Published: May 9th 2008 - at 1:56 pm

The mistake of underestimating Boris


by Sunder Katwala    

Boris is enjoying a honeymoon as London Mayor, as Andrew Grice of The Independent writes on his politics blog.

Will it last? I fear that Boris Johnson’s critics are already repeating the mistake they made during the campaign, as I argue in a New Statesman column on the Mayoral race fallout.

Gleefully anticipating a gaffe-filled mayoralty that will wreck David Cameron’s project helps Johnson to set expectations very low. Johnson benefits as much as Ronald Reagan or George W Bush ever did from being seriously “misunderestimated”. Which other candidate would have got away with floundering and being roughly £100m out on their sums for buses in the televised mayoral debates?

But if he merely remembers to put his trousers on every morning and get to work, Johnson’s mayoralty will be acclaimed as a triumph. But the real test must be the same any other mayor would face: delivery. That – with Johnson presented as a hands-off “chairman of the board” – is truly a test of the Cameron project”.

Rather than expecting a total fiasco, we should be scrutinising what the Tory modernisers want to do with power.

Perhaps the (conservative) answer will be not very much at all.


---------------------------
    Share on Tumblr  


About the author
Sunder Katwala is a regular contributor to Liberal Conspiracy. He is the director of British Future, a think-tank addressing identity and integration, migration and opportunity. He was formerly secretary-general of the Fabian Society.
· Other posts by


Story Filed Under: Blog ,Debates ,Mayor election ,Westminster


Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.


Reader comments


Interestingly enough, it seems that the conservative commentariat have scant faith in Boris as an adminstrator. Ian Dale, in the Telegraph, says that he’s “sick and tired of the Left-wing commentators who have poured a bucketload of scorn on Boris Johnson and his supposed “lack of experience” and penchant for “buffoonery”", but goes on to predict that Nick Boles and James Mcgrath will “keep Boris on the straight and narrow”, and admit that Boris’s “main asset is the goodwill he enjoys among Londoners”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/05/09/do0907.xml


Reactions: Twitter, blogs




Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

 
Liberal Conspiracy is the UK's most popular left-of-centre politics blog. Our aim is to re-vitalise the liberal-left through discussion and action. More about us here.

You can read articles through the front page, via Twitter or RSS feed. You can also get them by email and through our Facebook group.
LATEST COMMENT PIECES
» Adrian Beecroft highlights mindset of Tory right
» The US is now a model for the Eurozone to save itself
» The IMF plan to revive the economy doesn’t go far enough
» The Boris brand is weaker than his friends think
» Nine things you can do to halt Lansley’s destruction of our NHS
» Incidents like this shame us all
» Taxpayers Alliance want to cut taxes, mostly for the rich
» We’re turning The Spirit Level into a film: help us in that goal
» I love the counter-productive attitude of right-wing commentators
» Watch out for the TPA’s report arguing for more cuts tomorrow
» The resurgence of bigoted conservatism in Ireland
» What’s the point of being ‘British’?






10 Comments



24 Comments



22 Comments



69 Comments



43 Comments



23 Comments



13 Comments



30 Comments



119 Comments



25 Comments



LATEST COMMENTS
» Ben2 posted on Adrian Beecroft highlights mindset of Tory right

» Left Outside posted on The US is now a model for the Eurozone to save itself

» Dave posted on Adrian Beecroft highlights mindset of Tory right

» Lynne posted on Incidents like this shame us all

» Cylux posted on Adrian Beecroft highlights mindset of Tory right

» Northern Worker posted on The US is now a model for the Eurozone to save itself

» Planeshift posted on Adrian Beecroft highlights mindset of Tory right

» JC posted on Adrian Beecroft highlights mindset of Tory right

» Northern Worker posted on The IMF plan to revive the economy doesn't go far enough

» Left Outside posted on The US is now a model for the Eurozone to save itself

» Barrie J posted on Adrian Beecroft highlights mindset of Tory right

» Barrie J posted on Nick Cleg u-turns on economy too

» Cherub posted on Adrian Beecroft highlights mindset of Tory right

» Barrie J posted on Adrian Beecroft highlights mindset of Tory right

» jungle posted on Adrian Beecroft highlights mindset of Tory right