Boris Johnson radio 4 interview 21 June 17

[CHAPPERS]

Another worrying thing about Boris's lacklustre interview yesterday is that his utter lack of knowledge of policy detail implied that his heart wasn't in the job any more and he's stopped doing his preparation.

How is that going to play out, given he is Foreign Secretary and so supposed to stay close to the detail of the Brexit talks, working closely with Davis and Fox to promote Britain in readiness for a post-Brexit world?

As Morrissey once said "that joke isn't funny any more".

Yes. it would be worrying enough if he was just being touted as a future leader, the fact that he is a current member of the cabinet with a big role to play in the most important negotiations of our time is just plain ridiculous.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Again, if Labour had the ability to form a government, but to do so required a bit of policy watering down and back scratching, they would do it too. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded.

Indeed, Labour would clearly have to go into a coalition.

 

[Stato]

I think the issue is the reactionary decisions made by the government. They seem to be making policy decisions based on what is going to help them cling on to power a bit longer, not based on what they believe or want to do (austerity softening). The weak manifesto has been utterly abandoned, the Queen's Speech is a nonsense and the only way they have been able to form a wokring government is by making this deal with the totally out of date climate change denying DUP (as our great leader Caroline Lucas called them, the dinosaurs of the DUP).

I think it will be a lot less complicated for all concerned if the Tories just published one manifesto to be used at all future elections. It should say:

"The Conservative Party promises to do anything to stay in power.

We propose that we stay in power and are quite willing to sacrifice long or short term economic stability, your lives, your children's future and even the union itself to achieve this.

There is no point us promising anything because all promises are subject to being broken if they interfere with the main objective of us staying in power.

We won't bother telling you our vision of the future because the only thing that we want to achieve is being in power.

Vote For Us."

 

[Pavilionaire]

The problem with that item is that the Cabinet didn't know about it - it was cooked up by May and her advisers rather than being discussed in Cabinet meetings.



Johnson hasn't stood - he chickened out

I take your point. Boris campaigned to be leader but bailed minutes before the candidate submission deadline after being told his support among MPs was only 30-40 strong after being knifed by Gove. In my book that's standing and not winning the leadership.

It is staggering to think back now on the dementia tax fiasco and the mixed messages from Jeremy Hunt and Theresa May on this before the U-turn.

 

[Giraffe]

Just listened to his again and the big thing that came across to me is what was he asked about his job as Foreign Secretary?

Whenever I have heard him on foreign issues he has sounded very knowledgable.

When Diane Abbot made a tit of herself she was specifically being asked questions about home affairs, as the shadow Home Secretary. A completely different type of disaster.

 

[highflyer]

Just listened to his again and the big thing that came across to me is what was he asked about his job as Foreign Secretary?

Whenever I have heard him on foreign issues he has sounded very knowledgable.

When Diane Abbot made a tit of herself she was specifically being asked questions about home affairs, as the shadow Home Secretary. A completely different type of disaster.

I think you misundersatnd his job. He is a senior member of the Cabinet. When he represents the government in this way he does so on the basis of collective responsibility, not just as Foreign Secretary. Not being on top of the fine detail (or getting numbers wrong) is one thing. But you cannot go in to a major media interview without basic preparation - at least having some idea of what was in the (pretty short) Queens speech. That is sheer incompetence.

Also of course he tried so hard to waffle his way through which made it worse.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Just listened to his again and the big thing that came across to me is what was he asked about his job as Foreign Secretary?

Whenever I have heard him on foreign issues he has sounded very knowledgable.

When Diane Abbot made a tit of herself she was specifically being asked questions about home affairs, as the shadow Home Secretary. A completely different type of disaster.

I reckon a Tory cabinet minister could take a shit on your doorstep and you'd thank them for the manure!

 

[Giraffe]

I think you misundersatnd his job. He is a senior member of the Cabinet. When he represents the government in this way he does so on the basis of collective responsibility, not just as Foreign Secretary. Not being on top of the fine detail (or getting numbers wrong) is one thing. But you cannot go in to a major media interview without basic preparation - at least having some idea of what was in the (pretty short) Queens speech. That is sheer incompetence.

Also of course he tried so hard to waffle his way through which made it worse.

I do understand that, although this has changed a lot over the last 20 years or so.

It was a bit of an ambush though because it was asking about stuff which is not in the queens speech which Theresa May had mentioned sometime ago. A bit left field really but equally Boris should simply have just said he didn't no if he didn't know. I would hope he would be better briefed when he does become Prime Minister

One final point, it is very easy to sit on the sidelines and pick away at the Government, but these so called clever journalists would find it a lot harder to actually do a job that is demanding of you for seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

I think it's time we gave our politicians a break and a bit of respect, and let them do the best job they can. We won't make the current situation better by constantly destabilising the Government.

 

[Giraffe]

I reckon a Tory cabinet minister could take a shit on your doorstep and you'd thank them for the manure!

I could do with some for the roses to be fair.

I reckon if Corbyn banged one off in your face you'd be a very happy man.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I could do with some for the roses to be fair.

I reckon if Corbyn banged one off in your face you'd be a very happy man.

Ha ha good come back.

 

[highflyer]

We won't make the current situation better by constantly destabilising the Government.

I disagree

But I do have sympathy for most politicians (all sides), who in the main are decent, hard working and doing a difficult job because they genuinely want to make a difference.

Out of interest, did you ask for Diane Abbott to be given a break and a bit of respect?
Want to do that now?

 

[Ernest]

[tweet]877606428185415680[/tweet]

 

[Giraffe]

Out of interest, did you ask for Diane Abbott to be given a break and a bit of respect?
Want to do that now?

Diane Abbott should be given a permanent break! And I respect her ability to be consistently dreadful.

 

[Stato]

We won't make the current situation better by constantly destabilising the Government.

Do you think that this is quantum politics? The government is only unstable when somebody looks at it?

 

[highflyer]

Diane Abbott should be given a permanent break! And I respect her ability to be consistently dreadful.

Very gracious. So essentially all that stuff about givng politicians a break and letting them do the best job they can was bullshit.
Or just applies to posh white men?

 

[Tarpon]

I do understand that, although this has changed a lot over the last 20 years or so.

It was a bit of an ambush though because it was asking about stuff which is not in the queens speech which Theresa May had mentioned sometime ago. A bit left field really but equally Boris should simply have just said he didn't no if he didn't know. I would hope he would be better briefed when he does become Prime Minister

One final point, it is very easy to sit on the sidelines and pick away at the Government, but these so called clever journalists would find it a lot harder to actually do a job that is demanding of you for seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

I think it's time we gave our politicians a break and a bit of respect, and let them do the best job they can. We won't make the current situation better by constantly destabilising the Government.

Alternatively let's let them try and earn any respect and judge if their best is good enough while holding them to account. After all we employ them. Also, the current Government clearly need no help destabilising themselves and there is a decent argument that this has happened because they believed they could continue to do what they liked without consequence.