I have a dream, and it's a bit different to Abba's - and very different to Martin Luther King's. I have a dream that Boris Johnson spends the rest of his life in prison, that effigies of him are burned on November 5th, and that generations of children are taught the difference between right and wrong by being told the story of the World King who couldn't stop lying.
Most of this blog was written before Putin invaded Ukraine so, obviously - this should go without saying, Johnson is not THE WORST MAN IN THE WORLD. But he is, undoubtedly, using the invasion of Ukraine and Putin's rise to become potentially the most dangerous man in the world since Hitler to hide his own misdeeds, untruths, and crimes behind.
Since I last wrote we've had the fallout from the heavily redacted Sue Gray report which, even in its redacted state - thanks to the intervention of the Metropolitan Police, has resulted in yet more Tories turning against Johnson. Both Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East) and Anthony Mangnall (Totnes) called for a no confidence vote in Johnson and Johnson's predecessor, the woman whose premiership he sought to destroy so he could take over, Teresa May came in hard on him too.
Another former Tory PM, John Major, said Johnson's behaviour had made the government look "distinctly shifty" (as if it already didn't), that they had eroded public trust in politics, and that they had damaged the reputation of the UK internationally but, most powerfully of all, Aaron Bell (a 'red wall' Tory who took Newcastle-under-Lyme in 2019) told of how he'd not even been able to go and have a cup of tea with his family after his grandmother's funeral before pointedly, and passionately, adding "does the Prime Minister think I'm a fool"?
To which the answer can only be 'yes'. Johnson's response was to make ludicrous claims that the Labour front bench were all on drugs and repeat a long disproved lie, and conspiracy theory, that Keir Starmer had failed to prosecute child rapist Jimmy Savile when he was Director of Public Prosecutions at the Crown Prosecution Service. It was the final straw for Johnson's policy chief Munira Mirza who quit. She was quickly followed by three other Johnson staff members.
Rats escaping a ship that is sinking, and taking the country with it, under the sheer weight of Johnson's duplicity. When far right anti-vax protestors turned up outside of Parliament and threatened Starmer based on Johnson's lie I couldn't help thinking that Johnson, a keen student of Trumpian dog whistle techniques, very possibly knew this would happen and even, tacitly, encouraged it.
Of course he Tweeted his condemnation but that's how it works with the likes of Trump, Putin, and Johnson. You sew not just divide but disinformation. Johnson didn't even care that Savile's victims were hurt by these lies because this wasn't about child abuse or child abuse victims. This was, and still is, about one thing only. Saving, or trying to save, Johnson's skin.
For that he will do anything, stoop to the lowest lows, and put other people's lives in danger while at the same time causing hurt to those who have already suffered far too much. The usual lackeys stood up to defend Johnson. The Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries (still four words that should never be seen together) carried out a horrific car crash of an interview and there was suggestion that the "grown ups" had taken over Number Ten now so this would be the last scandal we'd see.
Of course it won't be and, as an aside, why weren't the grown ups already in charge? I know it was only the worst global pandemic in a century (which, as of writing, has claimed the lives of over 160,000 UK citizens) but it seems a weird idea to let the kids run the country.
Talking of kids, Guto Harri is back as Johnson's press chief and he got off to a flyer by insisting that Johnson is not a "complete clown" and letting it be known that when he met with Johnson, Johnson sang I Will Survive to him. To go with his rendition of The Winner Takes It All at the Abba themed lockdown party no doubt.
A distraction scandal was thrown up regarding Carrie Johnson and the undoubted abuse she got, much of it sexist (for instance her nicknames:- Princess Nut Nut, Lady Macbeth, Carrie Antoinette). But Carrie Johnson is not the PM so she's not to blame for the PM's many failings. But when supporters of Johnson (B) started saying that Johnson (C) should be left alone as she has no role in government whatsoever then I had to wonder, why was she in that 'work event' photograph?
Jacob Rees-Mogg was rewarded for defending the indefensible by being given a new title - Minister of Brexit Opportunities. A bullshit job for a bullshit person. A made up job for a made up man. A fantasy post for a man who lives a life of fantasy. But those are the men, and women, in the ascendancy right now. Ignorers of fact, deniers of truths, disrupters. Men like Boris Johnson.
Men like Vladimir Putin. While Putin is likely, certain, to unsettle the entire world, Johnson works on a smaller scale. Damaging the UK every time he lies, every time he peddles conspiracy theories, every time he promotes another bullshitter like Mogg. It may seem to be missing the point to go on about Johnson when a potential World War III is breaking out in Ukraine but I don't think it is. Johnson has failed this country incredibly badly during one global disaster. Do we really trust him to be in charge as we enter what may be an even bigger one?
One sign is that though the likes of Rees-Mogg saw 'partygate' as a big enough issue to break their Newsnight boycott for, they're back to being unavailable when it comes to Ukraine. Saving Johnson is vital work. Saving Ukraine, or Britain, or even the world, is much less important.
It's a funny old game, politics, and if I dwell on it too much it's not good for my health - but I refuse to ignore it because it affects my life - and everybody else's. You have to have other interests though, just for your own sanity, and when I've not been watching the horrors on the borders of Ukraine I've been to a couple of exhibitions (one about the Beano at Somerset House) and Life Between Islands at Tate Britain.
I intend to write about them soon but there's a lot to write about. They were big shows and I want to do them justice. I did write about my return to the theatre after two years to see The Glow at the Royal Court in Chelsea and I was quite proud I walked all the way there. I was less proud of how much I drunk on various nights out including two admittedly very fun ones with Ian and Mike in both Camden and Kilburn.
I've chatted on the phone with Michelle and Ben, I've met with Vicki for pizza (also in Chelsea), I've had a lovely curry (jeer aloo from Jai Krishna) and board games (Balderdash & Confident) evening at Kathy's with her, Pam, and Mike, and, on Tuesday, I joined the BC/DC (Basingstoke Curry and Drinking Club - on this occasion:- me, Shep, Tina, Neil, Adam, Teresa, and Ian) for a trip to Agra Indian restaurant in Basingstoke (obviously), and went for halloumi fish fingers and chips and beans with my mum and dad at Oliver's in Old Basing.
Global politics is a nightmare at the moment and so is the state of my head sometimes - but, sometimes, the state of my head is dreamlike - and in a good way. But the dream I have that I know will make all our lives better and safer is for Putin to be defeated or dethroned and for Boris Johnson, that huge Abba fan, to finally meet his Waterloo.
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