There have been plenty of awful ones before, but after only a few months in office, Johnson has proved himself, with his basic incompetence, and arrogant, cavalier attitude to work and responsibility, one of the worst British prime ministers of all time.
Most of the 19th century PMs were of a similar ilk, too arrogant to appreciate both the needs of ordinary people, and their value in turning Britain into one of the most wealthy and powerful countries in the world. Spencer Perceval is mostly remembered for being assassinated, but not before taking draconian measures against hungry workers, whilst the even more reactionary Wellington refused an extension of the franchise and the reform of parliament, even though places like Dunwich which had been eroded into the sea, still had two MPs representing it in the house of Commons!
In more modern times, Balfour, Eden, Douglas-Home, Cameron and May would attract little other than criticism, even from members of their own Tory party, but they all could, on occasion, hold their own in a debate, or make themselves understood with a certain degree of clarity. We now have at Number 10 someone who, even after delivering a pre-recorded televised speech, watched by over 20 million, has to go to parliament to explain what he meant, and then return to the medium of television for a press conference to explain further. Even then, headlines in the Star focussed on his obfuscation and "vague" advice, whilst the Guardian criticised the lack of "clear" direction.
Of course, we are facing an unprecedented crisis, which would test the ability of any leader, but even before the seriousness of the coronavirus was known, Johnson was up to his old trick of "winging it". Colleagues and friends have long acknowledged that this is what Johnson did at school, university and whilst a journalist, so was anyone surprised by his long stay at Mustique over the new year? The trouble is that when the nature of the deadly disease was known, and spreading throughout Europe, part-time PM, Johnson, was spending time at the country retreats of Chequers and Chevening, the latter being a 115-room lakeside mansion, set on 3,500 acres, where he was staying after Storm Dennis, rather than visiting victims of the devastating floods. Even the Daily Mail had a headline about him "skipping five Cobra meetings at the start of the coronavirus outbreak", whilst the Times claimed that Britain had "sleepwalked into disaster". Now he of all people is the one telling British people to get back to work! If only he`d started sooner!
What follows is well known, and all errors can be attributed to the man in charge: the World Health Organisation`s advice to "test, test, test" arrogantly ignored; protective gear insufficient and none ordered, despite offers from British firms; 80% respirators out of date; ventilator panic; Heathrow bringing in passengers from all over the world, including virus "hotspots" like New York and Madrid every day, despite lockdown, without tests or quarantine; lockdown ordered too late; care homes ignored; testing chaos, with firms like Deloitte and Serco given contracts; figures manipulated to ensure testing target is met, once at least; lockdown restrictions lifted too early; totally confusing messages make second wave highly likely; many workers forced back to work, despite unsafe travel and unsafe workplaces.
Johnson`s bluster and confusion now mean the rich can have their nannies and cleaners in their houses but ordinary folk can`t visit their parents in their gardens. People must use their common sense, he says, but never does himself, with joined-up thinking seemingly an impossibility!
Jokes abound about his confused messaging, but the sad thing is that our PM is a laughing stock, with other countries` press having a field day ridiculing, not just the PM, but the country which elected him. He may be funny from afar, but the sight of overcrowded buses and trains, with people being told to go back to work, means a second spike is almost inevitable. His careless talk does, indeed, cost lives!
Different messages in Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland and either a refusal to publish Sage meetings` minutes or redacting their recommendations are further evidence, if any were needed, of his position in the PMs` league table.
Remember how he boasted in July last year that his mission was to create the "greatest place to live", where there was the "best healthcare and the most compassionate approach to care of elderly people". Readers can guess Corbyn`s reply at the time: "our country needs competence". Wise words indeed!
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