Boris Johnson - unable to control his emotions.

I read that article.

I can absolutely see what she is saying.

If fact I shall never be able to I unsee it?

I think Johnson is telling the truth for once when he says how much he hates having to put restrictions on people. He has hated having to do it from day one. That is why all his decisions on dealing with the virus have been too little and too late.

He is at heart just a good time boy who just wants to have fun and he imagines everyone else is the same. And he nearly always ruffles up his hair before being on camera. It's the "clown" in him which he can't let go of.

There is no need for him to apologise for having to place restrictions on people in the time of a very contagious virus. It would be irresponsible to do otherwise. If he hadn't been so dilatory many lives may not have been lost and the NHS wouldn't be under as much pressure as it is now.

He is temperamentally unsuited to dealing with a crisis and is not prime minister material. He only got elected to "Get Brexit Done". Now he's managed that I hope he resigns and that the Tories can muster up someone capable of making tough decisions when they are needed to replace him.

The problem is that all the decent, intelligent Tories have already left of been forced out.

“ There is no need for him to apologise for having to place restrictions on people in the time of a very contagious virus” totally agree and as I’ve said often before (sorry) although
I never voted Tory in my life I’d have preferred Mrs thatcher to have been in charge of this pandemic. She wouldn’t have fannied around !

View from America

If Boris did 'man up' and maintain a 'stiff upper lip' he'd be accused of being heartless and uncaring.

It must be difficult to get the right balance.

Silly article.

When you apologise to people when you impose restrictions they immediately feel that they are being unfairly treated so it’s no wonder a lot of them ignore the guidelines. You tell them what they have to do (or not do) and then explain to them as simply as possible the reasoning behind it. I actually wish that someone like Jeremy Hunt was PM at the moment. Never thought I’d think that!

You can be authoritative without coming across as uncaring. JVT does it quite well.

JVT?

Whitewavemark2

View from America

What a nerve! People in glass houses and all that.

What are we supposed to do with this ‘view from America’?
Feel worse than we do.

Feel worse than we do????

View from America

Oh, the irony
???

They must be marginally better than what Americans are used to as they don't appear to use fake tan

Nobody needs a PM who can't stand up to his citizens ! Everyone reaps what they sow and he's done just that with this virus instead of coming down heavy with his actions/words.
I don't do pussyfooting. If the whole country needs locking down, do it and don't apologise, it's a matter of life and death to a lot of people.

Jonathan Van Tamm Baggs

Is it not the British way. Have you never said sorry to your children before punishing them or disappointing them for their own good.
I am sorry you feel aggrieved at being grounded but you should have thought about it before your drove Dad’s car in to the chapel wall.
I am sorry that you can’t go to Slimy Addict’s party but there will be dangers there.
I am sorry I won’t let you cross the road by yourself but it is too dangerous.
Or to a clumsy oaf standing behind you in a queue (before social distancing) Sorry but you are standing on my scarf.
Ffs in Britain we even say sorry when people bump in to us.
It doesn’t mean you want the attention or sympathy it’s just politeness and probably, on the part of Boris Johnson, a genuine regret that the deed must be done.

I’d think twice before taking advice from political commentators in the USA.

LauraNorder

Is it not the British way. Have you never said sorry to your children before punishing them or disappointing them for their own good.
I am sorry you feel aggrieved at being grounded but you should have thought about it before your drove Dad’s car in to the chapel wall.
I am sorry that you can’t go to Slimy Addict’s party but there will be dangers there.
I am sorry I won’t let you cross the road by yourself but it is too dangerous.
Or to a clumsy oaf standing behind you in a queue (before social distancing) Sorry but you are standing on my scarf.
Ffs in Britain we even say sorry when people bump in to us.
It doesn’t mean you want the attention or sympathy it’s just politeness and probably, on the part of Boris Johnson, a genuine regret that the deed must be done.

??? what tripe!

LauraNorder - great post!

I'm sorry, but I think Americans have got a nerve
People in glass houses and all that.

I'm sorry, but it is Marina Hyde who wrote the piece for the Guardian, and, I really hate to say this, but the eminently posh Marina does write for a left-wing rag and Boris is a Tory.

So, apologies, but she is not unbiased.

Hope you don't mind me saying that.

It's not easy being King of the World at the moment.

Nicola Sturgeon is the same. Whatever she’s telling us she’s planning, she could almost cry about it or she doesn’t want to do it or it hurts her. But it’s for our own good, we just don’t know better. I’m sick of her emoting, it looks so faux. ?

I thought it was a very well written article.

I have never got that impression at all Sue but we all put our own interpretation on who we decide is doing the best job I think.

Sorry WW but I must say I feel your post was a trifle rude.

I’ve always been impressed by the way Nicola Sturgeon communicates with people. She gets the balance between telling people what they can and can’t do and empathising with them just right imo. And I can actually understand what she’s talking about as well.

Here's what a German commentator had to say about Boris Johnson the other day: “ Just because someone has tangled hair, is prone to bursting into Latin, and has a somewhat chaotic private life doesn’t mean they cannot be a statesman of historic importance. Europeans of all stripes now know Johnson as the man who stood up against the behemoth that is the European bloc and, against all the odds, won the day for his country.”

Alexander Von Schoenburg, editor of ‘Bild’; Germany’s best-selling newspaper.