Playing the game or leaving his mark? Boris johnson in manchester | thearticle

While many elements of politics may be complex, in one area it is simple, and brutal. The distinction between winners and losers is unusually distinct; as Dr Johnson might have said it is

not difficult to distinguish a political loser with a grievance from a winner. Winners make great speeches, set the weather, dominate the media and decide things, from policy to who is in

the Cabinet. Those less successful in ambition merely commentate – and, with varying degrees of patience, bitterness or acceptance, bide their time. Manchester has crowned a remarkable

couple of years for Boris Johnson. On the simple question of winning or losing, it brooks no argument. Judgements of success will come later, as will retrospectives on how he has done it,

but for now it would be churlish in sheer political terms not to acknowledge achievement. Whether you agree with him or not is immaterial; he has changed British history, and by force of

personality and calculation put himself in an unrivalled position of power. To be at the top has its dangers, but they are not half as perilous as those lurking at the bottom. His rivals

within the Conservative Party and outside would, I bet, make many pacts to be where he stood on that podium a few hours ago. I have the luxury of distance in appraisal. I was in Rome at a

conference (another pastime for those no longer in the mix — it’s a hard life), so not intoxicated by the conference atmosphere, but had plenty of first hand reports to call on. Opponents of

the Conservative Party and the PM have little to cheer them. The level of enthusiasm was high and not contrived. The Conservative Women’s Organisation (CWO) reported well over a hundred

first-time attendees to add to their record numbers, their WhatsApp dominated by their sheer bubbly excitement of mingling with others. Whilst a Tory Conference still has a lot of blokes of

all ages relentlessly dressed in suits and ties, who might learn to relax a bit more, the CWO stall in the Exhibition Hall was a microcosm of the country, young and old, diverse in place and

ethnicity, belying the lazy caricatures of Tories. Overall this made for a sense of collective purpose, the grass roots of a party both in office and in power. Boris Johnson thus rode a

wave for which he is responsible in no small measure. This may be the last time he gets away with the slogans and jokes rather than substance, but I wouldn’t bet on it. He is never going to

deliver such an oration in the style of an Autumn Statement. Conference speeches should not be over-analysed. They are performances, for a particular audience, though each has its own

hinterland. The background to this one was Brexit, Covid and the 2019 election, and the look forward to the world beyond. It was not for those more interested in the policy detail. Although

Johnson has no need to disguise his passions with the inevitable levity — I know I was not the first in reading his draft speeches in the Foreign Office to suggest that it was unnecessary to

close every paragraph with a laugh line — the passages on “levelling up” convey a commitment to opportunity that he evidently feels keenly. As a member of previous Conservative Governments

I winced a bit as he distinguished himself from what he called their “dithering”, and others might call a hostage to fortune, but he has now set himself a comparative hurdle to clear, which

takes political courage. He must know that accountability comes with such a stance. The scepticism of this morning’s reception from the business community suggests that this has already

started. Taking on the nature of how business has been handled in terms of employment, training, wages and immigration is an equally bold challenge, lacking the lineage it might have had if

the shape of the new economy post-2016 had been the subject of relentless focus and decisions since he entered Downing Street. However, his ruthless Cabinet changes, and the message coming

through from every area of government that “it’s the delivery, stupid” has to mark the gear change needed to move from being a winner in the political game, examples of which have been

legion, to being a Prime Minister of note — a very different thing. The speech had its adroit elements. Championing the NHS from his unique perspective, advocating a high wage, high skilled,

low tax economy and addressing the aspirations of all wherever they come from in the U.K. covered a wide political waterfront. Prime Minister Johnson is not going to be judged on Conference

speeches. He will not change his style, but Manchester’s hinterland will not be the same again. The background to future speeches will reflect his Government’s ability or inability to have

done what he has said it will do. For that it might be more helpful to concentrate on what his team — and it is more of a team than has been given credit for — had to say this week. A

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