BoJo losing his moptop mojo

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Boris Johnson, universally known as ‘BoJo’, was back in the news on Friday, June 9. Members of his own caucus, whom he had led to a huge parliamentary majority just three years before, had forced him to resign as the prime minister last year after a series of ethics scandals. Now he got to present his resignation honours list.

Political cronies received knighthoods, damehoods peerages and various gongs, such as the CBE, OBE and MBE — meaning commander, officer and member of the British Empire. Those living outside of the UK may find it all a tad strange, especially as the British Empire ceased to exist a long time ago, but that’s a story for another day. These awards are always controversial, as I vividly remember from working in Liverpool in 1965 when The Beatles received the MBE.

Then Prime Minister Harold Wilson awarded them medals for the band’s services to industry, after their boosting of Britain’s economy. It created a huge uproar with others already holding the award, complaining that giving it to a “mere pop group” trivialised the meaning of the award. John Lennon said at the time that military personnel had received the medal for killing people, while his band were simply entertaining, and were therefore more deserving.

Getting back to BoJo, only a few hours after issuing his typically controversial honours list, he received an advanced copy of a Parliamentary Privileges Committee report that was to sanction him for misleading the House of Commons. That’s legislature lingo meaning that he had lied in parliament, would be suspended, and possibly have to face a by-election. Rather than accept those terms BoJo resigned his seat as member of parliament, even though he had rarely occupied that seat for most of the past year. He found it far more profitable on the lecture circuit at various places around the world. June 9 was not the best day in BoJo’s life, but for many it will be remembered as the day he awarded an MBE to the parliamentary barber, one Kelly Jo Dodge.

For a man instantly recognised around the globe for his unruly and unkempt moptop hairstyle, this seemed to be BoJo cocking a snook or thumbing his nose, and poking those who disagreed with him in their eye, while simply giving all and sundry the ‘one-fingered salute’. Ironically, the barber of parliament’s most famous moptop received the same award as the one that caused all that controversy back in 1965 when awarded to those four Liverpudlian musicians, whom the media referred to as ‘Merseyside Moptops’.

BERNIE SMITH

Parksville, BC

Canada