March 28, 2024

Boris Johnson: Britain is laughing at itself

Boris Johnson: Britain is laughing at itself

The Conservatives should have led the country into a new era after leaving the European Union. But conservatives have no plan. If they lose to Labor in 2024, the UK could collapse.

Who will move into 10 Downing Street after Boris Johnson is still fully open. The only thing that is clear is that the next government must define relations with the European Union. (London, 7 July 2022)

Leon Neal / Getty Images

The end of Boris Johnson was quite simply the funniest day in British politics in living memory. When Tory MPs on the lawn in front of Parliament tried to explain their belated realization that Johnson was an incompetent liar in TV interviews, they drowned out the tune of the legendary TV comedy “The Benny Hill Show,” the protesters jokingly played through loudspeakers. In the House of Lords, Governor Lord True was commissioned to deliver a speech on the standards of public life. In Johnson’s era, this was a promising topic, and he really made beautiful use of it. “We are fortunate to have such a well-developed and robust system to support public standards in this country,” he began. Laughed in the medieval hall. “And the system” – true paused, searched and follow-up timing – “and the system is multifaceted.” The lords and Britain almost died laughing.