An evening with Boris

I went to listen to a talk by Boris Johnson last night out in Berkshire at an independent school.  The TV personality and occasional shadow spokesman for higher education did not disappoint and also inadvertently answered a question Picking Losers asked a few months back- is Boris an individualist or an interventionist?  He is quite clearly an individualist I am pleased to report.

In his bumbling, round the houses yet brilliant way he spoke of doing nothing. Something the Labour party and a great many other MPs would do well to learn.  He rightly pointed out that we are living in a society that seems to think that it needs legislation on every aspect of life - as though individuals are no longer capable of making decisions for themselves. He also revealed to us all who his favourite politician of all time was - though we all had a few guesses first.  Thatcher?  Cameron?  Churchill?  Even Pericles was suggested - greeted with great excitement by Boris but rejected for being to much like Blair (he bribed his people with their own money too!).  He admired them all, but the one he admired most was Mayor Vaughn from the film Jaws!  Why on earth, you might ask?!  Well, eventually after much Boris mumbling we found out.

When confronted by the masses demanding action, Mayor Vaughn does absolutely nothing.  And quite rightly according to Boris - after all, given the fact that the waters around New England are far to cold for a great white and the general infrequency of shark attacks, why cause panic and waste people's money?  As soon as you start legislating people become risk adverse and the state is left to do everything while the rest are too scared to leave our houses.  A brilliant, if not slightly bonkers analogy!

The main focus of the evening was inevitably education - given the event being held at an independent school and Boris' portfolio.  He attacked the culture of praise junkies that schools now seem to promote.  No child is allowed to fail these days; everyone must have a high grade A-level.  And he is right - there can be no such thing as success without failure.  We are told selection in schools is wrong.  Teachers are told exactly how to do their jobs.  There was a moment of confusion when asked if the government's resistance to "hands up" in class rooms was PC gone mad - Bojo thinking this meant that the ban on putting hands up was put in place so as not to offend one handed children (!) but as with most of what Boris says, it's not the content that is important, more the sentiment.  And I have to say most of the time he is spot on.

Other issues covered including his support for independent schools to work more closely with state schools – believing that there would be mutual benefit.  He has not been invited back to do Have I got News for You, but did hint he would be pleased to go on again…

I am sure if David Cameron was there he would have been horrified by some of the things Bojo had to say, particularly when he alluded to taking a Stanley knife on the pitch when playing Windsor Boys School back in his Eton rugby days!  (Which I am sure was a joke!) - though he did remind us that this was him speaking and not Tory policy!  But you have to admire the man for his honesty.  And you have to admire him for his passionate rejection of the nanny state and the over legislation of everything from warnings on wine bottles to smoking bans.  He may play the fool, but behind the joker's mask is a very serious and intelligent politician who most of the other Commons folk would do well to listen to.