The toxic legacy of ‘Johnson the Magician’ – have your say

Have your say.

Boris Johnson is the big talking point again – and he doesn’t have many supporters among today’s writers.

Elsewhere, more debate over the nation’s mental health and musings over pet benefits.

■ Regardless of the House of Commons committee hearing into Partygate, Boris Johnson’s legacy is toxic. Even before his corrosive premiership, the UK’s reputation had been wrecked by his ignominious remarks that Italy should back his version of a Brexit deal or face losing sales of prosecco, his offensive Muslim women ‘letterbox’ and ‘bank robber’ comparisons, inflammatory reference to a Libyan town being turned into a luxury resort once the dead bodies were removed, and comparing the former French president Francois Hollande to a Colditz guard.

And then the mistruths, such as the £350million-a-week NHS Brexit bus, which interfered with a pivotal democratic vote on our economic position within Europe and for which we are paying a hefty price. Robert Hughes, London

■ Today, Boris the Magician will appear before his peers, or at least we hope he will, where he will try to perform his next trick. Using smoke and mirrors, Boris will try to pull the wool over the eyes of the privileges committee, four of whose seven members are Conservatives. Let us hope they listen to the Magician and have more integrity than he has shown the world.

There was a time within living memory when a politician of integrity would fall on his sword and be gone. However, it seems that so many of the current crop are tainted by the Magician that they seem to have lost the ability to think clearly and know right from wrong.

Whatever the outcome of today’s hearing, can we ask ourselves, ‘Do we need a man like this? Are we as a country not worth better than the Magician Boris?’ Tony B, Thailand

■ Boris Johnson’s 50-page dossier is not going to let him off the hook regarding Partygate. In the court of public opinion he is an inveterate liar whose political career has been built upon his consistent attempts to deceive the British electorate. He should never be allowed to hold a position of high office again. Al, Charlton

■ More than £220,000 of taxpayers’ money has reportedly been spent on Boris Johnson’s legal defence against the accusations that he deliberately misled parliament over Partygate. What a colossal waste of public money. Couldn’t the charlatan have asked one of his cronies to lend him a few quid? Scott, West London

‘Getting on with it’ isn’t helpful advice

■ I agree with R French (MetroTalk, Tue) that the saying ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’ can, at times, be a useful attitude to take towards life.

However, that does not mean the people saying those words should not be held accountable for what they say. Besides that, it is often when words go unchallenged that sticks and stonesmay follow the next time.

If you are free to say something, others are equally free to comment on what you have said, including stating that they dislike those words. Ed, Portsmouth

■ R French just ‘got on with it’ in their day. I assume their version of ‘getting on with it’ wasn’t being on the receiving end of racial or homophobic abuse.

Their ‘getting on with it’ was being able to walk away and not having a second life online where bullying doesn’t end at the school gates, and then the extra targeting from the older generation poised to shoot them down at every opportunity for not being like them.

Your ‘getting on with it’ created a generation with the worst alcohol and drug intake in recent history. I’m not the young generation, I’m just tired of trying to keep people down instead of raising them up. Joe, London

■ Fast approaching 70, I find the tales of children’s mental problems (MetroTalk) disturbing. What have we done to them?

We used to have young and innocent days. Where have they gone? Until I was 13 or 14, the most I had to worry about was where the next game of football was coming from.

During lockdown I saw a news article about a primary school reporting mental health problems for pupils. It stated that kids had forgotten how to put on a coat, how to use a knife and fork and how to go to the loo. How can that be? Were Mummy and Daddy too busy on their iPads? Peter, Cheshire

I’ll stick with the Monarchy thanks

■ Regarding the MetroTalk discussion about whether we should replace the monarchy with a president, should the same numpties who voted in their millions to elect Tony Blair and Boris Johnson be trusted to elect a president?

Our monarch brings in millions of pounds of business to this country. How many good presidents around the world can you think of? Not too many, are there? Dave Bradley, Surrey

And another thing

■ What is it with checkout operators asking if you want a receipt? A receipt should be automatic because you have no comeback without one. Are assistants too lazy to change a till roll? Lyn, Strathclyde

■ As the owner of two cats and one dog, Miss Doyle’s (MetroTalk, Tue) idea of pet benefits may sound like a lovely idea for those in need. However, I can’t help but wonder how many of those abandoning pets because of money problems prioritise their needs (holidays etc) above keeping their pets. Many are using the excuse to get rid of their lockdown mistakes. Richard, Bromley

■ Pet benefits? What a load of rubbish. What’s next? Benefits for smokers? Joe, Wakefield

■ As a single man forced to live at home despite being in paid work, Rob the Mod (MetroTalk, Mon) says there was nothing in the Budget to help him. Unless you’re willing to chain yourself to a marriage, mortgage and kids, you’re destined to pay a disproportionate amount of tax and get fewer benefits. Christopher H, by email

■ Jeremy Hunt’s plan to get older people back to work is going well. Roy Hodgson 75, is the new Crystal Palace manager. Joe, Ealing

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