john clipper font and gave me your time on self isolating. the only good news for the beleaguered course, it's live cattie. it's taking the pandemic is the 1st into the economy, stalling, rex it to know the island to mean unfinished business. refugees, a ceiling across the english channel, and he has been to mentored by former top adviser dominic coming on to capital england last year to find those to italy. as a result, the johnson meetings have plunged dramatically. the prime minister has dropped no less than $36.00 points, and the conservative only people did the only cabinet minister substantially below borders as a permanently unpopular education that critique govern. williamson. so is this a temporary blip, or is the prime minister self combusting? today on the alexander show, we've turned to the expertise of mine who knows the answer about the longevity came diagnostic fever. it was also off the prime minister's risky interview coming up

soon. but 1st you sweets, emails, and messages, and response slash last week on to vaccinate. or not to vaccinate. teddy says, great to hear alex calling an injection, a jag, it was always a jag in scotland and not a job. i seem to remember. well, so do i another great issue, cheers. your brain says, i'm no longer responsible for a child. my approach would be to ask my son for his dues unwillingness or otherwise i checked with his d. p. re any contact indications, assuming all clear and sun willing, it would be a big green light for me. gordon mckenzie says indeed, the g. c. b, i've got this totally all protect the teenagers. they're paid as our grand paid by getting corporate jobs to 12 plus immediately. and possibly younger agents later, 50 itemize and says families looking forward. hearing from professor, how do you pronounce right this pandemic? he's only one that seems to talk any sense to me. and finally, gordon says, everyone who can get back to nathan should get back to me to trust adopters on the

site. now, these are just bit fin tv. see this on this richest prime minister? puts them in a great position to judge the tenure of british prime ministers. so where sons johnson, who years died, but it's later then he thinks the rentals. thank you for joining again. malik salmon show off of the prime minister. so, you know, very good place to tell us how much trouble is johnson low and quite a lot, but the opinion polls suggest he and the conservative policy are still ahead of les, but the main opposition, so that gives him a certain orthography, still as long as a prime minister is ahead in the polls in british politics. they become very authoritative, omnipotent, within a government and a party. if, if labor go ahead in the polls this autumn, i think he's in deep trouble. because the efforts,

the essence of johnson's command is his perceived folk winning quality. there isn't a clear idea, logical direction as the was on the factor. and she was many times miles behind in the polls. but there was an ideological mission. he's not great with policy detail . he doesn't really understand how to manage teens. but as long as he was seen as this folk, when he was mike to within the party in the government. if that were to go, i think he would be in real trouble because that great asset would be in doubt. so this came in the the weather was seen over the summer, quite quickly. labor. i'm the little democrats, davis daughter was no the both one or a bi election unexpectedly to losses for the thought is adjusted upon lands dropped 50 points and the can of the home popularity states. this is pretty dramatic stuff

. is it just a blip of some a blip, or will it continue through the autumn with the joy of politics? is it some predictability? and we don't know. i can explain what's happening in the sense that his soaring popularity admits quite a lot of chaos within the government could be put down to the success of the vaccine rollouts across the u. k. and the pandemic has dominated british politics and the sense of liberation. i think actually a more direct connection with government. we've had so many years, you know, people were getting techs in england, telling them to get back to it. i think people of us are all that sparse johnson texting me or indeed in scotland. that's nicholas. they just tell we go off and be liberated from this nightmare. and that explains the soaring popularity and the chaos of recent weeks where the forest johnson tried to get out of

self isolating. for example, after the resident lation of the health. after the resignation of the health secretary, the chaos over travel plans and sol, that now means there is a sort of growing sense of chaos and incompetence to counter the near you fauria. you could almost feel it of the vaccine rollout. so i think a lot of politics at the moment remains pandemic driven. that won't last much longer if we are through the west of it. so that is an extraordinary thing in a, by any independent analysis. the performance of policy performance during the pandemic has been lamentable. it's been very poor been to national standards, and yet the single success of the vaccine rule seems to overcome everything. not

just for bonus, johnson nicholas stoughton, for the welsh plus minister as well. would that be a fantasy? yes. yeah. yeah. i think the, we're seeing in the u. k. after years, basically since $979.00 of a perception of the state being sinister. and, you know, the great stature crusade was, get the state of people, set people free, a completely new perception, in which it becomes the benevolent liberator from the pandemic. i do think it is such a direct connection. you know, the n a chess. and then these techs to go and get a vaccine that it has changed the perception of those in government across the u. k. now, that could well be flex. public opinion is all over the place at the moment. and you'll write the morris johnson early on a made a series. you can see it. i mean,

his old special advisor dominic coming says don't texting about tweeting about this all the time. you could see the mistakes, parable mistakes. and yet, johnson, one of his all skills, is to sort of the public calling to poll, say we are being the same with anyone. now, that is not the case. but there is, you know, the default position for a lot of politicians is disillusionment and betrayal. according to voters, it's taking a long time with it. the default position with him tests be sympathy and empathy rather than that. now that might be changing, as you suggest, with the dramatic narrowing of the opinion poll lead and decline in his personal right. and so much of a problem is dominant coming the better form are very special adviser, want to see a real danger to the prime minister. well,

the views barry on this, i'll give you mine and the 2nd a lot of people think it's a minor irritant. that he is established as such, an unreliable narrator out for revenge, that his comments lack credibility. i take the opposite view. this is absolutely unique in 2 ways. first of all, his power with the number 10 was unique, much more powerful than previous big names, like alice to campbell who worked with tony black. he had power over who was appointed, who was removed, including the chancellor of the exchequer, and so on. so he was incredibly powerful and for more than a year. so boris johnson close up because his assessment rings true when you related to what we have all experienced seeing. johnson inaction. i think it's going to be damaging for her. i checked the discussion with some

political commentators for a program the other day sort of spontaneously 2 of them, cited cummings, and said, as evidence to make sense of johnson. i think therefore the running commentary and it's about a tweet every hour long, long blog is going to be damaging to him. mostly voters will read them. but these things coming through and it is a condemnation that sort of makes sense. it's not outrageous what he's saying, other colds with what everyone could see. and so i think it's going to be damaging to him. and the seems to be a fair volume of text messages between the prime minister is form a confidant. that could i could spell more trouble. yeah. and he's publishing that some of the that is, i mean a, it's extraordinary that he's doing that, but it does me. this isn't his narrative. these are tax. this is sort of the stuff

of history. you know that you people look at the evidence and this is actual tax, not cummings, writing a year later. at least. yeah. so i think these are damaging. i'd say others don't think it will be, i've got a feeling it will be and that's quite different from the strange political opponent because usually that sort of stuff has to stay within some sort of bones because the embattled opponent wants to get back into the office perhaps, but with the dominant cummings is quite different. he has no aspirations for office and therefore there is no, no holds bob. exactly. i mean, so partial has no leverage to pull in relation to coming your ups. you right. you know, if you're a leader of a party, the power of patronage, or the potential patronage, gives the lead a considerable lever. johnson tell me,

doesn't want to go back to work with him. and therefore, he doesn't want to go into those a lot. and he's not bothered about getting out of lot, and he said he won't be open to parish now. so there, there is nothing in terms of what johnson can offer it. and that puts him in a more dangerous place. you say that if he sucks, a cabinet minister cabinet minister says, well, i might get back in if i behaved myself. that is not part of his thinking. and that makes a more dangerous. and the final question before i go into some of bought us johnson's background, if recently, because the people who nearly became prime minister, if we've been having less discussion a couple of years back, would bought us johnson to be than that book as opposed to being in the prime ministers, but yeah, in fact a couple of years ago, i did a talk on the theme of prime ministers. we never had the series actually of tools.

it's now going to be a book in september. and i then wrote an article for a newspaper saying on the basis of those that had just missed out in the past. johnson will not seize the crown. and i've been tormented about ever say that, you know, with people tweeting, i'll look at him. he said, johnson would never get it. i said on the basis of the past, because if you look at the qualifications, those who were prime ministers on the whole, they tend to be loyal people. they tended to be people haven't got to much trouble . up until the point they seized the crown, they tend to be unify as rather than dividers. they could master policy detail and then sort of make it accessible to the wider electra and you and none of that he makes but i think breck fit, the different story party was in a state of war. johnson said to himself,

existential crisis about its own future. and they turn to him for 2 reasons that he is a vocal, and that is his one big qualification for leadership. and he was the hard line breakfast here who could deal with the threats posed by the van breakfast party and others so. so that's how he got it, but he hasn't got many of the qualifications of leadership. well, we'll come back and we'll discuss how both johnson defy gravity and your prediction . join us after the break, when alex continues this conversation of a journalist and broadcaster steve richards was see then the me, the new gold rushes underway, and gunner thousands of ill equipped workers are flocking to the goldfields, hoping to strike it. rich children are torn

between gold education. my family was very poor. i thought i was doing my best to get back to school, which still will have the strongest appeal. when i would show the wrong, why don't i just don't rule out the thing because after an engagement equals the trail, when so many find themselves well, depart. we choose to look for common ground. welcome back. alex is in conversation with steve richards about the main thing, political problems of the prime minister. so let's get back to the origins of

bought a so mean alexander bought us the pestle. johnson, not always. stanley johnson is known for having a good sense of humor, but it's not a so a name you give somebody you expect to be prime minister that well, no over hasn't done him any harm. i gather his family. don't even call him boris. the name. very unusually, by the way, but a lot of voters refer to him as unusual in the sense the most prime ministers are referred to by their 1st. this is like the queen. there is a family name on the, the official, there's an official name and a family name. and yeah, it reflects a kind of show in this which is part of the family and the father is like him or he's like the father. they are performers. be taught family in different ways, some more exuberant than others, are fascinated by the former. and you know,

he and david cameron and others at each. i thought that i think were fascinated by the performance of politics, the game of politics. and to this very day, if you struggle to find clear definition about johnson's broad mission, there is no doubt that in the game of politics, he's proved to be a winner on his tongue. johnson as a very unusual technique for the politicians. it's also a decided he would continue with fairly high risk a lifestyle across a range of things to take risks. please. journalist suddenly seemed a stranger to the child on various occasions would, would help the demeanor of saying all that stuff doesn't matter that this is really a very unusual a position to take a model made for this. it's fascinating. i remember working on the program with him

occasionally when he was a journalist and he said he want to go into politics and boise done it. and so you know, whatever the traits he has got away with things so far. now that will come a point almost inevitably, when he doesn't, and there will be the, the full back of all full baths. but it hasn't happened yet. and have you been helped by the social media age the transience, so story to some, in some of the things that can be penned on bought us with a, with a sunk a battleship. never mind a prime minister, but the social media age is just of the adapt city and this to meditate, to, to stand there than things that's. that's a very interesting observation, because i've heard the opposite. that has been a lot of activity around highlighting what johnson said in the house comment wasn't true, has had millions of millions of views. but you know this up. so you know that if

you look by the script editor of the spectator, foreign secretary, mayor of london, won it twice. and now prime minister, that is a record which just so far, he hasn't had to face the consequences of actions and the napoleon that he's been a lucky, gentle. i'm going to various key points and a car suit of fallen in this his favor. he was lucky to face. jeremy corbin very weak live dam leader in the december 2019 election. but it was he with great chutzpah who kind of be propelled what was then a hung parliament towards an election at a time when he wanted all the rest of it. so yes, lot boss, i mean it's not it's not a soul explanation of any successful leader. yeah. but the one thing you can be lucky alicia. poor. yeah. the december 2019 election. the greatest political christmas present of all time. yeah. yeah. and they gave it to it,

they didn't have to give him the election on that date. and they did. well, that's the big as soon as the boat to run out at the start of the summer, if you must only surveyed big triumphantly and the local elections, england, a few passkey problems in northern ireland and scotland. but nonetheless, as far as english politics are concerned, he was totally dominant now and as we move and so the, the high, some of them through it, things look a bit. yeah. and i think we also will be an interesting test for him. and his main opponent, the label to kiss darma because so far the test with kiss tom or is how he has on the whole manage the politics with the panoramic, which are unique and distinct. so how he manages the politics, if it returns to normal ish in the author, is a big test for him,

which will then have an impact on the face of forest job. some 2 bars johnson. it's very interesting and the skill of it has really evaded scrutiny. at every point today, any great sense, you know, mayor of london not huge job in british politics. as foreign secretary, he was peripheral. theresa may deliberately made him peripheral. during the tory lead ship contest, there were so many candidates, but no one was really challenged. in the general election, he avoided big interviews, so it's the leader of the opposition's task really to scrutinize. and he's not used to that. so that will be an interesting and how about internal challenges? i mean, some talk, some evidence of a rest, every way between prime minister and his chance to let us know. the classic demise of prime ministers often is preceded by a rift between milk and sedona street. as some evidence of that dominant companies

of course, and said that they were work, it was a conspiracy place on moodle. as soon as he was reelected as dominant cummings, just like mischief or other forces and the conservative party would quite like to see the back of balls. i think the dominant cummings comment reflects the fact that after the december 2019 election, he and his boat leave entourage number $0.10 the power was waning for that. so loosing out to mrs. jones, she sent me is a, is a player. you know, it's people who see the prime minister along to or players. she by definition, sees quite a lot. but the more interesting one in my view is the richie sumac chancello versus number 10 division. because at times, although johnson ideologically is all over the place. but at times, johnson has made speeches where he said, cold meaning, roosevelt,

even if you know present, roosevelt, new deal, big spend a big span of a big sped and, and as evidence that he does believe big spending as a way of driving the economy. the sooner is a self described fiscal conservatory, so there is potentially huge tension over johnson's ambitions by his so called leveling up program. and of a kind of big spending items versus this fiscal conservative in the treasury, who pulse suggest is incredibly popular. and how that works itself out, i think will be one of the big themes this autumn and beyond. now it might go more smoothly because far, shelton is both the big spender, but he doesn't like tax rises of quite likes, tax cuts, and he's described margaret chose his hero and so on. so he's not, you know, absolute be rooted in one spot. but if he decides he is roosevelt

like once a much from the pandemic as a big spend, he will face resistance both from the treasury culture of sound money and from richie sumac. and that could be really titanic set of tensions over public spending . tough in the coming years high, but other challenges. i mean, i'll be expecting a challenge from the north of the quite surprised by how little coast useful famine was been after the victory of the s m. p. in the scottish alexis. well, i think that will be this will be a running theme. my view is that johnson will not grant referendum. he just won't do it. whatever the pressure certainly before the next general election, amanda signing is so that might change in doc you will have the support of kids

dahmer and the westman labor policy. so you can see this being a running theme. and without clear resolution, if he remains in that position, you will know more about what the options might be from the scottish position, but the westminster position, my understanding, i think just not going to give it the side of an election. now that might change, but i think if it's howard stop and hope it will happen, see, is biggest danger to fall that some self. is he congenitally and capable of governing? once the damage subsides and people start scripting in the nuts and bolts of government is going to be a general decision. this man is not capable of being prime and well, i think you put it well. people analyze over time, who's the biggest threat to bar johnson? is it richie sue? not the popular chart for that?

is that the populace home secretary and so i think the biggest danger to bars johnson is boris johnson. now one of the things that coming to claim, he said that the beginning of all of this is, you know, it's, it's almost a joke that i'm big prime minister. but then he said, but then again, same with cameron and osborne and all the rest of them. but he has shown no or little evidence of grasp of detail, a capacity to manage people, which is so important, especially in challenging times. his number 10 is a curious mix of people and the cabinet was chosen partly because of that support for. brett said partly because none of them ready represents the threat to him. and so yeah, the biggest threat subarus johnson as far as johnson, i think. so finally steve went to the top of the prime minister's. you didn't think

he would get lia, can he stay live? yeah, i didn't think he would get that on the basis of others who hadn't, i saw him having some of those characteristics for those who hadn't got the crown. so therefore, i'm not going to make a prediction again, having be proven wrong about him before. what i will say is 2 things. one, a majority of ac is a pretty good butter. now i know margaret thatcher foul with a much bigger majority. and also for all the speculation about the term, all of his private loc and all the rest of it. prime ministers very rarely go voluntarily, while in milton times is called voluntarily, and that was how wilson and nice and one way or another, the eldest of all being full, stopped. so if he is to go before the next election,

i doubt if it will be voluntarily. so it would have to be through false. so there would be one heck of a drama to be played out if that were to happen. so i'm not going to say anything more, give that assessment, that will bring you back to talk about that drama when it comes. you think it will be read, so thank you so much for joining me once again on the silence for thank you. before lasting recess, they don't bring round the palace of westminster. was it the prime minister had described his education set? cuz he gavin williamson as on south of because he was the only cabinet 60 popular. and he was perhaps things look different company austin. right now. the johnson government has become suddenly accident prone to lose one. hell, think t as a misfortune to lose to bi election. so as careless. what distinguishes johnson from his story, pierce, it's a real capacity for being elected. unfortunately for him,

he also possesses talent for blowing himself. there is no more expedient prime ministerial observer than steve richard. he said, the storm clouds forming. we'll be dining still. but for now from alex myself and all that issue, it's good bye. stay safe. i hope to see you all again next week. ah, me soon. ah. okay, let's go and jerry a, here's a country that is suffering from inflation. they have a huge population of 200000000 or more very young people that are already online already on their phones. and the government is not really able to crack down,

let's say, is a good see, and china and all those things together. and you have a breakout, you have a breakthrough, you have the big point, standard emerging. and that's so exciting because it means that the world will be born again. it looks like it's going to happen in nigeria. ah, the ah, ah.

the moon. ah, the accusations of excessive force level at berlin police, after a viral video shows an officer throwing an elderly woman to the ground during a protest. police union says the demonstrators themselves were far from peaceful i am sure that my colleague exactly is in accordance with the law. in addition, more than 60 police officers were injured. they clearly did not stumble but suffered during the process. the biden administration faces a backlash from a coalition of human rights groups over quote, harsh us immigration policies. while the media there stay silent on the very issues they heavily criticized donald trump for.