Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Letters

This old Etonian is no harmless buffoon

Boris Johnson campaigns in Derby
‘He’s not dopey or stupid or amusingly ropey. / He’s lazy, duplicitous, slippery, wet soapy.’ Photograph: POOL/Reuters

Don’t call him Boris.
It’s the name for a cuddly toy, a cute little Russian boy, a dashing guy from a book by Tolstoy. Don’t call him Bojo.
He’s not fast like Flo Jo or sexy like J-Lo. Don’t mix up mojo with a sleazy libido.

Don’t even call him a Bozo.

He’s not dopey or stupid or amusingly ropey.
He’s lazy, duplicitous, slippery, wet soapy.

He’s no fool, no joker, no harmless buffoon, he’s a cynical, devious, racist goon.

Please don’t compare this dangerous fake
To a benign and affectionate
namesake.

He’s not original, a one-off.
He’s not a maverick.
If you have to...
call him Johnson
...another word for dick.
Lisa Hallgarten
London

• In Simon Woods’ play Hansard, recently on at the National, the biggest laugh – and some of the audience standing and cheering – occurred on the line “I tell you it’s the great mystery of our time, the insatiable desire of the people of this country to be fucked by an old Etonian.”
Hilton McRae
London

• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com

• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters

• Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.