Is your opinion of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson positive, negative, or neutral?

[Physics-Man]

Positive

Negative

Neutral

[nightdrot]

Voted "positive," though that is at the margins and "neutral" might have worked as well. My opting for the former is that Mr. Johnson - were I British - would be my party. Albeit not that wing of the party to which I would be committed. However, what is really remarkable about Prime Minister Johnson is just how unremarkable he has been.

Given his background and reputation prior to going into politics, it might have been fairly assumed that Mr. Johnson would have been a colorful and dominating figure. Not unlike, though far different in style, from what Lady Thatcher had been back in the day.

Thatcher dominated the British media, but was just a remarkable figure - love her or hate her (put me in the former camp) - that she was even prominent in American media in the 80s. To be sure, part of that was her generally close relationship with President Reagan, but most Americans could not name a British Prime Minister since Churchill - no offense to the British, but Americans tend to be absorbed by their own politics.

Yet Lady Thatcher was a well known figure in the States. Known for her dominating style as well as her political philosophy. Which again paralleled - with some differences - President Reagan in the States. It being also true that Lady Thatcher, in the Cold War, was no shrinking violet and was regarded by Americans as a good friend and ally.

To be sure, circumstances have changed and the contours of international relations are different and thus there is less opportunity for foreign leaders to keep the attention of the American public. Still, Johnson - not least in part due to his hairstyle at the very least (that was a joke, sort of) - has not been in the spotlight.

His conservatism is of the populist sort that is catching on in much of the West, but his personality as a public figure has been remarkably bland. Again, one might have expected a mercurial and dominating personality. Instead, Johnson is known more for his aforementioned hairstyle than for anything that he has said or done.

This is not a sin and it is arguable that in tumultuous times, Britain needs a quieter figure. Certainly it has given Mr. Johnson a longer tenure in office than his parallel - in philosophical terms - figure in the United States, former President Trump.

The latter was a mercurial figure who layered tumult upon tumult until, notwithstanding a reasonably good record overall, the American public was desperate for someone more - for lack of a better term - normal. Thus the American public chose, for good or ill, Mr. Biden.

By contrast, Mr. Johnson's more subdued style of politics - and again, this is speaking relatively - has given him electoral staying power. Grant that the recent scandal over COVID violations at a Downing Street garden party may, given the British national mood, mark the beginning of the end of Mr. Johnson's run.

However, it is arguable, that in a different context sans the global hysteria over COVID - a hysteria that has even impacted the UK - that Prime Minister Johnson's style has made him a far less controversial and colorful figure than he might have otherwise been expected to be. This then netting out to a generally positive, but not dramatically so, view of Johnson.

History will likely record Johnson to be, as Prime Minister, a reasonably able, but not terribly colorful figure. Not what one would have expected, but as the saying goes, "good enough for government work."

[EnglishEuropean]

That's a very balanced, even charitable view. I daresay things look calmer from the other side of the pond.

[nightdrot]

@EnglishEuropean Well, your point is well taken. I follow British politics, but unlike in the Thatcher years - for whatever combination of reasons - the coverage of politics in Westminster is not what it used to be.

Suffice to say, I freely confess that there is an impressionistic element to my analysis. Further, of course, I am aware of the recent scandal involving the Prime Minister related to parties that may or may not have violated British COVID rules.

That all said, at least from this side of the Pond, Mr. Johnson has been nowhere near the dominating figure that Lady Thatcher was back in the day. Indeed, if the COVID scandal gets more serious, Johnson may not get the chance to serve as long as Lady Thatcher did. That extended tenure being testimony to Thatcher's dominance of British politics in a way that Johnson has, till now, failed to meet.

[EnglishEuropean]

I agree. Mrs. Thatcher was unpopular with liberals because of her draconian monetarist policies but at least you always knew what her policies were. Beyond the commitment to "get Brexit done" (undermined by continued attempts to renegotiate the Northern Ireland Protocol and failure to institute required customs procedures) the Johnson government's only policy has been fecklessness and drift.

[nightdrot]

@EnglishEuropean Yes, that was my point. Lady Thatcher painted in bright primary colors. Johnson in pastels, so to speak. My only other point being that given that how colorful he had been before becoming Prime Minister, it is rather striking how unremarkable he has been as Prime Minister. In that sense he was not as advertised.

[Kaneki05]

He's a conservative so it's always gonna be negative. However that been said if anything I would rather have him than last couple of prime ministers we've had.
Feel like people are gonna kick him out to just get a worse leader tbh.

And the most annoying thing about is, because he did a lot of stuff conservatives didn't actually like there just jumping on any excuse to flame him. So recently they've been having goes at him for this party thing but this is the people who were ignoring covid rules and doing it themselves anyway.
So you have all the left jumping on board to hate him cause obvious reasons. But then you have all the conservative party against him for doing stuff they were doing weekly lol. Unless your telling me all the rest of the conservatives were fully following Covid rules and not getting together... and wearing masks all the time ha.

Honestly even tho I don't like Boris, I feel like both entrapped him into a impossible dumb situation. Oh well I just have to pray the next leader is not someone much worse.

[Jessica405]

He was voted in to get Brexit done. Now, he is the wrong person for the job. He has broken several manifesto pledges, which means the Tory party cannot be trusted at the next election. He is too optimistic, relying on future developments that may or may not happen. All this fiasco about parties is the final straw.

Personally, I despise the way he always appears in some department or other with his sleeves rolled up, as if he is trying to be "one of the boys".

[EmmaMary]

@Jessica405

I quite simply couldn't agree with you more.

[Jessica405]

@EmmaMary Thanks! You and fam ok now? I am in round 2 of covid. 🤣🤣🤣

[yucel_eden]

As someone who voted for him last election, cannot agree with you more…

Won’t vote for him another time and he’s got to go

[Jessica405]

@yucel_eden Very true!

[lilyanony1]

He's a dick. He has great like ability when you meet him in the flesh and he is intelligent but he's also very lazy and selfish. And finds it easier to look after himself and his mates. Simply because they give him to gratification he needs which lulls him into the falls sense of security that he's doing a great job!

[OlderAndWiser]

All of my information comes from the media and I suspect that he is the British equivalent of Trump, perhaps loved by many of the common people but hated by the media. So I don't think I have a valid basis upon whih to form an opinion.

[tartaarsaus]

For the record, he used to be somewhat popular but his popularity sunk incredibly low in the last few weeks due to a few scandals related to creating very frequent parties while the countries was in lockdown.

[Soteris]

My opinion of Boris Johnson is very bad. I generally dont look favorably on lazy incompetents, especially when they lack the moral backbone to not sell out everyone for their own benefit. The fact that he tries to deceive me with some silly acting as if I can't see past his clown mask to the malicious grin underneath it is quite frankly just an insult on top of it all.

For all his elitism, for all his disdain for the common man, for all his desire to be the highest authority and to never do any work. I would be fine with that in a politician since that is sort of the norm, its just that he is so fucking stupid that really wraps up the whole package.

[TommyMountainFigure]

He was a blundering fool when he was London Mayor, he was a bumbling idiot when he turned to politics and he is a blithering moron now.

We all know what he's like, but there is very little by way of choice in anyone else.
Starmer is no less corrupt than Boris, only he just hasn't been caught out quite as much yet.. (Apart from the parties he's attended as well of course)

[Nomoturtle]

Neutral. I don't care about his partying, I care about his imposition of restrictions and his lack of opposition. Granted, he helped with Brexit, but otherwise he's a noodle, a pushover. I don't hate him, but I think he's not what the UK needs right now. Boris the unready.
I have a much higher regard for Kemi Badenoch or maybe Liz Truss than I do for Boris.

I hope people vote third party.

[ODC2112]

The Turk (because his real surname would be Kemal as a direct descendant of Ali Kemal, Bey) is an embarrassing dude. He is a well-known fool, he was a very bad mayor of London who guaranteed the Labor absolute dominion after him. However he is a good team member of British fart politicians like Cameron, May, Corbyn, Farage etc... a generation of failures.

[Anonymous]

What makes it worse is he isn't even Conservative anymore, and he's meant to be leading the conservative party. Double standards and giving your friends things under the table make for a very sour image; not to the mention the never ending broken promises.

[Anonymous]

My opinion of him is neutral. But the fact that his greatgrandfather is an ottoman citizen makes him look a little cute in my eyes. That's all. But of course, my opinion of his greatgrandfather's origin and boris johnson is of no use to me. Mine is just surprise and curiosity.

Please keep your bad, hurtful and offensive comments to yourself. I have not defended any side here, I am not defending. I just stated why. 😘

[yucel_eden]

What’s being ottoman got to do with anything?

[Opinion Owner]

it has nothing to do with it. I heard that his greatgrandfather was ottoman.

[purplepoppy]

He's an embarrassment. We can only be grateful his hands have been tied dealing with covid. If he actually tried running the country we'd all be fucked.

[SpiderManFan2002]

He’s trash, scum, a liar- but what can I say? Just glad I can say I didn’t support or vote for this clown🤡

[integrale77]

He's a dick he needs to go.
There is clear evidence he has been telling lies about partying and breaking rules the investigation is a formality that will only say what we already know.

[ShadezMcgee]

I will say neutral because I honestly pay fuck all attention to British politics and politicians. All I know is that Brexit was something that was polarizing with him.

[TheorionMage]

He's a GROWN man,
learn to COMB his fuckin hair!
THIS IS the man who ultimately controls Britain's nuclear weapons launch codes?

[bolverk]

He's kept the wheels on while dealing with both Brexit and COVID, now he has to get back to the manifesto he was elected on and start by digging the DIE out of the UK government even if that means sacking large swathes of the civil service.

[TheLittleInnocent]

I've said this before on a different question but bro needs to fire his barber.

[Soteris]

You do realize that it is intentional right?

[Gwenhwyfar]

Neutral. That could change if one of my British friends convinces me otherwise.

[KatherineJ]

I don’t live in the UK. So I don’t know enough about what he stands for to judge. But his haircut is TERRIBLE!

[Jamie05rhs]

I do not know that much about him, so I really have no opinion on him.
I'm just curious as to why he chose to model his hairstyle after one of the apes in The Jungle Book.

[bean2k21]

I absolutely love his portrayal as a hapless lunatic. I hope he stays for another season.

[AviatorTom]

Neutral. I've heard good things and bad things. But the guy seriously needs a hair stylist.

[Citizenkirk]

Is he any relationship too Trump, or do they just have the same Barber?