Joking apart: why Boris is the man for the job
Boris Johnson has confounded his critics, says Matthew d’Ancona. The contest will go to the wire, but our man has proved himself to be both shrewd enough and serious enough to take charge
‘Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the next Mayor of London...’ A January dinner at the Dorchester in honour of Boris Johnson, and it falls to me, as one of the hosts, to introduce the Tory candidate. I look across the room at the high-rollers, hacks, friends and acquaintances who have come along to toast the candidate and, in some cases, to see if he is for real. Many are already Boris-positive; others merely Boris-curious.
Not for the first time, I appreciate the predicament that confronted Boris when he decided to run for mayor last July. I am reminded of the film-maker played by Woody Allen in Stardust Memories, whose fans say they love his movies — ‘especially the early, funny ones’. He faces the objection of the prim pundits: namely, that a man of such wit should not stand for mayor at all, as if a sense of humour were a disqualification for high office. But he must also deal with the expectation of the fans that he will import all his chatshow charisma to the race. Tonight, you can tell that the dinner guests still crave the ‘early, funny’ Boris. They want the Lord of Misrule to poke his tickling stick at Red Ken.
And this is not what is on offer: by no means. The Dorchester barman has dreamt up a new ‘Boris’ cocktail, but the man himself declines to savour its delights. He is more concerned by the noise of the air-conditioning in the dining-room, and the music that is playing in the background, and whether it will distract attention from his speech. Charming and amusing as he undoubtedly remains, the Boris on show tonight is presenting himself not as a comic insurgent, but as a serious candidate, less interested in the showbiz glamour of victory — though he undoubtedly wants that — than in doing the job itself.
He talks about the urgent need for a change in City Hall, the exhaustion of the Livingstone regime. He offers, as a taste of the manifesto to come, a handful of practical, limited policies, knitted together by a desire to make the city safer, less fearful and more civilised. And, as he speaks, something happens: the guests, many of whom were hoping for political cabaret, start listening to what he is actually proposing. By the end of the evening, they are chattering about Routemasters, congestion charging and keeping the City competitive. When he arrived, ruffling his hair, he was cheered to the rafters as the Tory jester-in-chief. He leaves the event, muttering into his phone, acknowledged as a contender who, it is overwhelmingly clear, means business.
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Ray
April 24th, 2008 2:00pmGo, Boris, Go! And my advice to you once in office is to copy the winning formula of Ronald Reagan - that other famous larger-than-life politician with a gift for bonhomie - and surround yourself with a team of highly competent lieutenants. You set the policy themes and be the public face of London; let them get on with the nitty-gritty of actually getting the job done.
The Bellman
April 24th, 2008 2:15pm"Boris for PM" say I.
My bet is that he will be PM at some stage. How wonderful it would be to be lead by somebody sans spin.
I'll say it again, "Boris for PM" and again "Boris for PM".
And what I tell you three times is true.
Augustus
April 24th, 2008 4:57pmWho wants Red Ken back in power? Using London's money to fund communists and anarchists was a bleeding disgrace. you can conduct all the surveys you like, but people who want a change will vote for it.
Madasafish
April 24th, 2008 9:52pmIf Boris does become Mayor, I can see an awful lot of crazy nutter organisation suddenly running out of money.
David
April 25th, 2008 11:21amBellman.
Did you really say "lead" instead of "led"?
The Spectator is the last place I'd have expected to find such a howler.
paddy dooley
April 25th, 2008 12:38pmBoris will serve you and I, Red Ken has, and always will serve himself and his self esteem, which will never be satisfied as Ken has so many issues you could fill all the empty seats at
port vale fc next season with them....good luck blondie
Adrian
April 25th, 2008 8:26pmOn Tory conference call tonight - at the start "the Q & A will follow at the end", then no Q&A - because Boris cannot even handle questions from Tories.
jon livesey
April 25th, 2008 8:56pmWhat is true of London is also true of the UK. In a modern world, the UK deserves to see democracy work to produce governments appropriate for the UK that exists in the real world, not the imaginary UK that inhabits the pages of the Guardian, or the fantasies of teaching unions.
Political commentators in the UK these days thrash about offering this and that dodge and wheeze to improve things, but they miss the main point, which is that the debates, feuds and sensibilities of the seventies don't quite cut it in the new millennium, not because they are wrong, but because they are irrelevant.
Countries whose political classes conspire to criminalise discussion of the problems that really anger the voters are countries that cannot confront their most pressing issues, and so risk being overwhelmed by them.
Water
April 25th, 2008 11:24pmIt's more a case of compromise and competency... all three of them are just so bad. I’ve heard that all real Englishmen seem to be leaving the country. Well please come back because these three are unutterably ghastly.
Dwight Vandryver
April 26th, 2008 12:46amTaken from Not the Nine O'Clock News: Boris Johnson, on being asked by a reporter "Have you had sex with a man?", he replied "Not yet". Not only was this a very witty impromptu response, but also very astute since it offended nobody. One wonders how Ken Livingstone would have reacted to the question. Boris's ability to strike a favourable chord with the average guy has to be an asset in any mayoral candidate.
[Apologies in advance for any typos or grammatical errors.]
John Worrall
April 27th, 2008 9:10pmMarriage vows are the most solemn promises you ever make. A man who breaks these cannot be trusted to keep other promises.
Stefan
April 28th, 2008 5:17pmGreat article - and a great chance for Londoners to stand up to the tyranny of the politically correct left-wingers (aka Mr Livingstone's rainbow coalition). I know the British love a fair fight as well as the (seemingly) under-dog winning - so come on and have a go!