With today’s announcement of Jo Johnson’s decision to quit his brother’s government I couldn’t get out of my mind the image of the younger brother, who wanting to be part of his big brother’s gang, abandons his toy trains to join up with the “Big boys” only to wet himself when he gets shouted at as the big boys get into a tussle with rivals.
He’s now done the honourable thing and gone back to things less scary than the uncertainty of the radical change his brother is leading. And whilst Jo’s ‘joining then leaving’ smacks of the sort of middle management indecision and appeasment that plagues swathes of corporate and middle Britain, as a younger brother myself, I recognise the spark of ambition, the over-reaching of available courage, and the push of family loyalty that probably prompted him to accept the ministerial post in the first place. He’s a good, genuine and reasonable man but as the Bernard Shaw quote points out “all progress depends on the unreasonable man“.
As for his brother Boris, I’ve been unexpectedly impressed by the steel, focus and clarity of purpose that I’ve witnessed since he was elected PM. I was expecting that Boris’s affable, bumbling style would result in the usual compromises and accommodations that are the hallmark of the amateur.
But not a hint of hestiation! Boris cleaned out the uncertain and hostile in the cabinet with a speed that got it over quickly. He then set out his vision for Britain with energy and humour. All the time maintaing an unwavering certainty about how Brexit would be resolved. Very different to May’s weakness and dithering.
Is what Boris is doing correct? possibly, but correct or not I’m pleased to see that he has recognised that to have a chance of doing well you need all the players on the team to be committed to their teammates and to the agreed strategy. So you might call removing the uncommitted a purge, or just a difficult reality. But like jumping across a ravine, Brexit needs a team with the single focus of getting to the other side, and I’m glad that Boris is showing the leadership to commit to the jump.
The last 3 years has been an impossible search for the safe middle ground and the May premiership lies broken at the bottom of the ravine as a consequence. It’s been like watching the Liverpool team players run onto the pitch with 4 different approaches and the strikers only prepared to put in 2 goals because the oppositions told them that’s all they can have! Luckily great football managers know the emotionally tough demands of team leadership and I think Boris may also.
My mantra when faced with tough decisions is to remind myself that “a painful end is better than pain without end”. As Boris navigates through his own difficult choices I hope that despite family, party and parliamentary challenges he gets the chance to try things his way.