Monday, 24 June 2019

The Week UK: Instant Opinion: Boris Johnson, the Windrush scandal and Meghan Markle

The Week UK

Opinion

Instant Opinion: Boris Johnson, the Windrush scandal and Meghan Markle

Jun 24, 2019
 
Your daily guide to the best columns and commentary on Monday 24 June

      Whatsapp
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Google+
      Linkedin
      Email

1. Matthew d'Ancona in The Guardian
on Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson’s pitch is all about his character. That’s why the row in his flat matters
“The person who, so to speak, led us to the door of Symonds’ flat in Camberwell is none other than Johnson himself. His repeated insistence in Birmingham that people didn’t ‘want to hear about that kind of thing’ rang hollow precisely because – more than any other contemporary British politician – he has tried to turn public life into a game of personality, in which wit, confidence, charm and personal presence eclipse policy and substance. This is the proposition upon which his bid for the top job is based: that character is all. It is hardly surprising, then, that his character is now being examined as never before.”

2. Outgoing New Statesman associate editor Helen Lewis
on the failures of political journalism

Why political journalism keeps getting it wrong
“The seductive power of the conventional narrative is one of the most distorting forces in political journalism. Jeremy Corbyn is useless, Donald Trump is a joke, Theresa May is the Iron Lady, Remain will win, the Liberal Democrats are finished, Nigel Farage has retired from politics. All of these seem true, until – suddenly – they are not.”

3. Kate Maltby for CNN
on the demonisation of Meghan Markle

The problem isn't Meghan Markle. It's the British monarchy

“While racism clearly plays a strong role in the demonization of Meghan by parts of the British press, there's more going on here. Meghan has married Prince Harry because she loves him -- anyone who watched them listen to ‘Stand By Me’ at that beautiful wedding can see that -- but that means marrying a man whose life and political responsibilities are defined from birth. It means joining a world where having a personality is a liability, expressing a political opinion in public is forbidden and the maintenance of public loyalty depends on a mythos of likeability and mystical aloofness. The problem isn’t Meghan Markle. It’s that royalty is an unsustainable institution in the 21st century.”

4. Clare Foges in The Times
on how race is used as a shield to protect the lifestyles of some Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people from legitimate criticism

Travellers can’t always play the racism card
“Though politicians will not dare say it, many in this country have negative perceptions of these groups because of their experience of illegal encampments on their local playing field: the littering, disruption and what might politely be termed ‘antisocial behaviour’. They see a group of people refusing to live by the laws the rest of us abide by: trespassing on land with the police seemingly powerless to stop them; breaking locks with no one prepared to arrest them; parking on private property and not being towed away. It’s not racism driving this anti-Traveller sentiment, it is fury that one community seems to live apart from the rules that govern the rest of us.”

5. Satbir Singh and Omar Khan in The Independent
on the real lessons of the Windrush scandal

On national Windrush day, this is the history of British immigration policy and how we can change it

“As May prepares to leaves office, it’s time to also retire the belief that there can ever be such a tidy distinction between tackling racism and building fair and just policies on race, migration and citizenship.”

Read more:
Opinion
Boris Johnson
Meghan Markel
Travellers
Windrush
UK News
You are here:

    Home
    Instant Opinion: Boris Johnson, the Windrush scandal and Meghan Markle

Related Articles

    Analysis
    Instant Opinion: Boris Johnson, Windrush and Meghan Markle
    The Week Unwrapped
    The Week Unwrapped: Cable cars, Turkey and charity woes
    Baby's feet
    One-Minute Read
    Baby born to trans man in landmark birth certificate case
    Champions League semi-finals draw
    Champions League
    Champions League quarter-finals: results
    Personal Savings
    Sponsored
    How to make the most of your savings
    The Week Unwrapped
    The Week Unwrapped: sex work, Serbia and segregation
    Charles Manson
    The Week Unwrapped
    The Week Unwrapped: Manson, gendered pronouns and cheats
    Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi Arabia's great reformer?
    The Week Unwrapped
    The Week Unwrapped 44: Saudi intrigue and the new Vogue

Advertisement
Find Out How
With The Week Magazine
YES
Portfolio

The experts' guide to good living

    Rolls-Royce Cullinan: a new frontier in coachbuild design
    Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo review: the royal touch
    The best rooftop bars in London

Read more
Popular

    Who is Carrie Symonds?
    UK News
    MH370 pilot ‘had practised crash on flight simulator’
    World News
    Who will be the next PM? The latest polls, odds and vote results
    UK News
    Today’s back pages: Neville ‘utterly ashamed’ of Cameroon’s disgraceful behaviour
    Sport
    iOS 13: new features, public beta, release, iPadOS changes, CarPlay and more
    Technology

Trending Topics

    Donald Trump
    Brexit
    House prices
    Cultural appropriation
    Kensington Palace
    Islamic State

Daily Briefing

Ten things you need to know today

    Hunt tells Johnson: ‘Don’t be a coward – debate me’
    Erdogan’s party loses Istanbul local election rerun
    Israel Folau: fundraiser shut down over anti-gay views

Read more
Our Latest Offers, Competitions and Events

    Our latest offers and competitions
    Foraging masterclass and lunch with Masterchef winner
    Outstanding wines that won't break the bank

FIND OUT MORE
Back to top

    Facebook
    Twitter

    News
    Sport
    Business
    Technology
    Cars
    Offers
    Podcast
    Portfolio
    Subscriptions

    The Week US
    Email newsletter
    Privacy Policy
    Cookie Policy
    RSS
    Sitemap
    Contact us
    Authors
    About us
    Privacy Preferences

© Copyright The Week Ltd which is a subsidiary of Dennis Publishing Limited.
The Week incorporates The First Post. The Week™ and The First Post™ are trademarks of Felix Dennis.

    Felix Dennis
    Jobs
    Media Information
    Subscription Enquires
    Books
    Apps
    Your Online Choices

Sign up for our daily newsletter
Newsletter

No comments: