Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, writes for Liberal Democrat Voice on the announcement by the Mayor of London that water cannon purchased by Boris Johnson is now up for sale:
So Boris Johnson thought he could pre-empt the Home Office in dictating policy on the use of water cannon in England and Wales. He also thought he had no need to listen to the views of the London Assembly, including members of his own party. He even admitted that he hadn’t bothered to read the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee report on the issue.
As on many other occasions, Boris Johnson attempted to make fun of the whole situation. Appearing on LBC and then before the London Assembly he even promised to be blasted by a water cannon to demonstrate their supposed safety. A promise, of course, he never kept.
As a London Assembly Member for eight years I have witnessed many similar incidents of Boris Johnson deflecting examination of a serious issue with a mixture of humour and ridicule of his opponents.
Humour certainly has an important role in politics as in life, but now that some of the huge errors and blunders made by Boris Johnson are becoming clearer by the day it is time to realise what a grave error so many media commentators have made by not taking him seriously, or scrutinising his decisions.
Kevin Spacey in the film “The Usual Suspects” uttered the line “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince the world he didn’t exist.”
I am tempted to say that in UK politics the greatest trick Boris Johnson ever pulled was to convince so many people that consequences from his actions don’t exist.