The Sleaze of a Clown

Bullies like to taunt others and then dismiss their complaints as signs that they are not able to take a joke.  Soon the ‘jokes’ turn into intimidation and aggression, and if the bullies can continue to get away with their appalling behaviour, life would just get worse for everyone.

In politics, bullying becomes the default when those in power can get away with whatever they do.  Boris Johnson hides behind a façade of jokiness and pretends any transgression he may have committed in words or deeds should not be taken seriously. But that is the crux of the matter.  If we do not hold him to account for his wrongdoing, it would just confirm for him that the public are irrelevant.

 

The mounting allegations of sleaze against him and the government ministers he protects would suggest that the only accountability he cares about is that to those rich enough to give him large political donations when he is in office, and lucrative positions when he leaves.  To that end, he and those under his patronage would not hesitate to hand out public money to whomever they please, take funds from donors in return for favours, help the wealthy avoid costs other citizens would have to bear, or grant access to the privileged few while denying ordinary people and businesses even a courtesy response to their queries.

 

Of course, Johnson would reject that he has ever done anything wrong, and all the allegations are unfounded.  He might go so far as to preside over all investigations and declare that he would personally decide if he or any of his Cabinet members is guilty of any corrupt practice.

 

For all we know, he might even take his latest flag-fetishism to the next level and insist that any criticism of him and his government is unpatriotic because it damages the reputation of the country.  With the support of the Johnson-backing media, those who press for a thorough investigation of the many suspicious deals and transactions would be dismissed as whinging about nothing.

 

However, to meekly submit to political bullies is to go down the one-way street to arbitrary rule.  We are at a critical junction, and we must not allow him to be emboldened in disregarding the public’s views in what he does.

 

At present, he is riding high by taking credit for the dedication and achievements of university researchers and the NHS, but in reality, he is continuing to underfund their work, and furthermore, he has substituted transparent governance by secretive moves that appear to serve only him and his wealthy supporters.

 

We must not shrug off the charges of wrongdoing as though a joker should not be taken too seriously.  Sometimes, the most unscrupulous leader lurks behind the face of a clown.

--

For a helpful summary of Johnson’s scandalous behaviour, see: 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/30/scandal-charge-sheet-johnson-wallpaper-lying