For there is not any vertue that disposeth a man, either to the service of God, or to the service of his Country, to Civill Society, or private Friendship, that did not manifestly appear in his conversation, not as acquired by necessity, or affected upon occasion, but inhaerent, and shining in a generous constitution of his nature. Therefore in honour and gratitude to him, and with devotion to your selfe, I humbly Dedicate unto you this my discourse of Common-wealth. I know not how the world will receive it, nor how it may reflect on those that shall seem to favour it. For in a way beset with those that contend on one side for too great Liberty, and on the other side for too much Authority, ’tis hard to passe between the points of both unwounded.
This then a tribute to Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. Rarely has any man been so beguiling in public life that so much has been written, whether in anticipation of his attaining office, or in examining the minutiae of his action when in such office. He has become a character in his own drama, or his own comedy, known by his single praenomen, ‘Boris’, as a trademark as much as a name, or the persona behind which presumably a real man lives.
It was not with aforethought intent that so much was written about Boris, but as so much was, it makes a volume in itself, written in fits and starts, with no plan, no structure, no determined journey to Ithaka – nor to 7 Eccles Street – but written as inspiration struck, on the topics or musings of the day. It is a measure of the fascination or loathing he has inspired that so much has been written with Boris at the centre of it, even without the commentator’s meaning to, and this just on direct references, not the events set in motion by him and carried forth by others.
The man himself is still here and still as brimful with energy, perhaps more so with responsibilities lifted from him. (Responsibilities he always wore lightly, which was most of the trouble.) It may be he shall touch the Happy Isles, or will stroll to the farm of Cincinnatus, or to Colombey. We cannot tell.
All we can say its that we wrote as need or inspiration took; unplanned, driven back and forth across a disordered sea from adventure to adventure. We present it here, unedited and unarranged, as our Borisiad.
- Downing Street: and so it begins 18 May 2019
- Is Boris Good Enough? 24 May 2019
- Rudd, Amber: Green light for Boris 25 May 2019
- Boris, the chosen one 23 July 2019
- Our plan for the new Prime Minister 25 July 2019
- Questions for Boris Johnson 26 July 2019
- Exclusive leaked footage of Brexit talks 23 August 2019
- See how they run 29 August 2019
- If it prosper 9 September 2019
- Conservative Conference 2019: The Speech 2 October 2019
- What happens next for Boris? 8 October 2019
- Round 1: both challengers still standing 19 November 2019
- Boris unleashed 25 November 2019
- Even Corbyn opposes Corbyn 10 December 2019
- Knockout 12 December 2019
- The Last Tory Government? 13 December 2019
- The year begins – 2020 2 January 2020
- Blood on the carpet 14 February 2020
- Where is the text, Boris? 3 March 2020
- Praying for Boris 7 April 2020
- Demanding sacrifices to the baalim 26 May 2020
- Iphigenia’s sisters 29 May 2020
- The Russia Report: was that it then? 22 July 2020
- The patient is dying. There is one cure 2 September 2020
- Last year was so last year, lads 15 September 2020
- Build Back Britain, Boris 6 October 2020
- Jacobean court farce 16 November 2020
- A Great Deal to Do 24 December 2020
- You dirty, double-crossing chatty rat 26 April 2021
- Holes in the Blue Wall 18 June 2021
- Lockdown breakdown 17 July 2021
- What do we make of Boris now? 7 October 2021
- What happened to the hard rain? 1 December 2021
- Hebdomas horribilis 11 December 2021
- New Yeet Resolutions 4 January 2022
- Spies, lies and mince pies 17 January 2022
- I’d Do Anything for Boris (But I Won’t Do That) 23 January 2022
- Go out amongst the land 10 February 2022
- Measures, four Measures 26 May 2022
- Boris Enigma 9 June 2022
- Borisdämmerung 6 July 2022
- The Borisiad 22 July 2022
- From Boris to Liz 3 September 2022
- Colombeylesdeuxeglisesiste 8 February 2023
- Where did it all go wrong for Boris? 11 June 2023
- Boris Bounced 18 June 2023