Boris Johnson’s personal brand chimes with the unruly spirit of the age. But his politics of disorder may run out of steam
Voters punish governments that lose control. That has been one of the ruling assumptions of British politics and political commentary since the 1970s. In that infamous decade, Tory and Labour governments alike fell largely because they allowed everyday life to be seriously disrupted – first during the 1974 three-day week, then during the 1978-9 “winter of discontent”.
Boris Johnson has presided over more disruption than any prime minister for decades: in education, agriculture, construction, the courts, manufacturing, exports and imports, the hospitality industry, retail and, above all, public health policy. He has rarely been able to present himself as in control of events. And unlike the crises of the 1970s – which led to almost no loss of life – his premiership has seen tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths.
