Wednesday 10 October 2012

Dissing Boris

Sir Max Hastings writes in the Mail today:

 “If the Mayor of London is the answer, there is something desperately wrong with the question.

“If the day ever comes that Boris Johnson becomes tenant of Downing Street, I shall be among those packing my bags for a new life in Buenos Aires ... because it means that Britain has abandoned its last pretensions to be a serious country."

Now it's true that Hastings has known Boris for a long time, having employed him when he was sacked by the Times for dishonesty. He will have had plenty of first-hand evidence of Boris being cheeky or sly or sailing close to the wind. Doubtless it infuriated him. But that's Boris, isn't it? Look at how he has treated his long-suffering wife over the years; it is said he has very few close friends.

But it's worth noting, as well, that Hastings was a Labour supporter in the 90s and 00s, and to be credulous of Blair and Brown is not exactly a badge of honour, is it? I seem to remember him as being altogether too keen on the European Union as well. He is very much of the Tory Left. A Clarkeite, for want of a better term. He would have been a Heathite in the 70s. Wet as a scrubber in Thatcher terms. Boris, though socially quite liberal (how could he be otherwise with HIS track record?), is economically too far to the Right for Hastings.

But the main reason for dismissing his argument is obvious, isn't it? He threatens to leave Britain, no longer 'a serious country', to go to....... Argentina!

Hasta la vista, Max. The wine and beef will be splendid, the sport and open spaces wonderful. The politics, however, and the military, and the civil administration and the economy and the corruption and the lack of democracy..... not serious. Not serious at all. The country is a laughing stock.



8 comments:

Electro-Kevin said...

Boris said of the EZ crisis that the Germans ought to give the Greeks some of their money back if they expect them to buy their washing machines.

He's absolutely right about a lot of things.

And it wouldn't be the first time the Bosche (sic) have cleaned up in Greece either.

Electro-Kevin said...

Alas Mr Hastings is also right.

I'd go further and say that there is something seriously wrong with the question when neither Dan Hannan nor John Redwood is the answer.

This is all about X Factor politics.

lilith said...

Well, he may leave for Buenos Aires yet. I shall be going myself if Ed Miliband and Balls take the reins. If it weren't for ageing parents and grandchildren we'd be going now.

lilith said...

The thing is E-K, Boris is sexy and funny and smart, not just funny and smart (Hannan) or smart (Redwood). I would hope Boris might even be smart enough to have them in his Government.

Sebastian Weetabix said...

I will pay for Hastings' ticket. The man's an arse. Always wrong about everything, with his irritating faux-patrician pretensions. A wet Heathite surrender monkey.

I always thought Boris wasn't up to being PM but seeing Hastings' bile has changed my mind.

idle said...

I like Hannan and Redwood, EK. Both would be Ministers under the Idle Enlightenment. I don't see them as PMs, though; my requirement for the next Tory leader is that he or she must be able to WIN. Gove may yet make more headway, in his intelligent, reasonable and personable (but low-key) way. But I fear he is in the sights of the cynical teaching unions, who will smear him in the left-wing press and media.

For now, it's Boris.

Thud said...

I'll go with Boris if I have to, anybody but the born again commies of the Labour party...anyone!

Electro-Kevin said...

"...my requirement for the next Tory leader is that he or she must be able to WIN."

You're right. And he can. It would be nice if it were in time for 2015