On Wednesday, Boris Johnson was appointed the new British Foreign Secretary by un-elected Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May. This appointment has come as a surprise and has prompted a massive reaction on various social media platforms from friends and critics alike.
From referring to Black people as “piccaninnies” to reviling Barack Obama’s part-Kenyan heritage, and taking a dig at Hillary Clinton’s looks and marriage, Boris Johnson has done it all. Funnily enough, he doesn’t seem to be too fond of his famously considered American counterpart Donald Trump either.
So we bring to you Boris Johnson at his undiplomatic best – which is ironic, considering the fact, that his portfolio requires more diplomacy and tact than any other’s.
Barack Obama’s Part-Kenyan Heritage
Disappointed with Obama for being vocal about favouring Britain’s Remain campaign, Boris wrote in The Sun:
It is incoherent. It is inconsistent, and yes it is downright hypocritical. The Americans would never contemplate anything like the EU, for themselves or for their neighbours in their own hemisphere. Why should they think it right for us?
In the same article, he also spoke about a bust of Winston Churchill having gone missing from the Oval Office in 2009, when President Obama assumed office. Boris suggested that the removal of the bust could have something to do with President Obama’s part-Kenyan heritage:
No one was sure whether the President had himself been involved in the decision. Some said it was a snub to Britain. Some said it was a symbol of the part-Kenyan President’s ancestral dislike of the British empire – of which Churchill had been such a fervent defender.
“Hillary Clinton Looks Like a Sadistic Nurse in a Mental Asylum”
In 2008, Boris Johnson, in an article for The Telegraph, resorted to sexism. About Hillary Clinton, he wrote:
She’s got dyed blonde hair and pouty lips, and a steely blue stare, like a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital.
In the same article he went on to say that he would, however, want Hillary Clinton to become the president of America, not because of his personal views on Clinton, but because he would like to see Bill Clinton in the role of the First Husband, adding that “if Bill can deal with Hillary, he can certainly deal with any global crisis.”
You can watch the US State Department spokesperson’s expression go from “LOL” to “Damn, I’m on camera” in two seconds when he heard about Johnson’s appointment as Foreign Secretary.
“Genuinely Worried” That Trump May Win
Although Boris and Trump seem to have multiple similarities besides their “bouffant” blonde hair, Boris has been explicit about his disdain for Trump. Reacting to Trump’s comments about London and radicalisation, Boris said:
Donald Trump’s ill-informed comments are complete and utter nonsense... Crime has been falling steadily in both London and New York – and the only reason I wouldn’t go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump.
On a different occasion, he said he was “genuinely worried” that Trump may win the US Presidential elections, and said being mistaken for Trump by a girl in New York was one of his “worst moments.”
Calls Turkish President a “Terrific Wankerer”
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Boris Johnson’s entry to the Spectator’s ‘President Erdogan offensive poetry competition,’ won him £1,000 . He had written a limerick which referred to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a “terrific wankerer”.
There was a young fellow from Ankara/ Who was a terrific wankerer. /Till he sowed his wild oats,/ With the help of a goat,/ But he didn’t even stop to thankera.
Defending his use of offensive language in the limerick, Boris later said:
If somebody wants to make a joke about the love that flowers between the Turkish president and a goat, he should be able to do so, in any European country, including Turkey.
Angela Merkel’s “Sickening” Decision
When German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to prosecute a German comedian who had insulted the Turkish President, Boris called her decision “sickening.”
She numbly decided to kowtow to the demands of Erdogan, a man who is engaged in a chilling suppression of Turkish freedom of expression.
While his words were extremely undiplomatic, Boris’ stance on the repression of freedom of expression seems reasonable.
In 2005, Boris Johnson wrote in an article for The Telegraph:
Chinese cultural influence is virtually nil, and unlikely to increase.
In 2008, when the Olympic flag was passed from China to the UK, Boris again failed to hold himself back:
Virtually every single one of our international sports were invented or codified by the British. And I say this respectfully to our Chinese hosts, who have excelled so magnificently at ping-pong. Ping-pong was invented on the dining tables of England in the 19th century and it was called wiff-waff!
Papua New Guinea-Style Orgies of Cannibalism
Johnson, in 2006, stated in a Telegraph column that the Tory Party (Conservative Party) has gotten used to “Papua New Guinea-style orgies of cannibalism and chief-killing.”
If he doesn’t get a handle on diplomacy soon, the new Foreign Secretary may be in for multiple awkward encounters this year!
(With inputs from The Atlantic, Mashable.)
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