Boris Johnson succeeded Theresa May as new Tory prime minister – chosen by Britain’s power elite, ordinary Brits having no say over their new leader.
UK democracy in action resembles America’s — pure fantasy, not the real thing.
Johnson is a caricature of what a political leader is supposed to be, a self-promoting serial liar, an embarrassment to previous offices held.
In public statements, he bashed Russia like his predecessors, abandoning reason, logic, facts, and common sense.
Johnson and Theresa May, along with other UK and US Russophobes, concocted the Skripal poisoning incident the Kremlin had nothing to do with.
Instead of responsibly seeking improved relations with Moscow, they used the incident to heighten tensions more than already.
Johnson is Britain’s Nikki Haley with gender difference. He earlier compared Putin to Hitler.
Haley has US 2024 presidential ambitions. The possibility should terrify everyone — a neocon extremist, geopolitical know-nothing Hillary clone without her years of political experience on the world stage.
Former London Mayor Ken Livingstone earlier called Johnson “the most hardline right-wing ideologue since Thatcher…a fairly lazy tosser who just wants to be there.”
He’s supremely unqualified for the post he now holds. It’s his to compound the mess he inherited.
Russian Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Konstantin Kosachev slammed him, saying:
“British politics is in for gales and earthquakes, I dare suggest. And the British-Russian relations are in for the same old cemetery despair they have been plunged into by Johnson and the like. It’s going to be no fun.”
His hardline extremism and eccentricities “manifested itself in full when he was foreign secretary and is unlikely to fade away now.”
Kosachev’s State Duma counterpart Leonid Slutsky was just as disappointed about Johnson’s ascension to power, saying:
“As for relations with Russia, one can hardly expect drastic changes for the better.”
He was foreign secretary “during the unprecedented anti-Russian campaign over the so-called poisoning” of Sergey and Yulia Skripal, falsely blamed on Moscow.
“(H)e did his utmost to promote that political theater and reduce Russian-British relations to zero.”
According to journalist Dave Hill, he’s “a unique figure in British politics, an unprecedented blend of comedian, conman, faux subversive showman, and populist media confection.”
Biographer Sonia Purnell described his public persona as “brand Boris,” adding he’s “a manic self-promoter (with) a good deal of bravado…the most unconventional…politician of the post-Blair era.”
Former UK deputy PM Nick Clegg once said he’s “like Donald Trump with a thesaurus.” Their demagogic self-promotion, bombast, bravado and arrogance are similar.
Johnson is like DJT with a British accent and smoother presentation. Former MP/imperial critic George Galloway said “(y)ou’d have to…be British and…mad (to believe he’s) the answer to Britain’s now rather critical problems,” adding:
“He’s the perfect encapsulation of all of the vices…of the upper-class English elite” — indifferent to the rights and welfare of ordinary Brits
“Like his hero Winston Churchill, he believes history will treat him kindly because HE intends to write it.”
He and Trump are warlords, hostile to peace, equity and justice — essential qualities for public office in the West, social democrats shunned.
He drips racism and misogyny, calling Blacks “piccaninnies (with) watermelon smiles” and Muslim women “letter boxes.”
According to a non-random sample of 70,000 London Guardian readers, “(w)omen are more likely than men to view Boris Johnson as dishonest, xenophobic and politically calculating…97% of women and 96% of men (consider him) “repellently dishonest.”
At an early July Tory leadership gathering, he was questioned about his “arguably racist” remarks in newspaper columns he wrote.
Columnist Patrick Cockburn suggested his ascension to prime minister amounted to “a soft coup.”
He was chosen by 160,000 Tory members, a minute fraction of the UK electorate. Following his selection, the London Guardian said “the clown is crowned as the country burns in hell.”
“Elected by a staggering 0.2% of the nation, (it’s far from) the will of the people.” And by the way, the acronym for his “Deliver, Unite, Defeat” campaign slogan is DUD.
In a pitch to become prime minister, he made a “do of die” pledge to leave the EU by October 31.
Preferring to avoid a no-deal Brexit, he said “(i)t would be absolutely bizarre to signal at this stage that the UK government was willing once again to run-up the white flag and delay yet again.”
Much can happen between now and then. Like Trump and other Western politicians, Johnson time and again says one thing and goes another way.
He slammed Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, calling him and likeminded followers part of a “Marxist cabal…a real threat to our fundamental values and our way of life,” adding:
As prime minister, he’ll “protect this country from the red-toothed, red-clawed socialism.” Like most Western politicians, he supports privilege over beneficial social change.
In declaring his candidacy earlier, he vowed to cut taxes for wealthy Brits and corporations — at a time surveys show most Brits oppose years of force-fed austerity, wanting higher taxes, extra revenue used for improved social services.
On Wednesday, Johnson begins his tenure as prime minister. The good news is Theresa May is gone. The bad news is he’ll likely continue the worst of her policies and add his own.
Besides favoring tax cuts for the rich and business, he wants Brits paying more for healthcare, along with calling for putting 20,000 more cops on the beat to fight “crime” and being tough on aliens from the wrong countries.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Zarif tweeted the following after Johnson’s selection as prime minister, saying:
“The May govt’s seizure of Iranian oil at behest of US is piracy, pure & simple.
I congratulate my former counterpart, @BorisJohnson on becoming UK PM.
Iran does not seek confrontation. But we have 1500 miles of Persian Gulf coastline.These are our waters & we will protect them.”
Johnson is no friend of Iran, earlier urging ways to restrain what he called its “disruptive behavior (sic).”
In a leadership debate earlier this month, he said “I am not going to pretend that the mullahs of Tehran are easy people to deal with (sic) or that they are anything other than a disruptive, dangerous, difficult regime (sic). They certainly are (sic),” adding:
“But…if you asked me whether I think we should now, were I to be prime minister now, would I be supporting military action against Iran? Then the answer is no.”
No can become yes on numerous issues when US hardliners come calling.
Johnson no doubt will keep the US/UK special relationship intact, especially on geopolitical issues.
Judge them by their actions. Both countries are hostile toward Iran. That’s not likely to change with him at No. 10.
How will he get along with Trump personally? He’s on the record as London mayor, saying the following in response to private citizen Trump’s remark in 2015 about “no-go” zones in the city where police won’t go because of Muslim extremists, saying:
Trump demonstrated “a quite stupefying ignorance that makes him, frankly, unfit to hold the office of president of the United States.”
He was the first senior UK politician to state this view. Trump is easily irritated when criticized.
If he’s made aware of Johnson’s remark or remembers it when made, it may not make for an easy relationship.
*
Note to readers: please click the share buttons below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc.
Award-winning author Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected]. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG)
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
