You South Africa – 08 August 2019

SOURCES:EURONEWS.COM,HERALDSCOTLAND.COM,DAILYMAIL.CO.UK,GUARDIAN.CO.UK,TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

toberuthless.Straightaftermakinghis
firstspeechasPM,hewentbackinto
DowningStreetandfiredmostofMay’s
cabinet– includinghismainopponentin
theleadershiprace,JeremyHunt.
Hethenworkedlateintothenightap-
pointinga newteam,madeupofhardline
Brexiteers.AmongthemishisbrotherJo
(47),theyoungestofhisthreesiblings,
who’llserveasuniversitiesminister.

,

Donald Trump hailed him as a good man.

“He’s tough and he’s smart. They call him

‘Britain[’s] Trump’ and people are saying

that’s a good thing.”

Johnson is far more liberal than Trump

(73) on issues such as immigration, trade

and gay rights. But the two politicians, who

are firm friends, have some things in com-

mon other than their unruly hair: they’re

both narcissists and have no qualms about

lying to get ahead.

Perhaps the most striking similarity

istheirbrandsofpoliticalpopulism:they

people what they want to hear.

But some believe that comparing John-

son, who excelled in English and classics

at Oxford University, to Trump is insulting.

“Where Trump really is as politically

naive – and frankly, stupid – as he appears,

Boris Johnson is not,” political analyst

Kirsty Strickland writes in Scottish news-

paper The Herald.

She believes Johnson’s“loveable buffoon

shtick” is an act to distract people from

the ambitious and shrewd politician he

really is.

ANOTHER TRUMP?

Boomo us e s pro se o c he

austeritymeasuresintroducedafterthe

2008 bankingcrisisandborrowmoney

forupgradinginfrastructure.

TaxHepromiseshugecutsforthe

wealthy.It’sestimatedthiswouldcost

£9billion(R153bn)a yearwhilebene-

fitingonly10%ofthepopulation.

SecurityHewantstoput 20000 more

policeofficersonthestreetby2022.

ImmigrationHewantstointroducean

Australian-stylepoints-basedsystem

soimmigrantscanbejudgedonthecon-

tributionstheycouldmaketotheUK.

ClimatechangeHe’svowedtoreduce

greenhousegasemissionstozeroby

2050.

WHERE HE STANDS

ON KEY ISSUES

AlthoughheeasilywontheConservative

leadershipracewith66%ofthevote,

he’llhavetoconvincetheBritishpeople

ifhehopestowinthe 2022 generalelec-

tion.Thismightprovedifficult– a recent

surveyshowedthat58%ofvotersview

himina negativelight.

Andinparliamenthe’llalsofacean

uphillbattle.HisLabouropponentsare

alreadythreateningtocalla voteofno

confidenceinhisleadership.So,things

couldgettricky.

THEBORISEFFECT:

HOWPOPULARISHE?

In

muchofhistwotermsasLondonmayor,

claiminghe’dreducedthemurderrate,

createdjobsanddelivereda successful

2012 Olympics.Butcriticspointtohis

manyfailures,includinga little-used

cablecarovertheRiverThamesand

abortedplansfora gardenbridgeover

theriver,bothofwhichwastedmillions

intaxpayers’money.

Hisstintasforeignsecretarywasalso

cloudedbycontroversy.He’sonrecordas

sayingthata Libyancitycouldbecomea

tourismhubonceauthorities“clearthe

deadbodiesaway”.

Andin 2016 hereferredtotheAfrican

continentas“thatcountry”.We’reguess-

ingwe’renothighonhisagenda. S

PATCHY TRACK RECORD

Greeting US

president

Donald Trump

at the United

Nations in New

York in 2017.

He’s been criticised for

the little-used cable car

he approved when he was

mayor of London.

The new prime minister appointed his

youngest brother, Jo, to his cabinet as

universities minister.

you.co.za 8 AUGUST 2019 | (^11)
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