IF Boris Johnson is the answer then God knows what the question is. This old-Etonian Bullingdon Club buffoon is more suited to an episode of The Thick Of It than being within 100 miles of 10 Downing Street. As foreign secretary and throughout his career he has managed to offend pretty much everybody with his undiplomatic language and gaffe-prone behaviour.
British politics has gone so far off the rails, that this charlatan is seen by Tories as their only saviour. The rest of the world is watching agog, in total disbelief that this is how low the UK has sunk. The more that people know him the more grotesque it is that he is our prospective prime minister.
Former journalist colleagues like Chris Deerin know him well and he shared his insights after Theresa May resigned: “It is, when you stand back, utterly staggering that Boris Johnson is probably about to become PM despite his risible performance as foreign secretary, his behavioural and moral turpitude, his complete lack of interest in ideas, his flagrant narcissism. It is astonishing.”
Sane moderate Tories like Dominic Grieve know that the writing is on the wall. Asked on LBC if he felt Johnson was unfit for the job, Grieve responded: “Yes I do. I’m afraid he’s shown, especially during his period as foreign secretary, that he doesn’t have the necessary skills and capacity.”
When faced with the prospect of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Beaconsfield MP said he would have to consider his position very carefully as he would find it very difficult to accept his leadership.
In contrast, Tories in Scotland are falling over themselves to now accept the new realities down south. Ruth Davidson, who has already flip-flopped on Brexit, is now flip-flopping on Boris. It is utterly pathetic. If it wasn’t so serious it would be comedy gold. This is not leadership, it is total political surrender. “Brexit Ruth”, as she should now be known, is preparing the ground to accept Boris in Number 10, despite the fact that he is a serial political car crash and is viewed extremely negatively in Scotland.
Who can forget the classic argument by Boris Johnson that it’s better to spend more money in London than Scotland? “We’re making the case now to central government for more funding. I’m making the argument to the Treasury that a pound spent in Croydon is far more of value to the country in strict utilitarian calculus than a pound spent in Strathclyde. You will generate jobs and growth in Strathclyde far more effectively if you invest in Hackney or Croydon or other parts of London.”
Who can forget the biggest whopper of them all during the EU referendum in 2016? After all, it was Boris Johnson who led the campaign that lied to the country from his Brexit battle-bus about £350 million a week for the NHS. This is the man that is prepared to drive the country over the Brexit hard cliff edge.
After three years of failure to face the realities of the Brexit negotiations, Boris has already planted his hard-line policy flag by ruling out an extension: “We will leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal ... The way to get a good deal is to prepare for a no deal. To get things done you need to be prepared to walk away.” This is from a man who must know that there is not now enough parliamentary time to pass the six bills necessary for a no-deal Brexit before October 31, and certainly not enough time to make all other preparations to minimise the economic shock.
In Scotland, we are now facing Boris Johnson as prime minister and hard Brexit despite not voting for either. It is the clearest most extreme example of a democratic deficit imaginable. This cannot be as good as it gets. The UK political system is broken and failing the people badly.
Massive pennies are dropping for many people who voted No in the 2014 independence referendum. What was previously unimaginable for them is now absolutely necessary. It is unsettling and challenging. We must send the strongest message to our family members, friends and neighbours who haven’t yet embraced independence that we understand how upsetting it is to watch this absurd British political meltdown.
Scotland does have an alternative to Boris’s Brexit Britain. We can protect our place in Europe, remain an outward-looking nation that can be fairer, wealthier and more socially just. To do that we need to decide our own destiny and take back control from Westminster. Scottish independence is more relevant and more urgent than ever before. Let’s reach out to the open-minded and undecided and give them a warm welcome and confidence that we must take the next steps together.
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Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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