The Tory Christmas Parties and Why Boris Johnson Should Resign
This blatant flouting of social restrictions comes as no surprise from a party that prioritises its own interests above all else.
As the country uneasily prepares for another dark winter, the memory of last year’s tiered systems is playing on many people’s minds. But, as it emerged earlier this week, senior Conservative staff seemed to have a very different idea of what restrictions meant for them. While thousands of people prepared not to see their families for Christmas, or were unable to share precious moments with a dying loved one, political staff swapped Secret Santa gifts at 10 Downing Street. And were then recorded laughing about how they had broken the rules that they had set.
Given the Conservative party’s track record, this latest scandal shouldn’t come as a surprise. Yet if you heard a distant rattle on Tuesday evening, it might have been the sound of thousands of pearls being clutched as the Twitter commentariat lunged at a new opportunity to lambast the government. “Shame, shame, shame!” they cried, like an am-dram recreation of the bell scene from Game of Thrones. But how long can we go on being shocked by the Tories’ hypocrisy? From Dominic Cummings’ infamous Barnard Castle jaunt to the Owen Paterson sleaze scandal, Johnson and his cohort have made it abundantly clear that they don’t believe that the laws they make apply to them. The Christmas parties are just the latest demonstration of how they put their own whims above all else.
Johnson’s denial that he knew about the parties is also unsurprising. While Allegra Stratton at least had the grace to shed a tear or two when she stepped down, Johnson’s bald-faced rebukes demonstrate that he knows he won’t face consequences. Even if an inquiry finds that he was aware of the gatherings, what will happen? Nothing, probably. This is a Prime Minister who defended his chief adviser's breach of lockdown rules last year, and kept his job. Why would he start apologising now? Given this context, it’s clear that expecting remorse from Boris Johnson is like expecting a toddler to perform Riverdance.
Crucially, the demand for Johnson’s public self-flagellation also distracts from the long-term reasons for him to step down. For instance, the fact that he is yet to apologise for describing Muslim women as “letterboxes” and gay men as “tank-topped bum boys”. And that he knowingly allowed government ministers to take on lobbying contracts when they are already being paid well over double the national average wage. And how he has squandered multiple opportunities to prepare for case spikes and variants throughout the pandemic, like a farmer patiently closing a series of stable doors long after his whole herd has bolted.
So yes, perhaps Johnson should resign. But this is not just a problem of a few rogue MPs and political staff. The prioritisation of its members' interests over the welfare of the UK’s population is the core of the modern Tory party’s ideology. This is a government that has just voted through legislation to remove British citizenship without notice, increasing the powers of the state against refugee, migrant and ethnic minority populations. This is a government that plans to double down on drug policies that have consistently failed for years, simply because it’s less expensive than addressing the root causes of addiction. This is a government that, when informed of the deaths of twenty-seven migrants in the Channel, asks not why they are crossing but how to stop them. The Tories’ flouting of its own public safety guidance is the logical endpoint of such self-serving ideology. If we keep being shocked by their scandals, it diverts us from attacking the troubling legislation they vote through, and leaves us powerless to tackle the “I’m all right Jack” mentality that such policies stoke up within the UK population. The rot runs much deeper than cheese and wine. The question is not where the damage is, or how to paint over it, but whether we can finally face digging up the floorboards.
Written by Alex Jacobs
Alex Jacobs is a Bristol-based writer and poet. His writing has been featured by Trans Actual, The Sick Love Zine and Bristol 24/7. You can find more of his work at @homomunculus on Instagram.
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