Boris – the hero who is beyond criticism

ANY questions about Mr Johnson’s motives, principles or capacities is dismissed by some of his fans as “wailing, bleating or bashing Boris”.

It must be so comforting to have a hero who is beyond criticism.

Objectively, the PM has to be criticised because he endangers the EU, Nato, peace in N Ireland, our democratic system and recovery from the harm done by Brexit.

With his inexperienced Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, he has decided to try to force the EU into compromise over the N Ireland Protocol. If they refuse to play his game he has stated that he will tear up this international law. All the living previous UK PMs stress how dangerous this would be.

It will mean that our reputation in Europe, already more than tarnished, will collapse further as we become a rogue state with zero integrity and a conviction that simple honesty is not needed by Brexit leaders. If we break international law in this way how can we expect the nations with whom we are supposed to sign postBrexit treaties to trust us?

Perhaps “shouting” at the EU that we will break up the protocol, about which the PM was so enthusiastic when he signed it, is just a gamble to force the 27 EU states to give in to his game, but the only person pleased by more argument within Europe is Putin. A wide range of US politicians have said they will not sit by if the peace in N Ireland is threatened by Mr Johnson’s game playing. So a hoped-for trade deal between us and the US will be dead and the strength of Nato reduced by unnecessary tension between ourselves and Washington (the two nations that have led Nato for decades).

We pray that the totally negative game-playing by the DUP in N Ireland will not raise tension there to the extent that marches become riots leading to bloodshed.

Here at home we face “Apocalyptic” price rises (Governor of the Bank of England) with inflation at a record high. Many of the causes are global or connected to the Ukraine war, but the Tory Government is unable to give sufficient attention to economic problems because it is entrapped by it’s slavery to Brexit, the golden dawn that was “oven-ready”.

A recent poll by a national newspaper found that 94% of its readers are angry because we had not been given the Brexit that was promised.

The Tories are convinced that they alone can lead Britain and they are already planning to pervert our democratic process.

In the recent Queen’s Speech they announced that because of “the widespread fraud committed during the 2019 election” (in fact, four people were convicted) we will only be allowed to vote in future if we have photographic ID such as a driving licence or passport.

A low estimated figure of who will be prevented from voting because of this is two million: poorer citizens, students, etc. If this proposal becomes a law we could be led by Tories for the five years after the next election, which doesn’t have to take place until January 2025.

Even if they shed Johnson we could have another seven-plus years of Tory rule. Is this what we want?

Jeremy Hall

Exeter