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The Rise and Rise of Boris Johnson

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The Rise and Rise of Boris Johnson 2006-2018 Kasturi & Sons Ltd. -vijay kumar [email protected] - EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE CHENNAI THE HINDU 12 EDITORIAL SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2018 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE The rise and rise of Boris Johnson His popularity shows that the Trump playbook of pandering to prejudice is working across Europe was a moment during a visit to within party — the room had been creasingly right­ward politics was New Zealand where he compared booked through the office of a striking a chord with the party the traditional Maori greeting to a Conservative MP. Mr. Johnson’s lat­ membership. He is not the only Stooping to conquer head butt that could be “misinter­ est comments have provoked an­ one in his party to have benefited preted in a pub in Glasgow”. ger from both Muslim and non­ from its internalisation of increas­ BJP exhibited its superior floor management It might be easy to dismiss some Muslim members of the Conserva­ ingly right­wing policies, as has in the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman’s election Vidya Ram of these but there were others that tive Party, with one senior MP, been seen with the rise of Jacob had to be seen in a more serious Dominic Grieve, suggesting he Rees­Mogg, the chair of the anti­ t was never going to be easy for the Bharatiya Janata light, such as his mis­characterisa­ would leave the party should the Brexit European Research Group, Party to get a candidate of its choice elected as th e ast year, during a visit to tion of Nazanin Zaghari­Ratcliffe, a former become its leader. For its whose particularly conservative IDeputy Chair man of the Rajya Sabha. The ruling Myanmar, Britain’s then Fo­ British charity worker imprisoned part, the party said it had vein of Conservatism (he opposes party and its allies fell short of a majority in the House. Lreign Secretary, Boris John­ in Iran, as “teaching journalists”. REUTERS launched a disciplinary investiga­ abortion under any circumstances But what it lacked in numbers, the party made up in son, visited the Shwedagon Paya, His comments provoked an outcry erate approach. In the face of a pu­ tion into Mr. Johnson’s comments as well as same sex marriage, and tact and ploy. First, in choosing a member of the Janata one of Buddhism’s most sacred at the time, going against her insis­ blic outcry – including criticism on the burka. has boasted of never changing a Dal (United), a friend­turned­foe­turned­friend, as the sites, adopting the usual freestyle, tence she had simply been on holi­ from Prime Minister Theresa May However, he has had many de­ diaper for any of his six children) somewhat awkward, bumbling day, and were seen as worsening and calls for the party whip to be fenders too — a recent poll for Sky has made him the unlikely figure­ candidate, the BJP sent out the signal that it was willing tone he had become known for. As her already abysmal plight in the taken from him — he has stood News found that up to 60% of the head of a young right­wing party to be more accommodative to parties that support it. he rang ancient bell, he recited a country. Mr. Johnson’s typical res­ firmly by his comments in The Dai­ public did not view his comments movement dubbed Second, in reaching out to the Biju Janata Dal in Odisha, fragment of Rudyard Kipling’s ponse to these controversies has ly Telegraph earlier this week. He as racist, and conservatives in “Mogg­mentum”. a party seeking to maintain equidistance between the poem ‘Mandalay’, including, “The been to offer a non­apology. described the burka as “oppres­ both Britain and the U.S. have de­ Congress and the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi temple bells they say/ Come you His early blunders, during his sive and ridiculous” and com­ fended him. One Breitbart com­ The nationalist arc demonstrated a readiness to make peace without back you English soldier.” The in­ time as Mayor of London served to pared women who wore them to mentator suggested he needed to It would hardly come as a surprise standing on prestige. Indeed, by proposing a JD(U) MP, vocation of the colonial­era poem strengthen his image, particularly “letter boxes”. Subsequently, he go “full Donald Trump”. In fact that Steve Bannon, the former clearly caught the British Ambas­ beyond Britain’s shores, as the has let it be known that he viewed when Mr. Trump became U.S. Pre­ chairman of the alt­right Breitbart Harivansh, for the post, the BJP found it easier to seek sador off guard: he was captured flamboyant, floppy­haired, Eto­ the calls for an apology as “ridicu­ sident, Mr. Johnson’s congratula­ News and former adviser to Mr. the support of other parties. Once the deal with the BJD on camera firmly stopping Mr. nian given to faux­pas that lous”, citing it as part of his effort tory message was among the most Trump, has admitted to being in was sealed, Congress candidate B.K. Hariprasad stood Johnson from proceeding further wouldn’t be out of place in a P.G. to speak up for “liberal values”. It effusive of senior politicians glo­ regular communications with Mr. no chance. Mr. Hariprasad failed to win the support of with the recital, saying it was “not Wodehouse novel. His later ones is not the only time he has caused bally. “I am increasingly admiring Johnson. Mr. Bannon has spoken MPs from parties such as the Peoples Democratic Party, a good idea” and “not appro­ were the subject of more serious such offence: before he became of Donald Trump,” Mr. Johnson re­ of his eagerness to build an anti­ which, though estranged from the BJP, is not keen on priate”. While the remark did in­ scrutiny, including questions London Mayor, he once used a ra­ marked earlier this year, while Mr. European Union, nationalist supporting the Congress. Whether the deal with the deed provoke criticism at home around his appropriateness as the cist slur to refer to the people the Trump in turn suggested that Mr. movement across Europe, and has BJD will have significance beyond the election of the De­ and beyond, it was dismissed by head of Britain’s Foreign Office at a Queen would meet on her trips Johnson would make a “great described the British politician as many as yet another Boris “gaffe”, time when its relations with the across the Commonwealth. Prime Minister”. one of the “most important per­ puty Chairman is not clear yet. With the BJP making ra­ one of many that he has clocked world outside Europe matter more The latest comments come at a Mr. Johnson’s prime ministerial sons on the world stage”. Mr. John­ pid strides in Odisha, a BJP­BJD alliance is unlikely. Ho­ up over his political career. than ever, but they have been by particularly difficult time for the aspirations are of course no secret. son’s latest comments – and the wever, it remains to be seen whether this influences and large treated as blunders. ruling Conservative Party, already During his time as Foreign Secre­ outcry against him – will only floor coordination among Opposition parties during History of gaffes Even at the time this was a rather suffering from great ideological tary until his resignation in early serve to strengthen his appeal to voting or while debating on policy issues. Until recent­ Mr. Johnson’s time as Foreign Se­ naïve assumption given Mr. John­ differences within its ranks partic­ July in protest against the direc­ the right. ly, the Opposition enjoyed the majority in the House cretary was peppered with contro­ son’s background: Oxford­educat­ ularly on Brexit and the immigra­ tion of the government’s Brexit What will happen to Mr. John­ and was able to stall legislation. This may change if the versial moments, including his re­ ed, he once edited the conserva­ tion policy. While the Labour Par­ policy, many of his actions were son within the Conservative Party marks on boosting the whisky tive magazine, The Spectator, and ty has faced criticism over its seen as attempts to undermine Ms. remains to be seen: disciplinary BJD sees a longer term interest in coordinating with the trade between India and the U.K. savvily sensed the direction of treatment of anti­Semitism within May: such as publishing a 4,000 action could very well follow, BJP on specific issues. In retrospect, the Congress might during a visit to a British gurdwa­ British politics by finally leaping its ranks, the Conservatives have word essay on his vision of Brexit which would help build his image have missed a trick in not making the effort to win over ra. There was a “joke” about into the Brexit camp after he had been accused of tolerating Islamo­ just before a major speech by her. as a “martyr” of the alt­right. One the BJD and the Aam Aadmi Party. boosting British investment into drafted two columns, each taking phobia within theirs. Earlier this He is seen as a front­runner to re­ thing is clear though: his political Read together with the numbers from the recent no­ Libya. “They have got a brilliant vi­ a different position on Brexit. year, the Muslim Council of Britain place her: in early August just be­ days are far from over, as the confidence vote in the Lok Sabha, the one thing that sion to turn Sirte, with the help of used the instance of a meeting in fore his comments on the burka Trump playbook of pandering to this election confirms is that Opposition unity is still ve­ the municipality of Sirte, into the The latest outrage Parliament attended by Tapan but after his resignation, he came prejudice and division gains ad­ next Dubai… the only thing Mr.
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