Why Boris Johnson should have stayed in local government

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson. Picture: AFP

In retrospect it is easy to wonder just what the caucus of the Conservative Party was thinking when it elected Boris Johnson to Britain’s top job.

Aware of the welter of criticism directed towards him, Johnson quickly walked down the aisle with his new bride. Known as a womaniser, he knew he would be just about unelectable if he continued as a single man playing the field.

Given how well publicised his relationships were at the time it must have seemed unlikely that a majority of the British population would vote for him.

He rode to victory on the back of his support for Brexit, having made his reputation as the mayor of London from 2008 to 2016. He clearly did not realise that the move from that job to the prime ministership of his country was a bridge too far for him.

In Britain and here in Australia many politicians take the same route. Local government is a useful training ground for would-be pollies with big ambitions. When I was a very young man I exhibited some keen judgment by knocking back requests to become a local councillor. I was afraid to run for office because I feared I would win.

There is an assumption on the part of too many local government representatives that they will be the next cab off the rank in seeking and securing high public office. It would seem to be a reasonable expectation given the number of our parliamentary representatives who have a history in local government.

In the meantime they will continue to inspect potholes and debate the merits of extensions to someone’s house or garden. For most of us it is hardly riveting stuff but if it is your home extension being examined it takes on a whole other layer of gravitas. It is no wonder I used to say that in the 900-strong NSW Labor Conference there were 300 aldermen, 300 who used to be aldermen and 300 who wanted to be aldermen.

It is worth noting that London Mayor Sadiq Khan is regularly seen in the media here in Australia. Obviously that position has retained much of its traditional importance. Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore is often in the headlines but not always cast in a positive light. Every time I sit in Sydney’s traffic and look at those endlessly empty bike lanes I wince at the language I could use to describe her.

Rudy Giuliani was a spectacularly successful mayor of New York City but is now reduced to the role of Chief Public Whinger to Donald Trump. At the last US election it was Giuliani who went to the press with allegations of vote rigging and looked both foolish and embarrassed when he could not produce a scintilla of evidence to back up his claims.

As Boris struggles to plot his next move and his party tries to work out how to get rid of him for good, Britain’s Labour Party finds itself led by a person of substance in Keir Starmer.

Having thrown off the shackles of Jeremy Corbyn, Labour is now a real chance of wining government whenever the election comes. The voters of Britain and Australia will not cop hardline Lefties, a lesson British Labour had to learn the hard way.

Here, Albo has settled in. He looks the goods because he is the goods. He will take a power of beating.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has a lot of hard work ahead of him. Dutton may well have been handed a poisoned chalice, but he is a born warrior and he will relish taking the fight right up to the Prime Minister.