Learn from the USA's ghastly mistake, Britain

Political theory has stressed the importance of [character and competence] since the ancient Greek philosophers. Both are problematic for Johnson, the leadership front runner. In fact, if you were to plot him on the two-by-two matrix beloved of management academics for making decisions, he would sit firmly in the bottom left corner – the worst option. [Dismally lacking in both, DUHnocchio is off the map]

Johnson’s careless and gaffe-ridden tenure as foreign secretary alone should surely have made him a non-starter for the leadership race. Yet it seems not to matter to his supporters. Do they imagine that he will undergo a Prince Hal-style conversion to responsibility and capability once he has won the crown? Or are they just so desperate to believe his bold promises of leaving the EU by October 31 [a bogglingly stupid idea] that they are not asking themselves about how he will deliver them? His apparent continuing popularity suggests that a third “C” – charisma – trumps both character and competence. [Be warned, charisma only lasts until the train wreck becomes obvious to almost all.]

https://theconversation.com/boris-johnson-lacks-character-competence-and-credibility-say-leadership-experts-120548 .


Boris Johnson Is How Britain Ends: Not with a bang, but with a burst of blond ambition.

Boris Johnson, to whom lying comes as easily as breathing, is on the verge of becoming prime minister. He faces the most complex and intractable political crisis to affect Britain since 1945.

That should be concerning enough. But given Britain’s political system — which relies for its maintenance on the character and disposition of the prime minister — it carries even graver import. Mr. Johnson, whose laziness is proverbial and opportunism legendary, is a man well practiced in deceit, a pander willing to tickle the prejudices of his audience for easy gain. His personal life is incontinent, his public record inconsequential.

And his premiership could bring about the end of Britain itself.

The state of the United Kingdom, a constitutional compact founded in 1922 and stretching back, in one form or another, for centuries, is severely strained. Though BrexTWIT is primarily driven by English passions, two of the four territories in the Union — Northern Ireland and Scotland — voted to remain. Both present immediate problems for Mr. Johnson — and for the future of Britain.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/22/opinion/boris-johnson-prime-minister-britain.html .