Battling Blustering Boris

Well, he's done it again. Boris has diverted us from the true issues of the Brexit debate, and he's got us all talking about the bearpit antics in the House of Commons yesterday. The news broadcasts, the talk shows this morning were absolutely buzzing with angry pundits and phone-in callers. Boris, seen above in one more of his humorous escapades, has been lambasted for accusing Paula Sheriff MP and others of "humbug". Jeremy Corbyn has described Boris's conduct "disgraceful" (which it was - but...) and he faces censure from many MPs, including some Conservatives, over his claim that the best way to honour the memory of Jo Cox, MP, is by facilitating Brexit. As has been pointed out, the late Jo Cox was a passionate Remainer, but Johnson must have been aware of that.

I admit that what we saw yesterday was less than edifying. Quite what commentators from abroad made of it is not something I care to think about. Unfortunately, these events merely reflect what is happening in society as a whole. The fact is that UK society is polarised over the Brexit issue  with both sides giving way to irrationality. Instead of discussing, we shout. Instead of seeking resolution or compromise, we resort to abuse.

As we know, cooler heads from all sides are calling for restrained behaviour and the moderation of political language in the House of Commons in order to avoid what we saw yesterday. In the case of MPs, they should behave in a calmer fashion for the benefit of their own health. Barry Sheerman MP is a case in point. During his (albeit justified) outburst against the Attorney General,he seemed to be on the verge of having a heart attack.

Having said that, I understand why Mr Sheerman lost his temper; the accusations of Geoffrey Cox, that the whole of the opposition was steeped in immorality, were simply outrageous. He said, according to The Independent:
"Mr Cox warned MPs they have "no moral right" to sit on the green benches of the House of Commons".
When it comes to immoral behaviour, Cox must know that his party leader is hardly a paragon of virtue, either. Labour MPs reacted with fury to this statement of Mr Cox, which I suspect is exactly what he wanted. Perhaps that's why he is smiling in the photo below?

One very serious matter that was highlighted yesterday was the threats of violence made on a regular basis to MPs of all parties. Paula Sheriff, MP, spoke emotionally about this issue, as did Jess Phillips, MP. Ms Phillips' office has since been attacked and she has received death threats. Boris has refused to attend parliament today in order to apologise for his comment about the late Jo Cox. Jeremy Corbyn has correctly said, according to the Daily Mirror:

"It is extremely disappointing that the Prime Minister has not respected this House by attending today. The Prime Minister’s language and demeanour yesterday was frankly nothing short of disgraceful...To dismiss concerns from MPs about the death threats they receive, and to dismiss concerns that the language used by the PM is being repeated in those death threats is reprehensible".

I have no quarrel with this, but I think we should examine Boris' words yesterday as part of a strategy. Significantly, the extreme right in Britain have applauded Johnson's words of yesterday. Is he trying to outdo the likes of Britain First and the Brexit Party by his use of terms such as humbug, treachery, etc? I think we should ponder this coldly and analytically.

However emotional we may feel about Boris and his statements, I think we should look back to the parliamentary performance of another Tory prime minister: Margaret Thatcher. The leader of the opposition Labour Party in Parliament at that time was Neil Kinnock. He was regularly worsted in debate by Mrs T. because she found it easy to get him to become irate and lose his self-control. The TV programme, "Weekend World", sent Stephen Fry, a then up-and-coming comedian, to analyse Kinnock's performance. Fry identified Kinnock's mistake as losing his temper and reacting over-emotionally to Mrs T's pronouncements. Instead, Fry advocated that Kinnock stay calm and ridicule Thatcher's statements and speeches - to become proactive, rather than reactive. Both Fry and Kinnock denied any collusion, but Kinnock's debating style in the House changed in just such a way almost immediately. Not that it won Kinnock a general election.

Perhaps all opposition parties in Parliament could learn from this. Instead of getting worked up at Johnson's (probably deliberate) provocative language, they could try satire and wit. After all, there is plenty to ridicule Boris about. And it would be better for the health of MPs of all parties to stay cool, calm and collected in debate.