road to nowhere
As Theresa May formally relinquishes leadership of the dysfunctional Tory party you’d have been forgiven for thinking potential candidates for the poisoned chalice would’ve been thin on the ground, but as we know the baker’s dozen of wannabes stretched half way round Downing Street. Now significantly reduced, it’s certainly shaping-up to be a tumultuous affair but I can’t quite shake the feeling that it’s all a bit of a sham, that it’s taking place in an era of the scam. Everywhere I look, there appears people who have figured out ways to game our political system. Nothing feels entirely true; everything feels calculated to manipulate. And nothing epitomises this more than the sharp-elbowed jockeying for future positions of office by Boris Johnson’s parliamentary supporters.
Bumble appears to be represented and protected by a phalanx of proxies, a praetorian guard, who are happy to do the rounds on his behalf, explaining what they believe their overlord stands for on everything from operational practicalities to moral fortitude. Meanwhile the great man himself has informed those MPs not supporting him to “stop banging on about Brexit and put that bawling baby to bed”. It’s certainly no coincidence that parallels with Tiny Hands’ presidency are evident to behold. Trump proudly espouses that he’s no ‘detail man’ and cares little for anything as boring as policy. He uses the office solely to build his global brand and personal wealth.
Not that long ago we were smug enough to believe that what was taking place over the water could not happen here. We weren’t the US, where investigative reporters and peaceful opponents were physically threatened and hounded out of public meetings. Where downright lies, unsubstantiated wild claims and extravagant sound-bites, delivered by little more than a pantomime character, dominated both the airwaves and political agenda. That all looks a tad complacent when Johnson supporters booed and shouted down a journalist for asking a difficult question at his launch last week. And continues following more salacious revelations as the man morphs into the love child of Silvio Berlusconi and Donald Trump.
News that Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson has pocketed over £700,000 for speeches since leaving the office of Foreign Secretary highlights the scam is afoot and there’s money and power to be had out of his inauthentic nonsense. As for the parliamentary cronies who really should know better: every one of them should be prepared to stand-up and be counted when the whole shebang goes belly-up, as it assuredly will. Somehow, I think they’ll be nowhere to be seen.
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