The blink of an eye...

[Ossian]

On May 8th 1945, the United Kingdom - along with most of Europe - celebrated VE day. Just over two months later - 26th July - it was announced that the electorate had rejected wartime hero Winston Churchill in favour of Labour’s Clement Attlee, with what is still the largest ever swing in a UK general election (almost 11%).

With the perspective of distance it might also look like history’s single greatest act of ingratitude; but it wasn’t. It was, as time would tell, a thoroughly rational choice: just as Churchill had been the best possible option for what had preceded 1945, Attlee was the better choice for what lay ahead.

Yes, okay, and so what? Well, I was just reflecting on the current state of our politics and politicians (and frankly, it’s hard to say which is worse) and couldn’t help thinking how far we’ve regressed over that seventy-odd years. To have had the option of, in effect, saying to our greatest ever wartime leader “Thanks for all you’ve done, but there’s a better man to take us forward from here” and to then be able to elect arguably our greatest ever peacetime Prime Minister... 

Seems just about unthinkable now. 

Churchill or Attlee; Johnson or Hunt… apparently that’s what seventy years of evolution brings. We are fucked.

[bradesbaggie]

I'll be surprised if Johnson lasts a year.

[tiptontown]

I still can't get over the fact that a lot of people think it's a good idea to have Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. Not that there's a great choice out there anyway!
The word Buffoon was made for the man.

[Derek Hardballs]

I still can't get over the fact that a lot of people think it's a good idea to have Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. Not that there's a great choice out there anyway!
The word Buffoon was made for the man.

He's not a buffoon he's sly, untrustworthy, duplicitous and plays on the Hugh Grant, Honey Monster doing a crap Winston Churchill impression persona he's perfected. The country is so polarised that people will vote for him because he plays for their favourite team.

[FenlandBoing]

its Boris a leaver or Hunt a remainer, just give it to Boris, let's see what happens and if he fucks it all up like we all expect we will have another coalition govt at next election or a Labour one.

[Babel]

Good thread Oss. The Tories have lost their minds, without malice. Where will voters will go when Jonson inevitably disappoints?

[tiptontown]

I still can't get over the fact that a lot of people think it's a good idea to have Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. Not that there's a great choice out there anyway!
The word Buffoon was made for the man.

He's not a buffoon he's sly, untrustworthy, duplicitous and plays on the Hugh Grant, Honey Monster doing a crap Winston Churchill impression persona he's perfected. The country is so polarised that people will vote for him because he plays for their favourite team.

Although I don't disagree with your other description of him Derek, he is still a buffoon in the the way he will say and do things without first putting his brain in gear. 
When Foreign Secretary he set back the Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe case with his unwise choice of words, which just sums him up.
This guy looks like he's going to be running the country, with Brexit dominating thoughts. Which is quite scary, with other pressing issues needing addressing too.

[bradesbaggie]

its Boris a leaver or Hunt a remainer, just give it to Boris, let's see what happens and if he fucks it all up like we all expect we will have another coalition govt at next election or a Labour one.

The irony here is that BoJo was a remainer all his life until plate face Cameron called the referendum.