Front page In the world Boris wanted the best: the English prime minister is becoming more and more like a "clown"
Boris wanted the best: the English prime minister is becoming more and more like a "clown"
Author: VLADIMIR IVANOV, INTERNATIONAL COLUMNIST FOR THE MOSCOW POST, 2022-02-09 07:49:52
Becoming a pathetic parody of Donald Trump, the British Prime Minister is likely to leave his post.
What a "drinking" without flowers
This outrageous extrovert, who sought to look like Winston Churchill all his life, achieved his own. Boris Johnson will definitely be among the most famous British prime ministers. He was at the center of the scandal after he was spotted at a corporate party in May 2020 at the height of the pandemic, despite the lockdown. There was an investigation into his participation in the event. The prime minister apologized, said that he considered the party a "working event." As a result, he faces resignation, reports the correspondent of The Moscow Post.
Amid the scandal, Johnson's office underwent a reshuffle. Special adviser Elena Narozanski, communications director Jack Doyle, prime minister's chief of staff Dan Rosenfeld, secretary Martin Reynolds and political adviser Munira Mirza quit "of their own free will."
Someone calls these layoffs a sign of a political crisis, threatening the resignation of the prime minister. Someone objects, being sure that the prime minister will not voluntarily leave the post and he will not be found a replacement. Johnson had already resigned in July 2018, when he resigned as foreign minister in connection with the kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. He left, became prime minister, replacing Theresa May.
Really wants, but can't
As Foreign Minister, Boris Johnson met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. I remember that on December 22, 2017, at a press conference in Moscow following the results of the negotiations, he announced that he... " Russophile, and Russophile convinced. I have ancestors in Moscow. I am convinced that I am the first British Foreign Secretary, whose name is Boris, and please have no doubt that I want to improve our relations. "
He did not achieve improvement in relations, if only because in the summer of 2021 he ordered the destroyer of the Royal Navy to try to enter the territorial waters of Russia in the Crimean Peninsula. Then he became a member of the massive Russophobic campaign to "protect" Ukraine, in this regard he saw Volodymyr Zelensky. He did not defend, but sent weapons and a special forces unit. Before that, he repeatedly complained about Gazprom's "tough" relations with incongruous European customers.
The first planned telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin did not take place, since Johnson had to answer questions in parliament at that time. But when I got through, I heard about NATO's unwillingness to give an adequate answer to Russia's concerns. On this, Johnson's supply of Russophile sentiments has dried up.
Peppa Lover
The materials of the report on the corporate party indicate a "completely non-working atmosphere" in Downing Street, where employees held drinking parties for most of 2020. In total, the report contains data on 16 informal meetings in Downing Street and in nearby offices during the lockdown period. Johnson attended three events and was on the verge of a parliamentary vote of no confidence in the government. One-party conservatives can offer to resign the leader.
Johnson's cabinet is shaken by other scandals, including suspicions of corruption and nepotism in the distribution of coronavirus state contracts. He also recalls talking about Peppa's pig in front of businessmen. The premier's residential residence in Downing Street was renovated with a scandal, as it turned out, with the money of a rich sponsor.
The head of government receives an annual state subsidy of 30 thousand pounds, which he can spend on housing. In fact, repairs cost 200 thousand pounds. The Conservative Party was fined for violations. Johnson later took over the costs, paid the contracting company 112.5 thousand pounds. The story is interesting, but long, full of numbers and details. As a result, the opposition accused the prime minister of lying.
Ratings are falling not only for the prime minister and the government, but also for the party. Voters swept the Tories in the rural district of North Shropshire in the west of England. There, conservatives have not lost since 1832. The elections took on the scale of almost a popular referendum on confidence in the government and personally Johnson. And the Tories lost them not even to Labour, but to the Liberal Democrats, who have only 13 mandates in the 650-seat parliament.
According to a poll conducted in December 2021, 62% of voters believed that the prime minister would not reach the end of this year in his chair, 25% believed that Johnson would sit down. According to the Air Force service, half of what happened to Johnson would be enough for the resignation of any other politician. But "blond cheerleader Bo does not fit into this category and has long lived without looking back at tradition," comments the Air Force.
They say that Boris was fired from the newspaper, driven from his party position, but his popularity grew. He became a star of comedy television shows, was elected to parliament in 2001, won the mayoral election in London in 2008, led the campaign for Britain to leave the EU in 2016, became prime minister in 2019, after which he won parliamentary elections by a wide margin from the opposition.
Boris did his job, Boris has to leave?
Boris Johnson came to power in 2019 with a promise to complete a divorce from Europe and raise the standard of living in poor areas. Johnson is supported in the hinterland and in the rich south of England, but his party has low ratings in London and Scotland, which may leave the kingdom.
Brexit has led to a reduction in the number of jobs, the loss of markets, a fall in trade and income. Inflation exceeded 5%, interruptions in logistics and labor led to a painful shortage of not only food, but also building materials and fuel. In the coming months, the UK will have to raise taxes, jump gas and electricity prices for the population, and not avoid a reduction in real incomes.
There is not enough money to maintain the health system. It was assumed that as a result of the country's separation from the EU, the budget would additionally receive more than $1.5 billion per month. But the government decided to raise taxes on business and the population, which generally contradicts the ideology of conservatives. About a hundred party members refused to support Johnson's proposal to return masks in stores and on transport, to introduce QR codes for mass gatherings.
Scandals and falling living standards are gradually beginning to affect ratings.
By the beginning of this year, only about 58% of voters supported the government. This is the worst indicator in two years of work of the cabinet. But observers warn that there are no prime minister candidates in the parliamentary faction comparable to Johnson in fame and popularity. And although the parliamentary majority of the ruling party before the next election does not threaten to change its leader, it can. To launch this process, there are enough statements of no confidence from 15% of the faction, that is, about fifty Tory deputies.
That is how Johnson became prime minister, replacing Theresa May in July 2019. Some deputies have already sent Teflon Johnson a "black mark," but the total number of applicants is still less than the required 54. In the list of likely successors, the first lines are occupied by Foreign Minister Liz Trass and Treasurer Rishi Sunak.
Ukraine will help Johnson
The British prime minister, however, claims to be an active participant in the verbal battles deployed by the West around Ukraine. Boris Johnson's office even said he had "high confidence" that Russia plans to fabricate an excuse to attack Ukraine.
Johnson called the Kremlin, expressed "concern" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their conversation was supposed to take place on January 31, but the British side postponed it to February 2, citing the "acute employment" of the prime minister. During this time, the prime minister managed to fly to Kiev. At the end of last week, Johnson was on the phone with the French president. The leaders discussed the situation on the border with Ukraine, Johnson informed Macron about the visit to Kiev. London also sends Foreign Minister Liz Trass to Moscow for negotiations.
The tantrum around the "Russian attack on Ukraine" began Washington. The British were the first to join and London invited Ukraine and Poland to organize a tripartite alliance. Johnson promised President Vladimir Zelensky assistance in building a navy. "Britain misleads Ukraine, incites it to conflict with Russia and holds Kiev hostage to relations between London, which has become a secondary power, and Washington," said Croatian President Zoran Milanovich.
"Britain has left the European Union, and it needs mechanisms to influence its partners, former allies within continental Europe," said Andrei Klimov, deputy head of the Federation Council's foreign affairs committee, on this occasion. Such allies of the United States and Great Britain traditionally include Poland and a number of other countries of Eastern Europe.
"Britain has serious and centuries-old contradictions with Germany, France and several other European states, but it really wants to influence the European Union. And the easiest way to do this is through states such as Poland and its junior partner Ukraine, "the senator said.
Johnson's visit to Kiev fell into the focus of attention of the satirical portal News Thump. The editors are ironic that Ukrainians could be grateful that Johnson showed them that an "unpredictable clown" can govern not only Ukraine.
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