Boris says awesome things...

The great debate:
Blunkett vs. Boris 1
Boris vs Blunkett 2 (3/4 way down page)
Seriously, which one would the public rather have got sacked?!

The success of an online petition is proportional to the amount of signees it attracts. So, to give it a boost, here’s a link to one set up by a Boriswatch reader - Bring Back Boris.
Click, sign, and then feel the inner calm wash over you…

Our esteemed Mr Johnson was the subject of a lengthy discussion on Question Time last night - in which the entire panel and the whole of the audience praised him. The direct video link is here. The first mention of his name invoked a cheer from the audience, causing Dimbleby to ask Mr Yeo whether sacking Boris was a bad idea. If this is the consensus throught the UK, us Bozza fans have nothing to worry about…

It was once said that if everyone met John Major, they would all vote for him. Plainly no one did. The same quote, I happily confirm, can be uttered about Boris Johnson, although I imagine the majority of the country might vote for him, regardless of their politics. My meeting up in the House of Commons went wonderfully this afternoon, and accompanied by my friend Simon, several other interested parties and the wonderful Melissa, Boris’s private secretary, we discussed the issues of the day over lunch - how the Conservatives can do better, how they can attract more of the youth vote, and various topics along the way, ranging from farming to, bizarrely, shampoo. By the time Boris had finished his opening gambit, we had all finished our meal and Boris was resigned to a luke-warm pork dish - or “manly feast”, as he called lunch.
One thing that struck me was Boris’s loyalty to the party. Despite his sacking, the affair allegations, and the “shifting” of Spectator jobs, he is still very positive about the Conservative party, and still very eager to raise Michael Howard to the position of Prime Minister. “My mission is to help the Conservative Party get elected, concentrating on my Henley Constituency.” He pointed out that this meeting was about harvesting ideas, so that the party can help the swing voters decide the election (which, apparently, is totally possible). And all this while the events of the last few days stormily swirl around his head. The man is incredible.
I’m pleased to report that he is exactly the same in the flesh as he is on your television screen, and I’m equally pleased that he knows of Boriswatch and does indeed read it. He managed to get in a few quips about his “recent debacle” as he put it, and all around the table agreed that the party is far worse off without him on the front bench. I resisted fawning over him brilliantly.
So, on to your questions that you’ve put on the previous post. Melissa will be receiving a selection of them this evening, and hopefully Boris may be able to reply to at least some of them. Oh, and thanks to both Melissa and Boris for their hospitality this afternoon - really useful for both sides! It was unfortunate that the Alsation of Time drooled impatiently at our heels - there was so much more discussion to be had!
And a final word from those worried about the effect of the last few days on Boris’s “joie de vivre” - he really appears, at least outwardly, to be taking it all in his inimitable stride. Mild jokes about his current situation were a constant undertone, and he seems as into politics as he ever was. Keep supporting him, and I’ve no doubt he can produce the goods. Have no fear - Boris is still blustering along!

I’m very pleased to say that I’m off to meet Boris tomorrow. It may even be possible to discuss you fine Boriswatch people, and that got me wondering: what questions would you like to ask Boris? Any no controversial ones, please - you know they’ll be refused.
No guarantees, of course, but I’ll try to put them across…
UPDATE: Comments are now closed. Thanks!

“Friend of Boris” were last night lining up to support him. Rod Liddle espouses Boris as the “greatest journalist I have ever worked with” (here’s the link) and Nicholas Soames weighs in (quite literally) with promises that Boris will be back on the political scene (here’s that link).
For anyone that is worried about Boris’s sense of humour disappearing, that final link above will give you some cheer. “Asked how he was feeling,” it reports, “he replied: ‘Tremendous, little short of superb. On cracking form.’

1. Thanks for all the input over the last couple days - it seems the 10,000 visitors since Friday, 90 emails and many, many positive comments shows that Bozzamania is still alive and well! There’s even plans afoot over on the forum for a march in support of Boris…
2. However, your lovely visits are battering my server in no uncertain terms. I’d like to draw your attention to this donation link, where you can send a few bob in support of the site so that it can keep running and conquer those bandwidth bills. Of course, if you don’t think the site deserves it, that’s absolutely fine. Why not email Boriswatch with any criticisms, and we’ll see what we can do.
3. Just a final note - I notice that several of you have jumped into action, and there are plans to start a website supporting Boris. Well, I ought to tell you there are plans afoot already - almost complete, in fact - for a Boris website solely geared to supporting Boris. It’ll fit nicely between Boriswatch and the official Boris Johnson site, we hope. Until then, keep posting and commenting - it’ll keep Boris’s spirits up!

Boris, as many of you have pointed out in the last couple of hours, has been sacked as Tory shadow arts minister and vice-chairman, just a day after praising Boris in the highest and most sarcastic manner possible. The Conservative spokesman tonight issued a statement which included a thinly veiled attempt to out him over recent allegations. Tomorrow morning’s papers will apparently show that he did have an affair with Petronella Wyatt. After lying back, taking in the posted comments and curdling the various resultant thoughts in my mind, I think now is the time to post.
Boris, as I’ve pointed out, was the only popular minister in politics. The Conservatives, as the party most like to hate in these days of media-led opinion, desperately need popular figureheads to survive. It had only one. Now it has none. The sacking of Boris will only confirm to the thousands who visit this site, the thousands who visit his official site, and the tens of thousands who support, understand and cherish Boris’s words and thoughts, that the Conservatives are becoming irretrievably out of touch with common consensus and astonishingly unaware of the potential for the popular vote, rather than just the cerebral one.
Boris has made an error of judgement. Michael Howard’s judgement is even graver - a kneejerk reaction based on earlier kneejerk reactions, opportunistically carried out for shallow reasons. Boris has got more publicity and bonhomie for the Conservative party than Mr Howard can now ever do - and this appears to have all come to naught. I trust that in the days to come, Boris will come out of hiding and explain his side of the story, in the easy going and considered way that has brought him so many followers.
Looking back on my words above, it seems that the word “Conservatives” could easily, and more correctly, be replaced by “Michael Howard”. For it is he who has sacked Boris, and it was he who managed to destroy Boris’s reputation in the early hours of the Liverpool saga, by declaring the Spectator column “nonsense from beginning to end”. As Boris commented darkly in the days afterwards, had Mr Howard read the column he would have found that the majority agree with the greater part of the article. Mr Howard was just following those kneejerk reactions that he seems to love so much.
Echoing many of the comments posted here tonight, I am unable to comprehend how the Conservatives, or indeed Michael Howard, see Boris as more of a liability than an asset. Yes, he has his detractors. So do I. So does Tony Blair. So does Michael Howard, in far greater numbers than those of Boris. Boris’s bell has tolled in the political world, but he’ll be back, doing so effortlessly what he has done in the past - transcending the class barriers and talking to the public in a language we all understand. For that is the key to winning elections - and that is the key that Michael Howard has just thrown away.
Update: Lets your feelings be known. Send messages to the BBC News “Have Your Say” forum. Also, get active and send your input to the Conservative Party website, and the Boris Johnson website.
UPDATE 2: Boriswatch visitor has created a “Bring Back Boris” petition.

The Mirror have a bee in their bonnet about Boris, that is now clear. Rehashing the same old lines about affairs with a certain member of his staff is useful to fill a gap in the paper and also helps to denigrate the main light in the Conservative party, but they’re really dredging the gutter again. Let me list some of the many positives of Boris, and then see whether it’s worth damaging Boris to get a few more sales.
1. People Trust Boris - The public don’t trust politicians, with good reason. But they trust Boris to speak his mind, and speak the truth. Even the recent Liverpool comments confirmed that he is prepared to back comments that he considers correct, regardless of the impact it may have. For that alone, Boris is unique, and is dragging the murky world of politics back up to the standards we deserve.
2. Social And Political Commentary - The Spectator is meant to infuriate and educate, says Boris, who has successfully steered the magazine to record sales. And almost all readers of his columns, whether or not they agree with his sentiments, appreciate his honesty and applaud his integrity. How many journalists, let alone politicians, can we say that about?
3. Sheer Entertainment Value - Boris has been the only MP to make it to the Superbrands Cool List in 2004. He has been voted the Ideal Meeting Chair. His website is inundated with visitors and comments. This site has had 48,000 visitors in 6 months. People love to watch him (Paul Bigley excluded), regardless of the political allegiance.
So, let’s really get stuck in and support Boris at every opportunity. It’s the least he deserves.

It seems that the rumours about Boris giving up one of his two main jobs may be correct. Boris has given an interview on Haaretz News, where he speculates on his increasing workload. “Yes, this is really a serious issue… to do what I have been doing in the past six months is really too hard. This is a problem to which I must give serious consideration.” He goes on to say that his workload is “beginning to be excessive”, but is unsure what to give up.
Your humble host is torn. Would we benefit more from an increased Parliament figure, or an even more prolific editor? It’s a conundrum so tricky that I’m off to lay down…