return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical reviews

Re: Boris Johnson

From:     plb
Category: Art
Date:     10 May 2008
Time:     09:35 AM

Review:

It just seems a bit strong to call anyone who voted for Boris 'fucking cunts', I mean that's
not exactly an argument is it?  Maybe a lot of the people who voted for Boris did exactly
that because of the perceived corruption/cronyism of the previous regime?
In many respects Livingston has done an excellent job over the past 8 years but he is still part
of the Labour government that has been steadily losing the plot recently. We're living in an
increasingly centrist, state controlled system which is persistently chipping away at our
ability to decide how to we live our own lives.  Is it time now for a less heavy handed government
which doesn't insist it knows what's best for us.
The 10p tax rate brouhaha is a perfect illustration of this. We have a government which prefers to
tax the very people who can least afford it more heavily in order to give their own money back again 
in the form of tax credits etc. It's a messy, overly bureaucratic, not to say expensive way of doing things. 
Why not resist taxing those on less than £18,000 and let them decide how to spend there own money. 
And most importantly not make them/us go through the humbling process of going cap in hand to the 
government asking for tax credits etc (if we're even eligible for them).

Equating Johnson and Bush as the same thing is just madness, Bush I'm sure we can agree is a dangerous 
idiot who's only there because his pappy was there before him. He clearly has severely restricted intelligence. 
Johnson on the other hand, as much as you may despise him, is an intelligent bloke with a sense of history and 
an ambition to do something good for London. I'm pretty certain he's not going to take a wrecking ball to the 
place.

As for the persisting claims Johnson is a racist. What are they based on? 2 quotes in the Telegraph which were 
lampooning Blair as the neo-victorian imperialist self-importantly jet-setting around Africa, 'bringing peace' etc etc.
His wife, Marina Wheeler, is half Indian. A racist through and through then!? Anytime the left want to slight someone
they just throw on the accusation of racism, if it sticks - great, if not we'll find some more mud to sling, no matter how
groundless.

Blp, I'm sure you'll be dismayed to hear I normally find your posts amongst the most interesting on this site. The only 
reason I responded as I did was because I felt your original post was just a facile bit of bile which fundamentally
ends up hating anyone who doesn't agree with you. What about live and let live? Or if you've got a real argument
against Johnson I'd be interested to hear it. I did vote for him, not with absolute certainty but with the feeling that change is
a good thing. Either he does a good job for London, in which case great. If not then he goes a long way to fucking things
up for the conservatives in 2010, in which case great for you! I'm prepared to give him a chance in the job before 
prejudging him.


return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical reviews