Boris Johnson’s loss of leadership is looming large as ministers and aides leave in their droves. When (rather than if, this time) his litany of lies and obfuscation catches up with him, the UK prime minister will take from Downing Street something else: his mastery of the non-apology.
Johnson plays in a different league of verbal jousting to the other populist leaders. Compared to former US President Donald Trump, who continues to live by “deny until you die”, and our own departed former prime minster Scott Morrison, who opted for “deny until it becomes apparent you will die”, Johnson plays what is termed a non-apology with a little more nuance.
His backflip on Chris Pincher, the MP Johnson appointed as deputy whip, even though he knew he was a groper, came with concessions: “Yes, I think it was a mistake and I apologise for it. In hindsight it was the wrong thing to do.” In hindsight?
Or take his now infamous partygate “apology”. That was riddled with caveats and restraints; all “it’s you, not me” implications: “I understand and share the anger up and down the country at seeing Number 10 staff seeming to make light of lockdown measures, I apologise unreservedly at the offence it has caused up and down the country.”
As The Economist’s language columnist Lane Greene puts it, “A non-apology is one of those ‘I’m sorry if anyone misunderstood my intentions’.” He explains that the use of language to apologise (or not) and the use of language to ascertain intent of a misdemeanour (or not) are both key in the art of political wordplay.
Whilst Johnson has shown himself to be capable of what Greene terms a “95%” apology, as was the case when he was forced to text the Queen with his tail between his legs for drowning his sorrows on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, even this came with its caveats.
Yes, he acknowledged wrongdoing (“there were things we simply did not get right”); yes, he acknowledged the harm done (“the rules are not being followed properly by the people who make the rules”) and, yes, he acknowledged people’s rightful anger at that harm (“I know the rage they feel with me”, but Greene gave Johnson “minus five points” for saying “when they think in Downing Street the rules are not being properly followed”.
The time for Johnson to have a Morrison “bulldozer” moment of reckoning and try his hand at a genuine apology in light of recent events appears to have passed. Overnight, more than 40 junior ministers and aides left him a day after two senior cabinet ministers.
Greene anticipates that the PM won’t entertain it until he officially resigns. “Given the anger over what has happened, he cannot afford another 95% admission of wrongdoing on the scale of the Number 10 parties without simultaneously showing himself out,” he said.
But retired associate professor of linguistics and occasional Crikey columnist Tim Moore sees it slightly differently. Silence is the real harbinger of a hanged man. “The ultimate is not saying anything at all. When he arrived at Downing Street, he jumped out of the car and avoided all questions. For Johnson, that’s the most telling because silence is something he just doesn’t do. He always imagines that he can bluster his way through his words.”
It appears Johnson has exhausted his vocabulary. But will Britain and the world feel sorry? Unlikely.
Carrie Antoinette didn’t spend all that money on the wallpaper to simply hand it over to someone below her station.
They’ll have to blast her out.
This lady’s not for turning………either.
It wouldn’t have been her money would it? And really, what’s she got to do with his dreadful lies?
She was the one who demanded Boris lean on a donor.
Boris isn’t as independent as people assume because he’s actually subservient to her wishes.
The harridan!!
As with getting Hyacinth out of Kirribilli House.
Yes, subject to ‘family’ approval .
The sad and depressing thing about frauds like Morrison and Johnson is the get no policy implemented because all their time and energy goes into playing the politicking game. What they fail to realise, Machiavelli had policy objectives. Morrison and Johnson have only empty political objectives; ie stay in power to essentially do nothing.
Starmer had the best lines. “The first occasion in history of the sinking ship leaving the rats” one of them.
That’s thing about the ‘Entitled Class’ – they seem to think they have every right to do as they please without apology for whatever hurt inflicted as a consequence of their actions : and it’s up to the plebs (in their ‘low born limited intelligence/experience’) to make of that what they will – to then, maybe, “apologise” in a token manner, to the lower classes for their misinterpretations based on ‘limited understanding’ of those entitlements.
… After all “The serving classes can’t help not being able to grasp the indulgences of such entitlement. It’s not like they were born to it.”
Yep, that is what he’s doing. I’m not sure that’s a sign of the “entitled class” though as much as it is a whole broad spectrum of people who aren’t willing to take responsibility for their actions. I wonder if it’s a result of the cynicism generated by blatant “media spin” that we’ve been subjected to for so long now?.
Boris sinks because of too many pinches on bums but he and the Tory party need a very big kick up the arse.