"Those we haven't loved. It's been quite the week for rightwing populists shooting their mouths off. Trolling the world. We've had Donald Trump at the UN. Rubbishing medical science by advising pregnant women not to take Tylenol. Telling the Europeans they were all going to hell. Claiming to have brokered a peace with countries that weren't even at war with one another."
"We've had Nigel Farage on LBC radio. Doubling down on the safety of paracetamol. Insisting that London wanted to go to sharia law. Because a taxi driver from Buckingham had told him so. Sparking fear among swans in every royal park that they were about to be eaten by filthy foreigners. Threatening to deport anyone who had been granted indefinite leave to remain."
"There's something ineffably sad about Johnson these days. You can almost see the pathos in his eyes. A man struggling to understand how it has all come down to this. Back in 2019, he was king of the world. The prime minister with an 80-seat majority whom everyone believed would be resident in Downing Street for a decade at least. Britain had been bent to his will and he had the country at his feet."
A succession of rightwing populists made provocative and misleading public claims across major platforms. Donald Trump attacked medical advice, berated Europeans, and claimed diplomatic successes where none existed. Nigel Farage promoted paracetamol safety, alleged London risked sharia law based on anecdote, and threatened deportations. Boris Johnson has seen a steep fall from dominant 2019 prime minister with an 80-seat majority to seeking marginal media slots and limited audiences. The fall included forced resignation and rejection by party and country, accompanied by increased personal wealth but diminished authority and public stature.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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