Gung ho Boris

This has been pointed out in a number of ways, but we see two distinct aspects of the Boris Johnson approach to major political goals. He goes gung ho for goals which are clear and simple and at this he seems rather good. Not so good when there isn't a clear and simple goal.

Hence Brexit, which was not clear and simple in detail, but for a Prime Minister it was because he did not have to entangle himself in detail. Go for the best possible exit which can be sold politically as a genuine exit – that was his simple goal. Achieving it required dogged determination a willingness to bang heads together and deft intransigence when it came to not compromising the ultimate goal. Boris appears to have been the chap for that.

Yet tackling the coronavirus pandemic has been different. Here there was no clear and simple goal and Boris ran into the scientific sand at colossal economic, social and political cost. He couldn’t apply the gung ho approach and still can’t. He never saw what the real goal was because his advisers clearly failed to offer him one suited to his particular talents. It could be said that this was their failure, not his.

He went gung ho for a coronavirus vaccine though. This was another clear and simple goal for a Prime Minister to pursue with energy, determination and a willingness to cut corners and use his political and financial elbows.

Again Boris appears to have been the chap for that but he still does not appear to have a clear goal for ending the coronavirus mess. Again his advisers have not yet offered him one suited to his particular talents and again it could be said that this is their failure, not his.

Now Boris is going gung ho into tackling climate change via the ludicrous ten point plan. Here there is no clear and simple goal because it makes no sense in any terms - scientific, technical or economic. Surrounded by incompetent advice he will run into the sand because the goal is not what he supposes. This mess could be even worse than the coronavirus debacle.