"Johnson lies continually to help himself.
But on Tuesday he appeared to have taken his lying to a new, worrying level – he now seemed to be lying just for the hell of it. When commenting on the government’s latest U-turn in agreeing to provide free school meals for vulnerable kids during the summer after the footballer’s impressive campaign, the prime minister said: “I talked to Marcus Rashford today and congratulated him on his campaign which to be honest I only became aware of, recent … erm, today.”
Only the previous day Downing Street had issued a statement confirming that the school-meal voucher scheme would end when the school term ends, despite Rashford’s campaign. The prime minister’s official spokesman praised the Manchester United and England striker for “using his profile in a positive way to highlight some very important issues” before stating: “The PM understands the issues facing families across the UK, which is why last week the government announced an additional £63m for local authorities to benefit families who are struggling to afford food and other basic essentials.”
Allowing for the bizarre possibility that the PM’s official spokesman does not actually speak on his behalf, Johnson’s claim would mean that on Monday, he did not read any newspapers, listen to or watch broadcast news, or pay attention to any internal briefings on the matter. This despite the issue gaining widespread attention.
What was so alarming about this lie was its utter pointlessness. More than that, it was self-destructive. Johnson is showing himself in the worst possible light, dispelling any doubts the public may have about his propensity to lie.
As so often, Johnson’s lie was half-baked – he mumbled “recently”, before saying that he had only heard about Rashford’s campaign “today”. It was like watching a particularly bad panelist on the game show Call My Bluff. Actually, it was reminiscent of the time Johnson was asked about what he did to relax, and uhmed and ahed before eventually suggesting that he liked to turn wooden wine crates into model buses. But again that lie had some vague purpose – any self-respecting political leader needs a hobby, even if you have to dream one up on the spot.
But the Rashford lie was in a different league. What could he gain by pretending he knew nothing about the previous day’s biggest news story – one that he was at the very heart of? It didn’t simply make him look incompetent, it made him look mad."
https://www.theguardian.com/comment...s-johnson-lies-marcus-rashford-prime-minister
But on Tuesday he appeared to have taken his lying to a new, worrying level – he now seemed to be lying just for the hell of it. When commenting on the government’s latest U-turn in agreeing to provide free school meals for vulnerable kids during the summer after the footballer’s impressive campaign, the prime minister said: “I talked to Marcus Rashford today and congratulated him on his campaign which to be honest I only became aware of, recent … erm, today.”
Only the previous day Downing Street had issued a statement confirming that the school-meal voucher scheme would end when the school term ends, despite Rashford’s campaign. The prime minister’s official spokesman praised the Manchester United and England striker for “using his profile in a positive way to highlight some very important issues” before stating: “The PM understands the issues facing families across the UK, which is why last week the government announced an additional £63m for local authorities to benefit families who are struggling to afford food and other basic essentials.”
Allowing for the bizarre possibility that the PM’s official spokesman does not actually speak on his behalf, Johnson’s claim would mean that on Monday, he did not read any newspapers, listen to or watch broadcast news, or pay attention to any internal briefings on the matter. This despite the issue gaining widespread attention.
What was so alarming about this lie was its utter pointlessness. More than that, it was self-destructive. Johnson is showing himself in the worst possible light, dispelling any doubts the public may have about his propensity to lie.
As so often, Johnson’s lie was half-baked – he mumbled “recently”, before saying that he had only heard about Rashford’s campaign “today”. It was like watching a particularly bad panelist on the game show Call My Bluff. Actually, it was reminiscent of the time Johnson was asked about what he did to relax, and uhmed and ahed before eventually suggesting that he liked to turn wooden wine crates into model buses. But again that lie had some vague purpose – any self-respecting political leader needs a hobby, even if you have to dream one up on the spot.
But the Rashford lie was in a different league. What could he gain by pretending he knew nothing about the previous day’s biggest news story – one that he was at the very heart of? It didn’t simply make him look incompetent, it made him look mad."
https://www.theguardian.com/comment...s-johnson-lies-marcus-rashford-prime-minister