Boris Johnson’s bungled comments highlight the common myth that capitalism is an engine of innovation
In desperate times, take what you can: in this instance, a glimmer of self-awareness from Boris Johnson. After boasting to his MPs that “the reason we have the vaccine success is because of capitalism, because of greed, my friends”, a voice within his head – or perhaps an alarmed WhatsApp message from an aide – demanded a prompt U-turn as he attempted to withdraw the comments.
While his retreat speaks to concerns of image management, his instinctive advocacy of greed represents a fundamental belief. This is a man, after all, who boasted that nobody “stuck up for the bankers as much as I did” during his victorious bid for the Conservative leadership, and who once declared that inequality was essential to nurture “the spirit of envy” and that greed was a “valuable spur to economic activity”.
