M. Porcius Cato's Blog

I quite like the guy, he certainly comes across a bit wacky and eccentric but don't be fooled, he's a very intelligent and well educated man.

 

The title of Mayor of London is not as important as it sounds, every decision made by the mayor has to be scrutinized and authorised by two authorities (the London Assembly and Greater London Authority) before the proposal can go ahead. so really the mayor is just the public face of a much bigger organisation.

 

Compared to Ken Livingston who personally I think is a slimy toad of a man, Boris will be a fresh of breath air. When asked what he could offer London if he became Mayor he said "Optimism, energy, dynamism and creative ideas!" That's exactly what it needs!

 

I've just purchased Boris' latest book called The Dream of Rome I've not got round to reading it yet but from flicking through it it seems like a witty and light hearted look at the history of Rome.

I've just purchased Boris' latest book called The Dream of Rome I've not got round to reading it yet but from flicking through it it seems like a witty and light hearted look at the history of Rome.

 

GPM, how about you extend an invitation to Boris to join us here at UNRV? Since he's running for public office, you should be able to find his contact information easily.

 

-- Nephele

 

Ha Ha now thats how you tackle a German!!!

I commend Boris Johnson for standing for Mayor of London. Not because I have faith in his 'ability', mind you, but because if he were to be elected into office, he would no longer be Shadow Minister for Higher Education - and thus have less of a stake in my future as a student!

 

The man is so unbelievably detached from reality it is not even funny: about a year ago he visited my university and spent more time discussing boating shoes than higher education; upon a visit to Portsmouth he blurted out that the place was full of 'drug addicts and fat people'! What seems to annoy me most about the man is that people tend to write off the above events as being 'his manner' or his 'eccentricity'. That would be fine and dandy were not in a position of potential power!

 

As a writer, I rather like him. As a historian, however, he is rather piss poor. He has a tendency to use analogy all too freely - using modern, but fitting ones can often blur context, but in his case his comparison between Rome and the EU inflames this problem to its greatest extent.

 

One thing on which I would actually commend him would be his role in saving the Ancient History A-level - at least his heart is in the right place.