Well, coverage continues apace on the latest Boris “affair”. Still no official word on whether the claims are true – Boris seems to do a better job than most at disappearing when the proverbial hits. However Boris-Johnson.com afictionados are vigorous in their defence, and The Guardian’s Mortarboard has given their take on the matter.
So, say several emails to the Boriswatch mailbag, what’s our take on the matter? Well, there has always been the argument that people can do what the hell they like as long as its legal and they do their job properly. Clinton was a prime example, in our opinion. The downside of this argument, of course, is that now people will focus more on the success of his Educational portfolio to validate his worthiness – but we have no doubt that he will work wonders on that score.
The second point that needs making is that Boris is popular for a reason – he has personality, somehow makes complete sense and really enjoys life. If these latest claims are true, it’s no surprise that he’s more likely to have affairs than the other grey, mundane politicians out there. If there was a poll of all female political fanciers, we bet Boris would come very near the top.
And the third – and we promise final – point is eager to make an appearance, so here it comes. This weeks news is next week’s chip paper. A cliche, sure – hell, we enjoy reading this type of thing in the same way that we gossip with neighbours and friends about the latest minor scandal to hit our social group. But at the end of the day it’s all about profit. The News of the World will be financially all the richer this week for the papers they’ve sold – and morally all the poorer for attempting to ruin (again) one of our best-loved political figures for a little bit of cash.
And so say all of us.
Three cheers for Wibbler and Boriswatch!
What utter commonsense you speak mate
Cheers Melissa – we’re behind you! (not in the panto sense)
It’s curious how Johnson’s fans all become moral relatavists once he’s wriggling on a pin… But I thought the Conservative Party was the party of the family and respect for the institution of marriage. This man is married with four young children. Does he not have any sense of personal responsibility? Everyone’s jollying on about good old Boris, what a thrusting, charismatic politician he is, how it’s natural that someone of his calibre should want to sleep with other women – but doesn’t his famiy count in the matter? I’m afraid it does reflect on his political character and career. He’s a wobbler, Wibbler, and a cockchafer to boot.
“If these latest claims are true, it’s no surprise that he’s more likely to have affairs than the other grey, mundane politicians out there.”
so Boris is just like John Major! interesting slant…..lets just hope this 29-year-old journalist is not another edwina …..
I do think we ought to make some distinction between somebody’s ability to do their job (which doesn’t appear to be in question), and the way they conduct their lives (which seems to me to be the issue).
Of course, everybody CAN do what they like, with whom they like, provided it is legal, but that doesn’t necessarily make them somebody to look up to.
Certainly all this bollocks about people fancying him because he’s got a personality, and that he isn’t to be blamed for acquiescing, is total nonsense.
The fact is, we constantly link our politicians’ personal lives and their political roles – it was the basis for the entire Republican campaign to bring down Clinton in the 90s; it did for Blunkett, David Mellor, Timothy Yeo, and the Clapham Common midnight rambler. It’s about integrity, trustworthiness, honour (ah, that quaint, old-fashioned word). The classic conservative attack on ‘Clintonism’ was exactly over this – its cynical, amoral, shrug-it-off appoach to personal and political misdemeanours. Has that now become the characteristic quality of the Cameronian settlement?
I’ve never liked Bill Murray (the actor!), but that first comment of his says it all.
I’m a highly politically aware, 18-year-old lad, with a textbook middle-class, village-dewlling, Telegraph-reading, Conservative background. I look to go into journalism and probably later politics.
As such, Boris has become my idol. I’ve never thought he’s perfect, but I’ve always loved his intangibly brilliant aura. I go on about him so much, some of my friends even call me Boris.
The first time he did this, I was appalled. Now I am heartbroken.
I want to like Boris – believe me, no-one else on this Earth wants to like Boris more than me.
But now, I just can’t.
Obviously, I have no more idea than anyone else whether the allegations are true or not, but with that caveat…
Frankly I couldn’t give two figs where Boris chooses to stick various parts of his anatomy; I don’t think it reflects well on him that he has affairs, but it doesn’t affect his ability to comment sensibly on higher education, so I’m glad that he isn’t getting the sack.
Most people have fairly serious character flaws of one sort or another; a compulsion to infidelity may be Boris’s. However I think it’s a shame that what could have been a stellar political career is doomed before lift off because of a refusal on Boris’ part to commit seriously to it. He can’t achieve high office if he behaves like this. With the present polito-ethical climate he just can’t. He must know this, and he must know that with his track record if he has an a affair there’s at least an even chance he’s going to get caught.
We all think he’s terribly witty, and such good fun on HIGNFY, and wasn’t his column in the Telegraph good, but he could have been one of the political giants of his age. Of coure he’s bright, but he has an ability to communicate and to make people warm to him that’s almost priceless. But that looks set to all go to waste, and Boris’ place in posterity limited to an edition of political eccentrics or some such. Seems a heavy price for a roll in the hay.
Fair play to the lad…
I find this all absolutely hilarious to be perfectly honest, at least some politicians have something interesting about them to keep us all entertained every now and then, let’s just hope this doesn’t lead to him making an appearance on Celebrity Love Island… Looking back on his track record with the fairer sex tells me however that he’d probably be quite successful if he did give into Galloway syndrome and fall prey to the curse of reality tv…
oh yeah and let’s not forget that nobbing several women in a short space of time is quite an achievement for someone who underneath all the charm and wit, is after all a short, slightly chubby and gormless albino… but in a nice way i suppose…
There is a relatively wide selection of views on our Boris here, but,even his detractors seem to have fallen under the spell of his innate charm.
He’s bound to be the subject of gossip, it goes with the territory, but it should be remembered that gossip is very often ,lake a newborn’s supposed smile; just a touch of wind.
You silly people.
Censoring my Boris Fan-Mail, that is.
You don’t know, how much he is appreciated by we disenfranchised loonies.
And, it could quite make the difference, between him earning a Government Pension, and not.
xx
batty.
Talk about damning with faint praise!
And Arnold: an American study released last year indicated that personal gossip (like this) is true 86% of the time. When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.
Firstly thank you very much for providing a wonderful public service.
Secondly, given that the pompous fat t**t on the opposite bench has managed to find not one but two women blind and stupid enough to let him collapse on top of him and survived (I believe in Westminster circles this is called “doing a Cook”) I feel it a little harsh for criticising Boris. At least he isn’t rated below a corpse on the shagability scale.
Given that Boris is only the second MP in history that I would actually trust (the first being big Mo M, my old MP) I find it rather harsh that he is persecuted by the vampiric scum (sorry, you call them the ‘press’ these days) for playing away from home. As bad as such an act is, it doesn’t impede his performance at work.
It occurs to me that a certain American leader was also harrangued for a similar event. He was also the best leader they have had in 20 years, infact the only one that could string a sentence together.
Someone make Boris PM and sack the rest of them.
“It looks as though Boris has joined a select band of unlikely lotharios whose existence is even more surprising than the Flat Earth Society. They really should formalise their shagging exploits and form Britain’s Most Unlikely Studs Club. Potential members would include Rod Liddle, David Blunkett and John Major. And their patron saint could be David Mellor.”
From Boris Johnson: Queasy Lover
I saw a photo of Boris’ home wicket in the paper recently, and can’t for the life of me work out what he’s doing batting away from home. Gone batty? Perhaps he needs some kind of councilling or therapy before this gets {cough) out of hand?