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A review by hadeanstars
The Assault on Truth: Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and the Emergence of a New Moral Barbarism by Peter Oborne
4.0
I’m surprised to find myself reading a book by a noted Telegraph and Daily Mail journalist, and even more surprised to find myself agreeing with much of it. It was not an easy read, even if it is written in an accessible and easily digestible style, mostly because it lays bare the sheer scale of the cynicism of the Boris Johnson Conservative government. In truth however, and this narrative makes this conclusion abundantly clear, Johnson’s government has little if anything to do with traditional Conservatism. It is a new, and decidedly distasteful creation. A deformed chimera of neoliberalism and populism.
Even I, about as cynical an observer of Johnsonian antics as could possibly be conceived, found myself frequently shocked at the outright venality and mendacity of Johnson and his cronies. This most of all, made this book difficult to read. And witness how corruption at the head infects and corrupts the entire body. Hard reading indeed.
I can’t fault Oborne, even if he is a dyed in the wool Tory, and has sometimes unpalatable ideas. He has clearly tried to be fair, and at times he comes across as generous. I think that most of all, he is at a loss as to how things have got so bad, though he makes a brave attempt to explain it, and I cannot disagree.
At the end, he makes some suggestions as to how to respond, but these seem sadly redundant, just two years after publication. The zeitgeist has changed. We are in a post truth era, where even access to information is jealously guarded, and substituted by, not even ideological opinion, but outright editorial designed to facilitate political advantage.
As a result, I finished the book feeling it was more of a forlorn wail into the abyss of political expedience, than a call to arms, and consign this polemic to the sad but true category of narratives. It’s sad because it’s true, but that hardly means we should expect anything to change. The rubicon has been crossed and lying is just part of the background now. Thanks Boris.
Even I, about as cynical an observer of Johnsonian antics as could possibly be conceived, found myself frequently shocked at the outright venality and mendacity of Johnson and his cronies. This most of all, made this book difficult to read. And witness how corruption at the head infects and corrupts the entire body. Hard reading indeed.
I can’t fault Oborne, even if he is a dyed in the wool Tory, and has sometimes unpalatable ideas. He has clearly tried to be fair, and at times he comes across as generous. I think that most of all, he is at a loss as to how things have got so bad, though he makes a brave attempt to explain it, and I cannot disagree.
At the end, he makes some suggestions as to how to respond, but these seem sadly redundant, just two years after publication. The zeitgeist has changed. We are in a post truth era, where even access to information is jealously guarded, and substituted by, not even ideological opinion, but outright editorial designed to facilitate political advantage.
As a result, I finished the book feeling it was more of a forlorn wail into the abyss of political expedience, than a call to arms, and consign this polemic to the sad but true category of narratives. It’s sad because it’s true, but that hardly means we should expect anything to change. The rubicon has been crossed and lying is just part of the background now. Thanks Boris.