You probably don’t keep as close an eye on British politics as I do, so you may have missed some high drama a few weeks ago. On the heels of national polls indicating that the Conservatives had the highest lead over Labour since Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, the Tories swept to victory in local elections held all over the country. For many years they have been considered “unelectable”. But now, possibly due to some party “regrouping”, combined with a nationwide disappointment with Gordon Brown, Labour's successor to Tony Blair, they are enjoying a new found hope that they shall soon be back at Number 10 Downing Street.
The most exciting election was for the Mayor of London. It was exciting because the Conservative candidate was one of my favorite politicians and journalists, Boris Johnson. Boris is a sight to behold: a mop of shaggy yellow hair and tired eyes that make him look like he just rolled out of bed. But don’t let that soporific appearance fool you. Boris is not afraid to tell you what he thinks! And aside from generally agreeing with his politics, his forthrightness is what gives me the most hope.
This forthrightness has been labeled as a political liability. On the list of “Boris Johnson’s Key Challenges as London Mayor”, in amongst crime, community cohesion and preparation for the 2012 Olympics is:
“Gaffes: His love of speaking freely was kept in check during his campaign, but will he be able to restrain himself and avoid public controversy during four years in office?”
Is speaking freely really such a political crime? Speaking as someone who is sick of political correctness sucking all the substance out of any speech, I say “let the free speech flow”! Of course, this depends on who is doing the speaking! I'm not advocating any kind of hate-speech or incitement to violence. But at this stage, the pendulum has swung so far in favor of not offending anyone that most politicians are afraid to say anything that we don’t already know. After 8 years of beaurocratic mess, London needs leadership, not pandering. So I would much rather Boris spoke his mind and risked a few “gaffes” than become some kind of stiff, smartly dressed crowd-pleaser.
Just look at a photo of Boris. Read just a few lines of any of his articles (like this one or even better, this one) and it will become clear that he does not care one bit about what other people think. And, in my opinion, people with good ideas SHOULD speak loudly and clearly. So, although I will miss his newspaper column, (which I’m assuming he will have to let slide in favor of more important matters), I still say,
“Go BoJo!” London needs you.
Philomena
Hurrah! for the Londoners. You cannot help buy laugh out loud when you read his article. Great stuff. It is time for some new, even if eccentric, ideas.
Well done.
Posted by: Thomas More | May 10, 2008 at 10:58 PM