SIX OF ONE HALF DOZEN OF THE OTHER : THE ENGLISH PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson is said to be “betwixt” camps today regarding the final of the Euro 2020 football competition on Sunday.
Many naively assume the Prime Minister will support the home team, but doing the obvious thing for the benefit of the United Kingdom, and its constituent nations, isn’t necessarily his guiding principle. Just look at Brexit!
“We all think it’s hilarious you think he has any guiding principle at all,” a 10 Downing Street source told LCD Views.
“The PM is having UK Gov run the focus groups now. If it turns out that the culture war being waged by the hard right in the UK has actually turned people off supporting England in sufficient numbers for the final, well, he may have to support Italy. He’s having an Italian team shirt made up at the moment, just as a contingency. If he comes out with a shirt with X on the back, you know he’s decided that’s where his short term political gain lies.”
Those hoping the Prime Minister will support England are of course very few in number, even in England. This is largely explained by his cynical refusal to support the team over the issuing of taking a stand against racism, and taking a knee for equality.
“The England team may have inadvertently done him a favour,” the source comments. “They’re all such smashing lads who play in a great spirit and deal with the right wing rentagobshite nonsense with dignity. Not to mention old Southgate, always one of the PM’s favourite cricketers. It’s made pivoting away from emboldening the racists to backing the England team easier than anyone expected.”
But even if the PM does come out in an England shirt for kick off, don’t think he’ll automatically stay in it all game.
“If the Italians are leading at half time it’s likely Johnson will swap shirts for the second half. But that’s not because he’s a cynical opportunist who cares only to harness popular feeling to his own selfish benefit and will switch positions in a heart beat if he senses the wind has changed direction.”