The past is a foreign country

April 30, 2021 4:18 AM

For all his fancy education Boris Johnson is among those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. 30 years ago, 450km NW of London a sketchy politician got his home re-decorated as a nixxer. Sometime later [2005] when the story broke "The Taoiseach then insisted Mr Callely had opted not to exercise his right to make a personal statement to the house." And two years after that [2007], the same Taoiseach appointed Callely to the Senate after the latter was rejected by the electorate. Senator Callely continued to finagle his finances and [2014] was eventually jailed.
posted by BobTheScientist (21 comments total)

Said Taoiseach being not exactly known for his financial probity either.
posted by scorbet at 5:04 AM on April 30, 2021 [2 favorites]

All these press releases about Boris's wallpaper are to distract from the more important news that he thinks "let the bodies pile high in their thousands" is a viable response to Covid.

Also Twitter and the Daily Mail have been calling Johnson's fiancée, Carrie Symonds, “Carrie-Antoinette” again deflecting the heat away from Boris.
posted by Lanark at 5:21 AM on April 30, 2021 [10 favorites]

Taoiseach. Learned a new word today. :-)
posted by Don.Kinsayder at 5:27 AM on April 30, 2021

Taoiseach. Learned a new word today. :-)

More fun to come when you hear the word!
posted by pipeski at 5:43 AM on April 30, 2021 [14 favorites]

All these press releases about Boris's wallpaper are to distract from the more important news that he thinks "let the bodies pile high in their thousands" is a viable response to Covid.

That was regarding a third lockdown. You'd think he would've learned from delaying the second lockdown and letting the virus get way out of control, but apparently not.

However, none of that breaks any rules. There simply are no rules against being a terrible leader and running the country into the ground. There are rules about declaring interests, and that is why the "cash for curtains" scandal is different.
posted by swr at 5:53 AM on April 30, 2021 [2 favorites]

I was a bit surprised to see the Mail and the Spectator both going after Boris Johnson on this as much as they did. It did make me wonder if the billionaires have decided to switch to Rishi Sunak or someone instead.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 5:54 AM on April 30, 2021 [2 favorites]

Or they're moving to the back the safe pair of hands represented by Michael Gove. Blech.

Money always trips people up in the end, because it's far easier to make rules about it's use and judge when they've been broken. Unlike being a scumbag, which apparently is an acceptable matter of political difference.
posted by Braeburn at 6:07 AM on April 30, 2021 [1 favorite]

I was a bit surprised to see the Mail and the Spectator both going after Boris Johnson on this as much as they did. It did make me wonder if the billionaires have decided to switch to Rishi Sunak or someone instead.

Cummings' wife is an editor there and a lot of their people are more aligned with Gove than Johnson despite(?) his history with the Spectator.

All these press releases about Boris's wallpaper are to distract from the more important news that he thinks "let the bodies pile high in their thousands" is a viable response to Covid.

The thing about that, is that everyone already immediately believed it because of course he shouted that but that also means that people who voted for him already knew what he was like in this respect. The thing about dodgy wallpaper financing is that it's actually against externally enforceable rules that the Electoral Commission or the IPSA can sanction him for that do not depend on what his voter base feels.
posted by atrazine at 6:19 AM on April 30, 2021 [7 favorites]

"The Taoiseach then insisted Mr Callely had opted not to exercise his right to make a personal statement to the house."

Ummm... hello, house? Apparently I've had you redecorated as a... um... a nixxer. I hope that's something you wanted to be. If not, then I'm sorry. I mean, you didn't make any statement to me either at the time. You're a house. I feel kind of silly just doing this. Umm...thank you.
posted by Naberius at 6:27 AM on April 30, 2021 [4 favorites]

The BBC had an article on BJ's finances. Apparently becoming PM was a significant step down, salary-wise. He used to get (among others) £22,916.66 a month from the Daily Telegraph which he said occupied him for 10 hours a month.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 6:46 AM on April 30, 2021 [2 favorites]

Up until yesterday you could have called Boris on his personal cellphone.
posted by chavenet at 6:56 AM on April 30, 2021 [1 favorite]

I was a bit surprised to see the Mail and the Spectator both going after Boris Johnson on this as much as they did.

No more surprising than Breitbart turning on Trump.

There were already plenty of allegations of sleaze against Johnson known and being investigated before Cummings decided to "help".

There is less than no point in getting rid of Johnson if the price is the restoration of any part of the influence or credibility of Cummings. He is now no more relevant than Bannon; the only difference is that Cummings' former patsy, unlike Bannon's, is still in power.
posted by Cardinal Fang at 6:58 AM on April 30, 2021 [1 favorite]

re-decorated as a nixxer.

Speaking of learning words, wiktionary has nixer as

(Ireland, slang) A job or income which is taken in addition to one's normal employment, generally at evenings or weekends. Originally implied that payment was not declared for taxation, but now refers to any work that is not part of one's regular job.

Is nixer being used in a different sense here? Articles like Law to ban 'nixers' in war on corruption reinforce the private work related to their jobs meaning. For Callely's home being re-decorated as a nixxer, is the word being used in the sense that the construction company doing the work is the nixer, or that Callely is implied to have done a nixer in return for the favour?
posted by zamboni at 7:37 AM on April 30, 2021 [2 favorites]

For Callely's home being re-decorated as a nixxer, is the word being used in the sense that the construction company doing the work is the nixer, or that Callely is implied to have done a nixer in return for the favour?

The construction company in this case, as they wouldn’t have reported it to the taxman. A political favour wouldn’t generally be referred to as a nixer. That was just business as usual...

I have to admit I’m more concerned about Northern Ireland at the moment. I’m no big fan of Arlene Foster (she among other things, oversaw the RHI scandal but the favourite to replace her, Edwin Poots, looks to be more hardline.
posted by scorbet at 8:07 AM on April 30, 2021 [2 favorites]

I have to admit I’m more concerned about Northern Ireland at the moment. I’m no big fan of Arlene Foster (she among other things, oversaw the RHI scandal but the favourite to replace her, Edwin Poots, looks to be more hardline.

Ulster says no to evolution.
posted by atrazine at 8:30 AM on April 30, 2021 [2 favorites]

I have mixed feelings about Cummings being back in the news. I have rather missed the wily old basilisk-dodger.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 9:50 AM on April 30, 2021

I have mixed feelings about Cummings being back in the news. I have rather missed the wily old basilisk-dodger.

Hitler's fate was speculated upon for years, but not because those who wondered what had happened to him wanted to see him back in his old job.
posted by Cardinal Fang at 10:03 AM on April 30, 2021 [3 favorites]

Callely still owes money over the expense scandal, as far I know. Sadly he was not unique and will be joined by many others over the coming years.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 3:16 PM on April 30, 2021

And if we ae going by Irish politics Boris Johnson will just be shuffled off to observe UN elections, do a TV series about closed train routes, or head to the US .

If the UK were still in the EU, he could also have followed that route for terrible Irish politicians who even we won't elect anymore no matter if they fixed the potholes and got the uncle a medical card, and become an EU comissioner.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 7:30 PM on April 30, 2021 [2 favorites]

will just be shuffled off to observe UN elections

Bertie suddenly popping up in Bougainville was so weird...
posted by scorbet at 9:47 AM on May 1, 2021 [1 favorite]

Not as wierd as Enda Kenny getting a TV show biking down train routes that have been turned into greenways. Can't wait to see the second act of Eoghan Murphy. Maybe he will go fishing or swimming off non polluted beaches.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 7:55 AM on May 2, 2021