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The back handed compliment to end all back handed compliments

I had to titter at an article I just read on the BBC website.Boris Johnson's director of communications Guti Harri in an interview with the beeb said that he'd had a meeting with BJ and said he was 'not a complete clown and very likeable'.The irony that we are talking about the UK's senior chief executive seems lost on him,maybe someone at Tory central office will have a word in his shell like.

Keith Iddon ● 1689d4 Comments

Perhaps he should have read Max Hastings' excoriating piece about BJ in yesterday's paper. Also from Ian Birrell in the 'i' today 'He is so self-obsessed, so lacking in morality, simply so nasty behind that jocular exterior, that when cornered in Parliament over his 'failures of leadership' on Partygate he lashed out with a lie to smear the opposition leader over a 'horrendous case of child sex abuse'. These words were used by Munira Mirza in her stinging letter of resignation as his policy chief.'

Vanessa Smith ● 1689d

It "was" a compliment as it happens. As it buys into the myth that Johnson really is simply a bumbling clown rather than a manipulative self serving ambitious sociopath who just happened to chance on the clown act early on. Maybe as a defence mechanism at home with an equally sociopathic father, and at public school where it was every boy for himself.
As to Max Hastings who already had one go at destroying Johnson with his 2019 Guardian article a "cavorting charlatan" totally untrustworthy etc ...Among the best researched Bojo bigoraphies is Sonia Purnell’s "Just Boris: The Irresistible Rise of a
Political Celebrity. (2011)
In this its explained how Hastings took Johnson on  at the "Telegraph", two weeks after he'd been fired  by the "Times" for inventing a quote, making him their
Brussels correspondent. It was while he was at the "Telegraph" that the notorious Darius Guppy tape emerged. which Johnson lied his way out of evidently to Hastings satisfaction. All in https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/the-resistible-rise-of-boris-johnson The irony with Starmer of course is that he owes his rise solely to false anti-semitism smears perpetrated against his predessessor Jeremy Corbyn. Although somewhat
conveniently for all concerned, victims of false  anti-semitism smears such as Corbyn don't get attacked by right wing Q-Anon type conspiracy nuts.
michael adams 

Michael Adams ● 1688d

I don't agree with what you are getting at there.It is hardly a ringing endorsement of a new boss from a new employee,it rather suggests that Guti thinks Boris is something of a clown,just not a complete one.The'likeable' remark is just condescending and patronising. I would think a swift bollocking from central office followed.

Keith Iddon ● 1688d

Guti Harri said Boris was 'not a complete clown and very likeable'.But the point is, that fewer and fewer people regard Boris as any sort of clown any more, whether a "complete clown" or only a "partial clown".They are now coming to see him for what he actually is, and always has been; an unscrupulous self centred opportunist with scant regard for the truth.All Guti is trying to do is to get the "Clown" idea of Boris firmly back into people's heads and on the agendaas that's what got him elected. A combination of 50% clown and 50% (they hoped) sensible politician. *Nobody* has ever seriously suggested that Boris wasn't clown to some extent. Least of all himself. Again the "likeable" remark simply puts the idea back into people's heads depite the fact that apparently up close and personal it may not always be true. Central Office will have no say in any of this, Boris, or Carrie control all appointments and everything coming out of No 10 as this is strictly to save Boris's skin Until such time as sufficient Conservative MP's decide otherwise anywayHarri worked for Boris for 4 years while he was Mayor of London as Director of External Communications and was appointed on that basis.Whats interesting is Carrie's role in all of this. ATM she'calling in favours from friends in the media with stories of how she's being unjustly vilified and bullied in the press with false stories of her undue influence.Having been around the Conservatives PR circus for years it does make you wonder what she sees in Johnson with two lots of alimony already hanging around his neck and a roving eye.  michael adams

Michael Adams ● 1688d