Boris johnson churchill

In one of the stranger revelations of the Conservative leadership campaign, Boris Johnson has said he relaxes by making models of buses and painting happy passengers onboard. Speaking on Talk Radio as part of a series of media appearances on Tuesday, Johnson, the frontrunner to replace Theresa May, explained his hobby to a baffled-sounding interviewer, Ross Kempsell. Asked what he did to relax, Johnson said: “I like to paint. Or I make things. I have a thing where I make models of buses. What I make is, I get old, I don’t know, wooden crates, and I paint them. It’s a box that’s been used to contain two wine bottles, right, and it will have a dividing thing. And I turn it into a bus. “So I put passengers – I paint the passengers enjoying themselves on a wonderful bus – low carbon, of the kind that we brought to the streets of London, reducing C02, reducing nitrous oxide, reducing pollution.” It has been previously reported that Johnson … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson reveals he makes models of buses to relax

A visit by Boris Johnson to the occupied Palestinian territories has been severely curtailed by his hosts in protest at a series of strongly pro-Israel remarks made by the Conservative mayor of London during his visit. Johnson had been expected to meet with a Palestinian youth group, which cancelled its invitation after what it described as his “inaccurate, misinformed and disrespectful remarks” regarding the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement. A meeting with businesswomen was also cancelled, and Johnson will also not attend an affordable housing event, although his delegation will be represented. His meeting with the Palestinian prime minister, Rami Hamdallah, will go ahead. Johnson told reporters accompanying him that two of his three meetings had been called off by organisers after Hamdallah warned him that security “would perhaps be at risk” if they went ahead. During his visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson’s Palestinian trip cut short after pro-Israel remarks

One of the UK's most prestigious debating societies has been slammed after a blind postgraduate student was 'dragged by his ankles' and thrown out of a debate in a 'disgraceful' incident.  Ebenezer Azamati was expelled from a debate at the Oxford Union after he attempted to attend a talk on the motion 'This House has no confidence in HM Government'. The 25-year-old arrived early at St John's College on October 17 to reserve a seat as he was worried there were no special provisions for disabled students. He placed a book on an accessible seat near the entrance to the chamber to reserve it and went back to his college for dinner. Ebenezer Azamati (pictured above) has tried to reserve a seat at the debate as he was worried there were no provision in place for disabled students  Video footage shows Mr Azamati being removed from the debating chamber (left and right) he was visibly distressed   When he returned later, accompanied by a friend and sat down, officials … [Read more...] about Outrage as blind African student, 25, is dragged ‘by his ankles’ out of Oxford Union debating chamber

For President Xi Jinping, the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China is a moment to toast the reunification of a nation and hail its unstoppable rise. But for activists such as Eddie Chu, one of the leading lights of a new generation of pro-democracy politicians, it has become an occasion for something quite different. “Boot-licking. Unprecedented boot-licking!” he says, a smile breaking across his face as he reflects on how many members of the local elite have chosen to mark two decades of Chinese rule by plastering their homes and businesses with patriotic slogans and red flags in the hope, he suspects, of currying economic favour. “That is quite the opposite of what Hong Kong people wanted to see in 1997. We wanted to see democracy. Democracy is not boot-licking.” On Saturday morning, China’s authoritarian ruler, who is making a rare three-day tour of the former British colony, will lead celebrations of two decades of Chinese control … [Read more...] about ‘We wanted democracy’: is Hong Kong’s two-systems experiment over?

It has been nearly two years since Gary Oldman won an Oscar for his performance in Darkest Hour. As one of the few working-class British actors making a living in Hollywood, Oldman’s portrayal of Winston Churchill – an eccentric English aristocrat – was worthy of the praise it received. However, it should not be forgotten that the film contained a number of historical fabrications and uncritically glorified a man who, if alive today, would almost certainly be reviled for his racist views. Nonetheless, the film was met with international acclaim, with reports of standing ovations in cinemas and an outpouring of Churchill-worship across the media. As film critic Mark Kermode said, Darkest Hour is the film that Britons are “not allowed to dislike” for fear of seeming unpatriotic. But let’s be clear: Darkest Hour was pure Oscar-bait. Calculated to appeal to sophisticated filmgoers, it followed a tested industry formula: produce a heroic depiction of a … [Read more...] about Misty-eyed ‘heritage’ shows like The Crown are useful to the Brexit narrative