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Calm Down Boris…

July 30, 2012 9:35 am

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Boris Johnson Olympics

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The Mayor of London has gotten a little excited (predictably) about one Olympic event in particular:

“there are semi-naked women playing beach volleyball in the middle of the Horse Guards Parade immortalised by Canaletto. They are glistening like wet otters”

And don’t even get us started on “bell-whanging”…

http://twitter.com/mistyblulabour dave stone

“wet otters” !?

This man is depraved.
Mark Colburn

I do wish Labour people would stop treating him as some sort of loveable rogue. He’s a saloon bar reactionary and a buffoon.

Anyone who thinks his London chauvinism travels well outside of the M25 needs to check themselves into the Priory, pronto.
- Bill Lockhart
  
  Not really a problem. He’s the Mayor of London, elected by people inside the M25.
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Homfray/510980099 Mike Homfray
    
    But it will be should he wish to be Conservative leader – can’t think of anyone who would get the Labour vote out more easily
    - jaime taurosangastre candelas
      
      You may well be correct, but you should also consider that he might get equal or even greater numbers of tories out to vote. He appears to be the “marmite politician”. I know 4 people well who would not normally vote tory but would for Boris and have said so – my father-in-law (Lib Dem), my mother-in-law (Lib Dem sometimes, Labour sometimes), my wife (tory but did not bother to vote in 2010, did in 2005, did not bother in 2001, Lib Dem in 1997), and a colleague (UKIP in 2010). Clearly a tiny sample, unscientific, etc, but Boris does have that effect on some people. They just like him.
      
      It’s a good thing for Labour and indeed the country that it was not Gordon versus Boris in 2010.
John Ruddy

It is comments like these that show the man is not fit for office. If Ken Livingstone had said anything like this, not only would the worlds media be houding him out of office, he would loose the supprot of Labour members and voters….
KonradBaxter

“The geiger counter of Olympomania is going to go zoink”.

How can people not be enthused for the Olympics after hearing that and the rest of the speech he gave at Hyde Park?
AnotherOldBoy

Glad to see that Labour List reads the Telegraph.

Mr Johsnon is doing a splendid job and managing to fit in his weekly column for the Telegraph. Good for him!
Lembit Opik’s Lovechild

If anyone has ever watched otters at play, the way they twist and move efortlessly then compare it to the women playing beach volleyball they would realise that Boris has it absolutely right. Poetry in motion.

Boris can get away with this stuff because Boris always talks in a similar vein. Love it or loathe them Boris’ comments are consistent, in praise of things, rarely negative.

Ken would be slated for this because it would be so inconsistant. Dour, pofaced comments are his default condition, anything remotely joyous would be so out of character as to be totally false.

It’s almost as good as Bowie’s “But we move around like tigers on vaseline”

Whatever Boris’ politics he brings a sadly missed joie de vivre into political life.

Anyway, what the hell’s wrong with bell wanging? Never heard of Welly wanging*? Do get outside the London bubble and get a life.

*Welly Wanging – Sport involving throwing a wellington boot as far as possible. Not to be confused with dwarf tossing as practiced by the England rugby team or the Bullingdon club (allegedly)
ThePurpleBooker

Boris Johnson is a real gift to the Labour party. I campaigned for Ken out of tribalism and though I believed Ken had the right policies, he was not the right man to be Mayor. Ken would have undermined the party completely, lacked support from the party, completely disloyal to the party and did not deserve to be our candidate. I am glad Boris won because not only is Boris a threat to Cameron, he is London’s very own Tory douchebag and his victory taught the Labour Party a lesson which we need to learn. I think Ed Miliband probably privately agrees with me on this. It was good for the Labour Party that Boris Johnson won.
http://twitter.com/ElliotBidgood Elliot Bidgood

I love it when politicians descend so into self-parody that life imitates art. Jon Culshaw’s Impressions Show, from a couple of years ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YfSkSIpwEk

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