S06.E18: Boris Johnson

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Original air date 2019.07.28

[khyber]

God knows what he will have to say about Boris Johnson.

[Annber03]

First things first, welcome back, John :)!

Second... 

"Do you know what's in 5C?"

"No."

JFC... Please, somebody tell me there's a light at the end of this nightmare of shitty excuses for world leaders coming, and that it's coming very soon? Can the people who exposed the Puerto Rican governor and got him to resign work that same magic with Johnson/Trump/et al, by any chance?

Seriously, Europeans, I am truly sorry for you guys. I know John made it clear that hopes are few and far between right now, to say the very least, but still, if anything can possibly happen going forward to help fix that whole mess, or at the very least, begin the process of fixing it and making things right, I'm all for it. 

Speaking of Puerto Rico, though, will be very interesting to see what comes of that. Hopefully they manage to get a better government in place, at least. 

That segment of McCloskey clips. What the hell :p? 

[swanpride]

European speaking here: My country thankfully still has mostly sane leaders. And while the Fall-out of Brexit will be terrible, it at least will do even more to curb the enthusiasm for blind nationalism even more than Brexit already has on the continent. I fail to see any upside from the perspective of the Brits.

Johnson is terrible and it is beyond me how anyone can be impressed by someone just because he looks and acts stupid. Maybe because I have little patience for stupid people in general and are more easily impressed by smart looking and acting people. But frankly, ALL contenders for office were either stupid or through and through corrupt or both, because no one, who has any smarts wants this job at the moment. The only way out of the current mess is another people's vote or outright revoking Article 50, and someone who would push for either has a snowball chance in hell to actually getting elected by the Tories. In a lot of ways, the UK was doomed the moment the vote went through. Realisation just hasn't hit yet.

[Mibbitmaker]

At one point, John Oliver pointed out why Johnson isn't quite Britain's Trump. Seems like maybe Trump is America's Boris Johnson.

[Lantern7]

At least we got to see pictures of foxes unenthusiastically mating. What does the fox say? I’m not sure, but it’s probably muttered with rolled eyes.

4 hours ago, Mibbitmaker said:

At one point, John Oliver pointed out why Johnson isn't quite Britain's Trump. Seems like maybe Trump is America's Boris Johnson.

That is fucking depressing, isn’t it? At least Bojo can spin, at the low cost of losing his dignity. His existence as someone in a position of great power is more appalling than the thought of Hugh Grant in United 93 in full-on romcom mode.

Edited July 29, 2019 by Lantern7

[swanpride]

One thing for sure, Johnson is even more vile than John Oliver said. He didn't just make up a quote, he made up a quote by claiming it was by his own godfather. Also, even if Johnson and the Tories hadn't insulted more or less every single member state of the EU at this point - the French by constantly accusing them, that the bowtow to the Germans, the Germans by basically calling them Nazis, the Italians by belittling them during Prosecco incident and there was the time they managed to p... off ALL Eastern European states at once by claiming that the EU is like the Soviet Union - this behaviour which is somehow charming for Brits (I really don't get it), is extremely off-putting for foreigners. Just like Trump represents the ugly American, Johnson reminds everyone of the bumbling Brit, who thinks that he knows better but just makes everything worse. In addition, the French like their formalities and read the tussled hair and old-boy behaviour as disrespect and the Germans like their formalities and automatically resent person cult and flashy politicians (for obvious reasons). The way Johnson acts couldn't be worse if he wants to get taken in any way serious.

[DoctorAtomic]

What I don't get is, as John showed with the quick clip of the EU leader, that the EU has been consistent in saying that the deal is the deal and that's that. That was the same problem under May, and it hasn't changed. I think John only mentioned it briefly, but the Irish border is a huge issue. So either Johnson capitulates at the last minute or they just totally do the hard Brexit. I don't see what else could happen.

3 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

At least Bojo can spin, at the low cost of losing his dignity.

As John showed, he can politick. It's just now that doesn't seem like it's going to fly anymore.

[swanpride]

English Exceptionalism. It is really as easy as that. They just can't imagine that the EU wont cave if they are just obstinate enough, and the fact that they got an extension twice hasn't helped with the impression that the opinion of the EU doesn't really matter. Except it does.

They also STILL haven't understand that what they demand of the EU is worse than what they threaten to do.

[Robert Lynch]

I am always so proud of my mother's Puerto Rican heritage. That is what makes us more patriotic in the first place. I don't want a Trumpian wannabe running Puerto Rico's government. It's such a beautiful island and to see it tainted by a man who follows no principles would make my skin crawl. But we are Puerto Ricans. We always know how to make the world a better place. The political world today is becoming too hectic all of a sudden. I pray for normalcy.

Edited July 29, 2019 by Robert Lynch

[peeayebee]

12 hours ago, swanpride said:

Johnson is terrible and it is beyond me how anyone can be impressed by someone just because he looks and acts stupid. 

I assume some people see him as "one of us," someone you could have a pint with. For these people likability is more important than competence and morality.

swanpride, I appreciate your perspective and info from Europe. I swear, everything you've said about Johnson can be and has been said about Trump. They really are two of a kind. Of course Johnson is much smarter and well-read, and he apparently has more introspection than Trump, but they're both seen as "of the people," whereas they're really not. 

6 hours ago, swanpride said:

Also, even if Johnson and the Tories hadn't insulted more or less every single member state of the EU at this point

Ditto for Trump loving to insult people

3 hours ago, swanpride said:

English Exceptionalism. It is really as easy as that. They just can't imagine that the EU wont cave if they are just obstinate enough

Ditto for Trump and his followers.

The new graphic in the opening was of a grasshopper, something like plagueas Vegas. I guess I need to google to see if Las Vegas was inundated with a bunch of grasshoppers.

So good to have John back. Loved his Hugh Grant impression.

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I assume some people see him as "one of us," someone you could have a pint with. For these people likability is more important than competence and morality.

I've never understood this mindset. I just want somebody who's smart, who knows how to do their job, and does it well and responsibly. If I happen to like them as a person in general on top of that, great, but it's not a requirement for the job. There is a level of connection that does obviously need to happen for politicians to deal with the public and other leaders and that, but that's not always the same thing as being likeable. 

To say nothing of how what's likeable and relatable can vary from person to person,  and introverted and extroverted people can demonstrate that in different ways, and all that sort of thing. 

And then there's the fact that I can't even begin to fathom how anyone could find somebody like Trump remotely likeable or relatable for a second. At least Johnson can actually poke fun at himself now and again. 

5 hours ago, Robert Lynch said:

I am always so proud of my mother's Puerto Rican heritage. That is what makes us more patriotic in the first place. I don't want a Trumpian wannabe running Puerto Rico's government. It's such a beautiful island and to see it tainted by a man who follows no principles would make my skin crawl. But we are Puerto Ricans. We always know how to make the world a better place. The political world today is becoming too hectic all of a sudden. I pray for normalcy.

What's the word on potential successors in Puerto Rico at this moment? Anyone looking particularly good, or is it still kinda up in the air? 

I've wondered how everything with Trump will continue to affect the discussion of possibly one day making Puerto Rico a U.S. state. I certainly wouldn't blame any Puerto Ricans who are resistant to that idea, especially right now, but I also know statehood has been supported by some there for years,. Be interesting to see what any new incoming government might have to say on the idea. 

[meowmommy]

5 hours ago, peeayebee said:

The new graphic in the opening was of a grasshopper, something like plagueas Vegas. I guess I need to google to see if Las Vegas was inundated with a bunch of grasshoppers.

Indeed they have been.

5 hours ago, peeayebee said:

So good to have John back. Loved his Hugh Grant impression.

That was great, wasn't it?  

Thought John was going to choke on those nasty chips--oh, pardon me, crisps.

Why is it I've learned so much more about Brexit and British politics from watching a late night comedy show than from any conventional news sources?  

I guess there's a reason that CNBC guy is on at oh-dark-thirty.

[Annber03]

Just now, meowmommy said:

Thought John was going to choke on those nasty chips--oh, pardon me, crisps.

I was hoping he had some water nearby or something to try and get the taste out. 

[swanpride]

Honestly, I didn't like the Hugh Grant joke. For me, it is still too early to joke about 9/11. Most likely it always will be.

The thing with Johnson is that he really isn't as stupid as Trump is. The thing with Trump is that he is pretty much a product of US society: Born Rich and always able to get away with everything because of it. He actually is an idiot. Johnson isn't. His personality is carefully cultivated. That makes him in a way more dangerous. Just look at the whole tea episode. Great distraction. As is his trick to get the red bus out of google search. Way more smooth than firing off a racist tweet. Same with the woman looking like letterboxes incident. Because he used the words, but he used it in a statement which was supposedly about defending Muslims. So he manages to dog whistle while also having a handy defence at hand.

They are both grifters, though, but I think it is not really about the money for Johnson. It is about fame. Hence him spending tax payer money on vanity projects all the time.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Nightowls,

While the show did compare Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, let's be careful to discuss them as presented on the show and to not comment on their followers or issues not mentioned on the show.  We are tap dancing on the line of the site's Politics Rule. 

Questions?  PM @PrincessPurrsALot. 

[meowmommy]

1 hour ago, swanpride said:

The thing with Johnson is that he really isn't as stupid as Trump is.

That was the whole point of John's piece; don't be fooled by the goofy persona or the crazy hair into thinking this guy is your harmless old uncle, because he isn't.

[swanpride]

In a way he describes a double con...acting stupid allows Johnson to pretend that he is down to earth despite his posh background. But people who are able to see through his act are prone to think that there is some sort of cunning plan behind it, and that his stupid act covers how smart he actually is. In reality he is acting stupid to hide the level of his stupidity - or laziness. I am sure that he has the ability to read article 5C and understand why it makes everything he claimed about 5B absurd, but he is too lazy to do so. Especially since he knows that this is not what his followers want to hear.

[BuyMoreAndSave]

Didn't finish the episode yet but came here to say, I'm still laughing at "he dresses like a raccoon that just emerged from David Foster Wallace's trash."

[peeayebee]

3 hours ago, meowmommy said:

Indeed they have been.

Thanks. I never did get around to googling. I was in Vegas last weekend, so I just missed this invasion. Thank goodness. I'm not a fan of bug, particularly gangs of them.

[purist]

21 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

At least we got to see pictures of foxes unenthusiastically mating.

I wasn't a fan of that running 'joke'. Didn't find it funny in the least. Another case of too many (young) (white) men in the writers' room?

[swanpride]

Yeah, I didn't laugh about that one either.

[Danny Franks]

18 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I assume some people see him as "one of us," someone you could have a pint with. For these people likability is more important than competence and morality.

I've said this before about Boris Johnson: It might be easy to imagine going down to the pub for a drink with him. But in reality you'd have that drink, which you would pay for, then he'd start a fight with someone and sneak off, leaving you to try and calm things down while he tries to fuck your girlfriend.

Johnson is not as intelligent as he presents himself to be - he's the perfect example of someone educated beyond his intellect (just like his even more dreadful pal, Jacob Rees-Mogg). He can throw out quotes in Latin and recite lines from poems, but he's been shown repeatedly to be utterly unprepared to do the jobs he's been tasked with, and unwilling to listen to the expert advice he's offered. But he does have a low cunning and charm - the ability to manipulate and con his way into getting what he wants. Becoming Prime Minister is something he's always wanted, and everything in his career to date has been about increasing his profile and status.

He has no principles whatsoever, and has proved he will do and say whatever he needs to, to achieve his goals. He'll be a goofy, 'loveable' TV personality to become widely known. Then he'll be a liberal, touchy-feely politician, to get elected London mayor. Then he'll be a hard right populist to appeal to the people he needs to. I firmly believe there is nothing he wouldn't do, if he thought it would be advantageous to him.

[swanpride]

I am not sure if this is a case of him not being that smart, or a case of his intellect being stifled by a combination of laziness and english exceptionalism.

The result is the same, though.

[Danny Franks]

Okay, I've actually watched the episode now, and I'm disappointed that John didn't mention one key part of the Brexit issue, and Boris Johnson's role in it:

Namely, there are wealthy, influential interests in the UK who stand to benefit hugely from a no deal scenario that hurts the majority of the country. The ultra rich class who have been pushing for Brexit all along, either loud and proud or silently. They anticipate a United Kingdom (or whatever is left of it) that can be moulded into a low regulation, low tax haven for the wealthy, corporate interests, at the expense of 98% of the population.

There is every chance that Johnson's posturing over the Brexit negotiations is actually to obscure the fact that he and his backers fully intend to have Britain crash out without a deal.

[swanpride]

Probably, but those are mostly speculations and he deals in hard facts. No matter how likely said speculations are.

[sd dude]

Quote

At least we got to see pictures of foxes unenthusiastically mating.

Quote

I wasn't a fan of that running 'joke'. Didn't find it funny in the least.

During his monologue, I just didn't get it.  Didn't laugh at it.  Didn't react to it.  Didn't really understand the point.  Didn't know why he kept going back to the gag.  It all just sort of went over my head.

When they replayed all the photos in sequence during the closing credits, I started laughing out loud.  And I laughed more hysterically with each sequential photo.  The last one showed the foxes in profile and the male had his face turned 90 degrees to the camera, as if he was making fox porn and posing per off-camera direction, while still appearing bored and uninterested, just like the performers in bad porn.  For whatever reason, I found the images much funnier when taken out of the context of the week in review.

[meowmommy]

3 hours ago, sd dude said:

During his monologue, I just didn't get it.  Didn't laugh at it.  Didn't react to it.  Didn't really understand the point.

John's inordinate fondness for frat boy humor keeps me from 100% recommending this show to anyone.  The foxes weren't funny the first time or the last.  

[Brandi Maxxxx]

On 7/31/2019 at 2:35 AM, Danny Franks said:

Okay, I've actually watched the episode now, and I'm disappointed that John didn't mention one key part of the Brexit issue, and Boris Johnson's role in it:

Namely, there are wealthy, influential interests in the UK who stand to benefit hugely from a no deal scenario that hurts the majority of the country. The ultra rich class who have been pushing for Brexit all along, either loud and proud or silently. They anticipate a United Kingdom (or whatever is left of it) that can be moulded into a low regulation, low tax haven for the wealthy, corporate interests, at the expense of 98% of the population.

There is every chance that Johnson's posturing over the Brexit negotiations is actually to obscure the fact that he and his backers fully intend to have Britain crash out without a deal.

In Rupert Murdoch's own words, "When I go into Downing Street they do what I say; when I go to Brussels they take no notice."

[ALenore]

Boris Johnson spreading totally unfounded rumors about shrimp crisps being banned reminded me of a rumor being spread around my town.  Plastic bags are going to be banned in Connecticut in two years, and starting today there's going to be a 10 cent tax on them. This doesn't bother me since I always use reusable bags.  But it's upset some people, and someone spread a rumor that a local supermarket is going to eliminate shopping carts.   There is absolutely no such plan, but a lot of people seem to believe it.  They're writing comments on Facebook that "How am I supposed to go shopping for my family of four? I'm never going to that store again."

[swanpride]

Some of the rumours Johnson spread were even more idiotic...especially the bendy bananas. I mean, why the hell should anyone care about how bend their banana is anyway? But you also just need to think a second to realize that it is most likely not true.

[xaxat]

The British ambassador to Myanmar looked absolutely mortified standing next to Johnson.

The painting in the fox intro is by JMW Turner.

[b2H]

On 7/29/2019 at 6:43 PM, meowmommy said:

I guess there's a reason that CNBC guy is on at oh-dark-thirty.

I used to live with a professional financial advisor so Squawk Box was on in the house every morning.  That guy has been doing the show for at least two decades.  He was fine until Obama was elected, but after that, he lost his mind and became completely ridiculous as you saw there.  The faces on his cohorts that you saw are almost permanently frozen on their faces.

As always with the media, the outrageous gets eyeballs.  He should have been fired years ago.

But to your point, no, he is not on at oh-dark-thirty.  He is on during the run up to the opening of the market, at 10a eastern.  This show ends when the US markets open (they go from the Box to Opening Bell, and he is mercifully off the air).