Morbid symptoms- the last days of the Johnson regime & Old Corruption
Boris Johnson resigned as Prime Minister on 7th July after only narrowly winning a confidence vote of Tory MPs. At that point he could have left Office, appointed a caretaker deputy, and gone on holiday. Instead while Johnson has certainly gone on holiday-several of them- he has remained in post, drawing his Prime Ministerial salary and using the PM’s country house Chequers. About the cost of living crisis he has done precisely nothing. He did however find time to make yet another visit to Kyiv and promise further taxpayers money to continue the war there.
The Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci wrote of the morbid symptoms that arise when an old political order is dying but a new one can’t be born. The parallel is not exact. Gramsci was referring to the fascist regime of Mussolini and the current British Government if there is one is certainly not fascist. There is a relation to the final days of Johnson as PM though when it comes to an abundance of morbid symptoms, some more serious than others.
Since he resigned but stayed in Office Johnson has been on holiday to Slovenia and Greece. He held a belated wedding party at the Cotswold mansion of Lord Bamford, Tory donor and owner of JCB. He also held a farewell party at Chequers.
As police investigations into lockdown activities in Downing St discovered Johnson is good at parties and indeed it is the fact that he broke the lockdown law by attending one which is currently being investigated by the House of Commons Privileges Committee. It has the power to suspend Johnson from Parliament which could trigger a By-Election in his Constituency which he might well lose.
Johnson is reported to be looking to write a column for the Daily Mail in return for which its long time editor Paul Dacre will receive a Peerage. The Mail is currently full of drivel about how unfairly Johnson is being treated, in particular by the Privileges Committee.
Johnson’s resignation honours list is one area where a tale of political indolence and farce becomes more serious. His previous lists have featured Tory donors and people who have done personal favours for Johnson
Meanwhile on the right-wing talk radio station LBC Johnson’s sister Rachel has been speaking to Johnson’s father Stanley (who is in Greece) about how hard done by his son and her brother is. She has also lobbied on air for Johnson to return as Tory leader claiming that his removal was unfair.
There is a term for all this: Old Corruption. It describes the pre-democratic politics of England before the 1832 Reform Act where positions and titles were often handed out not on the basis of merit or work done but as personal favours. They were sinecures. Any actual work was done by others. It is not a new development in British politics but with Johnson it has reached new levels of depravity.
It stands comparison with the lack of democratic accountability seen in the behaviour of ex-President Trump and some other political leaders around the world.
Democracy can be seen as a rather abstract concept to those struggling to pay energy bills. However just as the demand for the vote at Peterloo in 1819 was linked to pressure for affordable bread prices so too with the current cost of living crisis.
Johnson is not accountable for his activities, in the main, and that flows through to the energy companies. They too are part of a political culture of Old Corruption where profit comes before people every time.
This post appeared in the Morning Star
Update
Johnson has appointed Editor of The Oldie and former Bullingdon Club member Harry Mount (Westminster School& Oxford to the Committee reviewing appointments to the House of Lords
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