Alas, poor Boris
16/11/04 12:31 Media
issues
OK, so Boris Johnson has gone from the Shadow
Cabinet. And in spite of all the flannel, it's pretty
clear that he's gone because he's embarrassed the
Tories and they don't want any sleaze before the next
election, thanks. Michael Howard looks decisive, God
is in his Heaven et cetera.
But to my mind, this isn't why Boris should have gone, or better yet, should never have been appointed. I hold no brief for him politically but of course respect his right to stand for principles I wouldn't uphold. My worry is that he or anyone else should have been appointed not only as a local MP but as a shadow cabinet member - people might be familiar with the phrase 'full-time job' - when he was still editing a weekly magazine (The Spectator, for anyone who doesn't know). The proprietors seem to agree, and have brought in Andrew Neill as overlord.
As a freelance I get to do 'journalism lite' in a way; I stick to deadlines and don't worry about the production process. Editors don't have that luxury, it's an arduous job involving budgeting, liaising with management, motivating writers and loads of other non-trivial stuff. The idea that you can stick an active part of running the country on as a little add-in is ludicrous.
This, to my mind, is why Boris should never have been in a position to attract the public humiliation to which he's been subjected over the last few days. What was Michael Howard thinking of?
But to my mind, this isn't why Boris should have gone, or better yet, should never have been appointed. I hold no brief for him politically but of course respect his right to stand for principles I wouldn't uphold. My worry is that he or anyone else should have been appointed not only as a local MP but as a shadow cabinet member - people might be familiar with the phrase 'full-time job' - when he was still editing a weekly magazine (The Spectator, for anyone who doesn't know). The proprietors seem to agree, and have brought in Andrew Neill as overlord.
As a freelance I get to do 'journalism lite' in a way; I stick to deadlines and don't worry about the production process. Editors don't have that luxury, it's an arduous job involving budgeting, liaising with management, motivating writers and loads of other non-trivial stuff. The idea that you can stick an active part of running the country on as a little add-in is ludicrous.
This, to my mind, is why Boris should never have been in a position to attract the public humiliation to which he's been subjected over the last few days. What was Michael Howard thinking of?
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