It is easy to stand on the outside and point fingers at the "Doer of deeds". But I can't help coming back to the subject of leadership. Leadership is about others - it is about putting the good of others front and centre, not yourself or your own popularity. Leadership is not easy, and it is nigh impossible to please everyone all the time.
I have said before, to lead effectively, you do require "trust" - But trust has to be earned - it is not a God-given right.
Borris Johnson's lies and exaggerations have caught up with him; he is not trusted because he has exaggerated and lied too many times. He presumably thought it was necessary to lie and exaggerate in order to gain power - but lying has a sting in the tail. Now, Johnson is not trusted, it has caught up with him, and he only has himself to blame.
Similar to Trump but perhaps not quite on the same scale, Johnson bluffs and splutters and seems incapable of giving reassuring and robust leadership, let alone a straight answer to any question. Perhaps, unlike Trump, he almost comes across as a diminutive figure - engendering an emotion of sympathy. Borris is now clearly out of his league.
Whilst it is not wrong to talk about the future of what could or might be, Johnson has two battles to win: the first is that or the COVID epidemic and secondly, his own self-inflicted deadline to the EU of Brexit, which further compounds the uncertainty and fear in the UK nation. Even if he wins a trade agreement with the EU, he will then have a battle with devolution and the possible break-up of the UK, which he will presumably stall as long as he can. And we haven't even mentioned, "the economy stupid".
But the COVID battle is one unlike any other. He cannot fight an enemy that is a virus. All he can do is get the best science meshed with common sense and layout a plan and follow it. But he has been afraid of losing popularity and has consequently flip-flopped all over the place, and we have ended up a re-infected and divided Country as a consequence.
Hopefully, Trump's reign will be brought to an end this week, but there is not much prospect of the same fate meeting Johnson for three or four years. Meanwhile, we are expected to put up with this lack of leadership and suffer in silence.
Now lies the test for our conservative MP's; are they going to behave like the cow-towing Republican Senators and let the havoc reign over there Country or will they find their collective grit and alter the course of history?
In the meantime, we in the UK are back in COVID lock-down for a month as from tomorrow, Thursday 5th of November, usually more synonymous with Guy Faulks and the attempt to blow up parliament and the King.
Government Ministers are already arguing amongst themselves as to if the lock-down will last longer than a month or not, or whether there should be any lock-down or if it should have been several weeks ago. That we delayed this lock-down for political reasons and consequently more human lives were lost than was necessary will likely come back to haunt the Prime Minister.
Enough of the waffle and political gambles; we need committed and unwavering leadership, with a transparent and precise plan. Further-more, we need simple, clear instructions for the whole Country - so everyone understands we are in this together. We need competent leadership, honesty and truth, and we - the British people will do what is required.
Rick - Suffolk - 2nd November - 2020
www.ricknotesfromengland.com
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