Winnie

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It seems likely that we are to experience an imminent snow-job on the Government's woeful performance thus far in the UK's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Boris Johnson, interviewed by the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, offered only that he thought things could have been done better and that there were "...lessons to be learned..." and "...open questions..." His line is still the Trumpian one of denial and diversion from the simple fact that he is actually in charge and that the buck stops with the Prime Minister in the UK. It is as simple as this: he is ultimately responsible for the collective actions of his Government; his cabinet, appointed by him. End of.

That he is seeking to admit that mistakes have been made, whilst taking not even a shred of personal responsibility and pointing an implied finger of blame for those mistakes at anywhere and anyone else than himself and Number Ten, smacks more of the  martyr complex of a spoilt child who thinks they are always hard-done-by than of the depth of character we would expect of our most senior politician; and lest he forget it, our elected representative and servant.

The truth is, he is a lazy and incompetent man and when his grand plan to be King of the World goes south due to coronavirus, he implodes and rather than knuckling down to some genuine hard work and the kind of statesmanship needed to lead the country through this bloody nightmare, he spends most of his time out of the public eye; venturing forth only with not particularly carefully prepared or rehearsed scripts, larded with platitudes and slogans.

But the one place he has nowhere to hide is Wednesday's PMQ's. These should be mandatory viewing for anyone who misguidedly thinks this man is even remotely fit for the job. His own backbenchers have to watch him wriggle and bark his way from under the reasoned and reasonable questions from the other side; often his own side (though not often enough). He is consistently, grossly unprepared & un-briefed for, and it would appear sometimes  completely unaware of, the questions being asked of him; choosing instead to simply attempt to harangue his way through the session, accusing anyone who disagrees with his (rather limited) world-view, or heaven forfend challenge his decision-making, of thought-crime. There has to be something in Erskine May that the Speaker of the House can bring to bear on a Prime Minister who so blatantly and consistently refuses to offer a straight or even vaguely relevant answer to a legitimate question from the opposition, during that one time in the parliamentary week that requires exactly that - answers to questions. Or am I alone in expecting that of the person whose salary my taxes pay?

Johnson likes to see himself as a latter day Winston Churchill. The only Winnie I'm minded of is Winnie the Pooh; but the bear of little brain at least would have the good grace to admit to his limitations and restrict his ambitions to the honey-pot; something which, in this particular bear's case, was handed to him at birth. Sometimes it is better to admit that you're already sufficiently well off and that you are not the man you think you are, or the man you aspire to be: there is no shame in that; it's called being an adult.