10 intensified after one Downing Street source told the BBC there was “a lot of concern inside the building about the PM … it’s just not working”, adding that the “cabinet needs to wake up and demand serious changes otherwise it’ll keep getting worse”.
A former cabinet minister also told the Guardian that there was “an accumulation of things building up, really relating to his competence and that is beginning to look very shaky” after a “pretty bad bloody fortnight”. He said it was unlikely to result in a leadership challenge while the polls were still fairly even between the Tories and Labour, but it could be “problematic for him” if that changes when an election is looming.
Another senior backbencher said Johnson’s CBI speech had been a “mess” while a third Tory MP said: “I thought today’s performance was the most embarrassing by a Conservative prime minister since last week’s PMQs. Someone needs to get a grip. He is losing the confidence of the party.”
Another Tory MP referenced the process by which MPs can submit letters of no confidence to the chair of the 1922 Committee, Graham Brady, saying: “It might not only be Father Christmas’ postbag filling up towards the end of the year – Sir Graham Brady could find he needs a bigger one too.”
Whether the Peppa Pig speech was Johnson's 'Harriet Jones moment' will only emerge in time, but it is sure looking like it.
Judging by his performance over the last few weeks, tiredness is the least of Boris Johnson's worries, and yet it took an ITV reporter to plant the seed, the 'Doctor seed' we shall call it, when he asked the Prime Minister to his face if everything is okay?
That widely reported question is going to stick in the minds of MPs and commentators for some time, especially after the shambolic speech Johnson gave to business leaders yesterday, in which he lost his way repeatedly, talked about his trip to Hampshire’s Peppa Pig World, imitated the sound of an accelerating car with grunts that the official Downing Street release transcribed as “arum arum aaaaaaaaag” and compared himself to Moses over his plan to help business invest in tackling climate change. Even by Johnson's standards this was an extraordinary contribution to public debate.
It is little wonder then, that the Guardian is reporting that Conservative MPs are increasingly worried about Boris Johnson’s competence and drive. They say senior members of his own party want Johnson to get the government back on track after a disastrous two weeks:
The prime minister was also facing a substantial rebellion over his social care proposals, anger at the decision to scale back rail improvements for the north and frustration over the government’s failure to keep its promises on small boats crossing the Channel. It caps a difficult fortnight for the prime minister after he admitted he “crashed the car into a ditch” in his handling of the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal.
Nervousness among Tory MPs about No 10 intensified after one Downing Street source told the BBC there was “a lot of concern inside the building about the PM … it’s just not working”, adding that the “cabinet needs to wake up and demand serious changes otherwise it’ll keep getting worse”.
A former cabinet minister also told the Guardian that there was “an accumulation of things building up, really relating to his competence and that is beginning to look very shaky” after a “pretty bad bloody fortnight”. He said it was unlikely to result in a leadership challenge while the polls were still fairly even between the Tories and Labour, but it could be “problematic for him” if that changes when an election is looming.
Another senior backbencher said Johnson’s CBI speech had been a “mess” while a third Tory MP said: “I thought today’s performance was the most embarrassing by a Conservative prime minister since last week’s PMQs. Someone needs to get a grip. He is losing the confidence of the party.”
Another Tory MP referenced the process by which MPs can submit letters of no confidence to the chair of the 1922 Committee, Graham Brady, saying: “It might not only be Father Christmas’ postbag filling up towards the end of the year – Sir Graham Brady could find he needs a bigger one too.”
Whether the Peppa Pig speech was Johnson's 'Harriet Jones moment' will only emerge in time, but it is sure looking like it.
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Beware.Johnson is a dangerous schemer.Yes he could be loosing it.Beware 'dead cattery'.THE MEDIA ARE PUSHING THE SPEECH.iT AVOIDS TALKING ABOUT THE SHAMBLES THAT THE COUNTRY IS GOING THRU including the social reforms that benefit the rich most.A journo commented on his speech,Johnsons answer was it went as he wanted.
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