Boris Johnson, from telling jokes to being its protagonist

The first Minister British, Boris Johnson, the political joker with the tousled blond hair, has gone from amusing the electorate with his wit and calculated misadventures to being mocked in schoolyards and on social media.

His response to the scandal over parties held during the pandemic at his official Downing Street residence and office, now under investigation by the Police, has become a mine of professional and amateur comedians, who mock his ability to deny the evidence and change the version of the facts.

First he said there were no parties. Then the rules were never broken. He later admitted that on May 20, 2020, he personally attended a crowded food and drink event, but thought it was “a work event.” He also included as part of his working day the surprise party they prepared for him on June 19 of that year to celebrate his 56th birthday.

While he clings to fanciful justifications to save his future, the Labor opposition and some of his Conservative colleagues call for his resignation, considering that he has become a “national distraction” incapable of continuing to govern.

The base of humor

Since he began his political career, Johnson, of aristocratic origin, has used humor to win votes, displaying a grotesque irreverence that allowed him to transcend his social class and reach broad layers of society.

A journalist by profession, in 2001 he won his first seat in Parliament, driven by his fame as the occasional presenter of the satirical current affairs program “Have I got news for you?”, and in his campaigns he has always opted for staging that monopolizes Headlines.

At an event to promote the Olympic Games in August 2012, when he was mayor of London, he was left hanging from a zip line in which he launched himself armed with a British flag in each hand. Before the elections of December 12, 2019, which he won with an absolute majority, he got behind the wheel of a bulldozer to tear down a fictitious Brexit wall.

If for some he is a charismatic and funny character, for others, inside and outside his party, he is an unscrupulous fraud worried only about his career.

In his song “Vossy Bop” from April 2019, rapper Stormzy sends Boris on his way after accusing him of being dishonest, while the dancers rip off their blonde wigs.

Due to this ambivalent profile, he has always been a favorite of cartoonists and a fixture of the satirical publication “Private Eye”, where he now has a Fakebook page in which he distorts reality and has his wife, Carrie, as his main adviser.

As a journalist in the “Tory” “Daily Telegraph” and “The Spectator” magazine, Johnson has demonstrated his scathing style and ability for irony, although not a few have questioned the objectives of his jokes, as when he claimed that Africans they have smiles like watermelons and Muslim women in face veils look like letter boxes.

who has the last laugh

With the latest events, the conservative leader has gone from making jokes to starring in them, with dozens of memes and jokes circulating on WhatsApp and on social networks.

In a recent video, he appears in Downing Street telling the nation about the COVID-19 restrictions as a boy walks in behind him with a cake singing ‘Happy Birthday’, who quickly leaves when he realizes he’s “live”.

In another image, the wine section of a supermarket is seen under the “office supplies” sign, while in a parody of the police series “Line of Duty”, the head of the Government tries to slip away when being interrogated.

In a vignette with Elizabeth II and James Bond, the queen tells agent 007 (actor Daniel Craig): “It’s Boris and Andrew (referring to their son, accused of child abuse) this time, James.” The spy replies, “Yes, ma’am, two for one, January special.” “Let them look like accidents”, adds the sovereign.

Although the joke does not seem to be going to subside in the short term, it cannot be ruled out that Johnson, who has overcome so many crises, will turn the tables and get the last laugh. Although nothing can erase this episode of the tragicomedy.