Has Boris blown it?

This is an updated version of a post I published earlier.

I like Boris Johnson and have generally defended him, publicly and privately, even though he frustrated me at times.

Throughout the pandemic I have been entirely sympathetic. The situation we found ourselves in was unprecedented since the outbreak of Spanish flu 100 years ago. It was unfair therefore not to expect mistakes to be made. The important thing was not to repeat them.

It could be argued that Boris has actually done OK and even his alleged ‘mistakes’ - delaying the first and second lockdowns, for example - were driven by the right motives.

His opponents portrayed him as dithering and a serial procrastinator. I preferred to see him as someone torn by a genuine desire to avoid tough and illiberal regulations unless they were absolutely necessary.

Boris clearly deserves credit for the success of the vaccine roll-out. More recently his refusal to reimpose greater restrictions should also be applauded. Compare that to the policies imposed by the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the contrast is clear.

Pandemic aside, I also took the view that because Boris got us over the line with Brexit he deserved a full parliament and the chance to return to the electorate and let them decide his future.

Sadly the current crisis is entirely of his own making, and of those around him, and is summed up by this powerful article by Sarah Vine, the ex-wife of Michael Gove: Rage doesn’t even begin to cover how I feel about No 10’s damn stupidity.

It’s possible that a wounded Boris could survive. The tragedy however is the manner in which the goodwill and opportunities that followed his resounding election victory in December 2019 have been thrown away.

The PM was never going to be everyone’s cup of tea and some of the media coverage has been vitriolic from day one. Nevertheless, the public - by and large - did seem to be behind him, especially in the Red Wall seats where Boris’ personality seemed to cut through in a way that no Conservative politician has done before.

As for Dominic Cummings, I was a supporter of his too, grateful not just for Brexit but because I shared the view that Whitehall, and the civil service in general, needed a massive shake-up.

Cummings, it seemed, was the man to do it but his thirst for revenge following his sacking has revealed - not for the first time - the darker side of politics.

In fact one of the reasons I have some sympathy for Tony Blair is the well-documented behaviour of Gordon Brown towards the-then PM.

It doesn’t excuse some of Blair’s policies - the introduction of devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales (the greatest folly of our times) or the illiberal smoking ban - but I can’t imagine what it must be like working with a colleague so full of personal resentment.

It’s a reminder of why I never got directly involved in politics. The problem, as I saw it, was that most politicians (and this goes back to my student days) spent far more time fighting their colleagues than challenging the ideas and philosophies of their political opponents.

Those on the same side of the political fence might agree on most issues but if one stood in the way of another they became sworn enemies and would do almost anything to bring their colleague down.

Adult politics it seems to me is much the same and I have never wanted any direct part of it. I have no problem with ambition but the politicians I most admire are those who stick resolutely to their beliefs and principles, even to the detriment of their careers, and don’t get sidetracked or obsessed by personal squabbles.

Two examples are Frank Field (Labour) and Philip Davies (Conservative) to which I would add another Conservative MP, Dr Julian Lewis.

I’m biased because I used to work for him but if I’m ever undecided on a specific issue I always check to see which way Julian has voted because I know his vote cannot be bought and he will always have a calm and considered reason for voting the way he did.

To his enormous credit Julian has also remained a loyal friend of John Bercow, a friendship that goes back 30 years, despite their political beliefs diverging in dramatic fashion over the past 15 years. (Julian’s beliefs, I should add, haven’t changed at all!)

Sadly that type of friendship and loyalty is hard to find in politics and what Cummings has done to Boris is beyond contempt.

Nevertheless the PM can only blame himself for his current predicament and it’s a tragedy not just for Boris but for the country given what could have been achieved with an 80-seat majority and an allegedly liberal, pro-Brexit, pro-free market PM in power.

Arguably it’s not too late. My fear though is that the damage is done and it’s completely self-inflicted. What a waste.

Update: I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Boris during PMQs. I’ve rarely seen a politician so chastened and I’m not going to further kick a man when he’s down.

From what he said he’s putting a lot of faith in the outcome of the enquiry. If that goes against him and he is held personally responsible for breaches of Covid rules or for misleading Parliament it’s difficult if not impossible to see how he can survive.