The governing UK Conservative party just held a leadership contest, resulting in Boris Johnson being declared the next (unelected) Prime Minister of the country. (This is the second unelected leader the Tories have foisted on us in a row.)
Boris Johnson is a walking (stumbling), talking (waffling) epitome of entitlement, arrogance, and naked ambition. A complete repudiation of the idea, still clung to by some in our class-conscious society, that "breeding will tell."
Of course, the competition for the job was not exactly stellar. It came down to Johnson or Jeremy (cough) Hunt, the man already responsible for sacking the arts and the NHS. It's a bit like being asked if you'd rather be stabbed or shot, to which the only sensible answer is: "Is there a third option?"
Unfortunately, there was not.
As I've been travelling in Southeast Asia over the past month, I sometimes think about bad governance, feel bad for the locals stuck with it, and wonder how different life for them might be if, instead of corrupt pocket-stuffers and military power-grabs, these countries had entirely honest and public-spirited governments.
Then I remember what a dumpster fire UK politics is now, and I feel even worse.
Back to the beach.
No comments:
Post a Comment