A Question of Mark Mardell's Character

I don't think there is a mission or a vision or a Johnsonism. I think the only creed is having to win, having to get the very top job. Because when you press him - very few people get the chance, unfortunately - when he is pressed a little bit everything just kind of evaporates and falls apart. I don't think he sees beyond grasping power.

Those were the words chosen to end Mark Mardell's 'A Question of Character' piece on today's The World This Weekend. I think you'll agree that they won't have made Boris Johnson's day, had he been listening. Indeed, this whole Radio 4 profile wouldn't have made his day.  

That quote came for Sonia Purnell, a former reporting colleague turned Boris biographer, who was Mark's main 'talking head'. She appeared five times, two more than anyone else. Her contributions mainly focused on his "alpha male posturing" and "toxic masculinity" but also talked of his "necessity of winning at almost any cost" and his way of getting away with things "just by lying about it". I'm guessing they don't exchange Christmas cards these days.

The four other 'talking heads' in Mark Mardell's piece weren't must more helpful. 

There was, for instance, Boris-mocking comedian Michael Spicer, who said Boris has "soup" in his brain. Not helpful at all.

And pro-EU Tory peer and pollster Lord Haywood who (in Mark's words) "says the question of trust is vital" and that's "it's a problem for him", despite a certain "Well-that's-Boris mentality" among some voters.

'For balance', maybe, we also got Sir Alan Duncan, the retiring pro-EU Conservative MP who quite the government because he couldn't serve under Boris Johnson. Though he went along with Mark Mardell's 'Boris the Liar' theme, he put it down to being "just a sign of the times" and then said that Boris has "risen to the challenge" of being PM.

And, even more 'for balance', we got former Boris advisor Guto Harri, another pro-EU voice. Guto (ex of the BBC) was by far the nicest of Mark's 'talking heads' about Boris Johnson, praising him for being "emotionally hands-on" over knife crime in London and rejecting claims that he's "a liar". But even he was unhelpful to Boris in talking of his "ruthlessness...in some ways admirable...in others destructive" and then going on to criticise him for "getting into trouble with the courts, suspending Parliament, alienating members of his own family, kicking out or losing members, lifelong, respected members of his own party". 

Now, all of these non-Brexiteer 'talking heads' may have been right in their criticisms of 'Boris the Bottler' but I think Mark and The World This Weekend might at least have tried to feature one pro-Brexit voice or even an unequivocally pro-Boris voice. But no, the "lovable buffoon around town" got no fawning-over here. Quite the reverse. 

And Mark's hatchet-wielding narration dripped with irony and bunged in a fair few embarrassing-for-Boris clips and other embarrassments. And Mark didn't spare the details of "his messy personal life" either.  

And, being Mark Mardell, his commentary also included plenty of editorialising, such as:

But even before he was a politician he was the Telegraph's Brussels correspondent. Stories which played footsies with the facts were a hallmark of his style, exaggeration and invention at their heart.

It's been quite a day. What with this and Andrew Marr's Boris interview, surely even the wildest Corbynista outrider will be thinking happy thoughts about the BBC today?

Now, of course, what we need to do is to compare this to Mark's 'A Question of Character Piece' last week on Jeremy Corbyn, which began with the words "He's certainly come on as a social media campaigner" and "Jeremy Corbyn is giving every impression of loving this campaign, whether relishing the attacks upon him or appearing before adoring audiences of the Left".

The 'talking heads' last week were the critical John Crace of the Guardian, the wholly supportive Laura Parker of Momentum, the somewhat sceptical former Labour MP Chris Mullin, the ulta-loyal party chairman Ian Lavery and former Labour MP Stephen Pound who said that Jeremy Corbyn is "passionately pro-Palestinian" but not antisemitic, and that the two things shouldn't be "conflated" and that we shouldn't see Mr Corbyn as being "guilty" over this and that he can see him as PM. (I used to like Stephen Pound)

Three fulsome defenders, two not-very-hostile critics. Compare that to your Mark Mardell profile this week, Boris, and weep! (Or complain to the BBC).

As for Mark Mardell's narration, it was far less irony-sodden. He admitted he never saw JC as a party leader or PM, but found him "always friendly, always good to chat to". And, in editorialising mode,  "while there's a frequent accusation that others pull his strings the evidence suggests he does build consensus in his team...While he's a demon to some, he's hardly ruthless".

At least Mark gave the last word in his profile to the slightly sceptical left-wing ex-Labour MP Chris Mullin saying that JC has a difficulty "saying no to people". Yep, if anything, he's too nice.

It really has been a good day for the Corbynistas today, thanks to the BBC. I doubt they'll appreciate it though.