“This is a farce. The Prime Minister has barricaded himself on Downing Street. He behaves like the boss of ‘The Office’ who refuses to realize that he has been fired. Is there no one – the queen’s court marshal? The constable on the corner? – who can explain to him that his time is up? ”
The Chronicle of The Telegraph was not written this week but in 2010 about Gordon Brown who succeeded Tony Blair just in time for the financial crisis and was driven to the gates by voters shortly thereafter.
Since then, the British have suffered four elections, three prime ministers, a Scottish independence vote and an exit from the EU that never seems to end.
All that opened for Boris Johnson. He came like a whirlwind, conjured up a Brexit deal with Brussels (albeit one that kicked the crucial Northern Ireland issue in front of him) and won the biggest election victory for the right since Margaret Thatcher. He fundamentally redrawn the political map by attracting voters far into Labor, mostly in the north. Every now and then he looked like a potentially historical figure.
More than 50 ministers and state secretaries have resigned in protest since Tuesday – including the finance minister. On Thursday, the Deputy Minister of Finance resigned.
Then he swept away everything by becoming himself again. He imposed a pub ban on 70 million Britons but partyed himself on Downing Street and lied about it several times. His confidence figures have plummeted from 60 to 20 percent in two years. More than 50 ministers and junior ministers (a kind of British cross between minister and secretary of state) have resigned in protest since Tuesday, including the finance minister. On Thursday, the Deputy Minister of Finance resigned. It’s unprecedented and it was the kiss of death. Boris Johnson did not have a chance.
You should give him a praise for the unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and the clear support for Sweden’s NATO application. But above all, one should rejoice that the British mechanisms for accountability are working properly. Integrity matters – the majority of Tory voters and party ministers made it clear.
By the way, the columnist in the Telegraph who rallied over Gordon Brown was named Boris Johnson.