Boris Johnson and British Conservatism: Simon Heffer | Tom Switzer

Hear from Simon Heffer, a leading conservative commentator who has known Boris Johnson for three decades, as we discuss the UK’s newest and most enigmatic leader.
The British Conservative grassroots have voted Boris Johnson for leader in large numbers because they believe he has the charisma, showmanship and, incidentally, views on Brexit to ensure Britain leaves the European Union successfully on October 31. As a result, the Tory rank-and-file members believe their re-born party will win the next general election handsomely.
However, Simon Heffer has serious doubts. Boris is not a lovable rogue, nor is he likely to unite the Conservative party. No one, according to Professor Heffer, should bet on the new Prime Minister shaping the destiny of Britain and her people for much more than a brief, and possibly deeply troubling, interlude.
Simon Heffer is a columnist for The Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, London, and professor of modern British history at the University of Buckingham. He is author of, among other influential books, High Minds: The Victorians and the Birth of Modern Britain and The Age of Decadence: Britain 1880 to 1914.
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[@HHM706]

Well he was absolutely right about Boris Johnson

[@beetlegin]

Absolutely loved this discussion. A discussion that one can no longer hear in the UK as the main stream media has pretty much forbidden the broadcast of any serious, reasoned, and reasonable discussion about why respecting the outcome of the referendum is so important. In the UK at the moment the default position in any debate broadcast in the main stream media is that Brexit is a terrible idea, is essentially undemocratic (and that a further 'injection of democracy' is needed to bring us to our senses) and that it will be a catastrophe. Whatever way you voted there is no denying what the the overwhelmingly establishment / authoritarian view is - we 'the people' got it wrong (due to ignorance, bigotry, propaganda etc) and need to be 'helped/directed/supported' in reaching the correct decision..

[@frankfeehan6509]

Anybody here after 12/12/19? I’m no great fan of BJ but it’s remarkable how many of these predictions he has confounded

[@TheCultureCommentary]

Yes, I am here in 2020. Very interesting to compare what people said before with what actually happened.

[@KKTR3]

And what now in 2024

[@doctorfoster1968]

Events have soon proved Mr Heffer to be completely wrong about almost everything he says in this video! Very amusing to watch with the benefit of hindsight.

[@KKTR3]

And what about now

[@Dbdbe1]

Well not so fast…

[@doctorfoster1968]

@@Dbdbe1 haha fair enough

[@brahimilyes681]

​@@doctorfoster1968*Sigh of shame*

[@istvantoth7431]

It's not just Hungary who represents opposing views in that region towards the EU .. it's the whole 'Visegrad 4' (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary)... The EU just wish if it was Hungary only... The V4 agree pretty much on most (immigration policies, borders/national security, values in society in general) ...

[@Dbdbe1]

Lots of bigots there yeah

[@channelfadge7438]

Damn... This aged badly.

[@hgf4030]

Not really now

[@Dbdbe1]

Better now dude

[@quotha]

I look forward to the headline that reads 'Cummings is goings'

[@user-ht8pn6dv9j]

Simon Heffer: 03:54 ~ 25:29

[@neelamacwan9931]

eu bloc should be shut down

[@JRobbySh]

On the point of a written constitution, he is right to say that the lawyers would start taking it apart before the ink was dry. The intervention of the UK Supreme Court may have preserved the convention from being abused by Johnson but its tone was very much like the Supreme Court packed with FDR appointees who wrecked the Constitution as a vehicle for a national government with limited powers and made the Judiciary the dominant branch in the Federal System. The ludicrous practice of allowing a single district judge to have a suspensive veto of not only state actions but over Executive orders implementing Federal Statutes or those exercising powers clearly within the prerogative of the President is what you will have EVEN IF rid of the House of Lords. The Supreme Court would in fact become the new House of Lords.

[@brendanmccann5695]

Judy S., FDR did not pack the supreme court. He wanted to but was unable to manage it. Furthermore, who better than a district judge to decide whether presidential actions comport with the constitution? You'd like the presidency to have that power would you? Until 3 years ago I would have have hated your idea of trashing the separation of powers. With our current president it would terrify me.

[@JRobbySh]

@@brendanmccann5695 Oh. but he did. As the older judges left the Court FDR replaced then all with liberals. men who aged with the massive expansion of the powers of the Federal government by their interpretation of the General Welfare Clause. It was a complete repudiation of the concept of limited powers. FDR was able to do this because 1) he won his third term and 2) we were in a world war.

[@vendetta4252]

Emphatic means showing or giving emphasis; expressing something forcibly and clearly. so how is 49%/51% emphatic?

[@user-dq6kr2gd1y]

Sycophantic interviewer, giggling at "my friend" Simon Heffer's remarks ... very irritating.

[@greg0879]

It's perfectly within England's rights to leave the EU. Unfortunately, the Brexiteer leadership can't come to terms with having no leverage in negotiations. There seems to be this fantasy that if we just get out of the EU we can return to the greatness of a bygone era. Britain should have worked to secure it's aims while it was in the EU, using the threat of the referendum to leave if their demands weren't met. Instead, they came to the table this way: We voted, we're leaving the EU, now give us what we want...or else?

[@vendetta4252]

In response to your question of how people feel about being run by another country when in a federation or union, you may want to ask Texans or Californian's how they feel about being run by federal government or how the Scots or Welsh feel about being run by the England, or how the Australians, New Zealand, and Canadians feel about their head of state being the queen... So your example fulfills your argument but I am sure it doesn't fulfill everyone's thinking so as a narrative it has holes in it.

[@Milo-wl2if]

Forgotten the Leave campaign lies?

[@nataliemiller6448]

James amy The Courts have proved there are none. Meanwhile the revelations about the EU army and the EU Empire are growing day by day.

[@Milo-wl2if]

@Natalie Miller no the courts have not proved any such thing, the lies were obvious untruths, which the likes of Dominic Raab continue to perpetuate with reference to “gross” EU contributions. There is no EU Army and never will be, that was just Leaver fear project, like the idea that Turkey would be admitted. Lap up the paranoia.....

At least, he is allowed to talk there

[@neelamacwan9931]

all because TM messed up everything . She was falling at the feet of the eu

[@vendetta4252]

Not stupid but definitely your arguments are attempting to create a manipulative narrative...

Enoch Powell, you will soon rejoice in Heaven!