It z ofn ɖs we wɖ līdrz on ɖ we dǎn. Ɖ tret ppl dslîc z ɖ oṛjin v prīvịs apil invrtd. Ɖ sṭliḍti ɖt wns rec̣mndd T’rīza Me n Gordn Brǎn trnd r’botic. Ɖ ćarm v Toni Bler n Devid Camṛn wnt fṛm smuɖ t sliṗri.

Wɖ ɖ cuṛnt prim̦inistr ɖt tret z indifṛns t dificlti – mītñ advrṣti wɖ gd ćir; solvñ probḷmz bî dclerñ ɖm nonixistnt; clirñ practicl obsṭclz bî līps v ɖ imaɉneśn. Ɖ īʈos z xprest in Jonsn’z sbvrśn v a feṃs provrb: “Mî poḷsi on cec z pro hvñ it n pro ītñ it.”

It hz bn a caćfrez v hiz fr yirz, bt it wz ɖ dlemaz pozd bî Brexit ɖt trnd it intu a doctrin – cecizm. In ɖ cecist vy, Britn cd rten ɖ beṇfits v YY membrśp wɖt eni obḷgeśn t Yṛpiyn lw. It mnt līvñ a tredñblóc wɖt los v tred. It mnt hvñ difṛnt custmzreźīmz fr Gret Britn n Norɖn Îrḷnd wɖt irectñ a p’liticli toxic custmzbordr btwn ɖm.

“I wont y t si ɖs az a cecist trīti,” Jonsn sd v ɖ post-Brexit treḑīl h sînd in Dsmbr 2020. A yir lêtr: ɖr z no cec, Cnsrṿtiv MPz r hungri, n votrz r abandnñ ɖ bec̣ri. Yṛp z nt ɖ proxiṃt cōz v ɖt discntnt, bt cecizm hz ivolvd intu a crīd fr ɖ dnayl v ol ɖ ćôsz ɖt mc guṿnñ dificlt. It xplenz a “leṿlñ-up” ajnda n a “grīn industrịl reṿluśn” ɖt prīṣpoz masiv incrisz in public invstmnt wɖt ofndñ Tori ambiśnz fr a smōlr stet.

It z ɖ ven hop v liṃtñ ɖ spred v Covid infx́nz wɖt impozñ rstrents on indivijl frīdmz. A cecist pandemic straṭji rjz ppl t avôd mixñ in crǎdz, wɖt instructñ ɖm t ste awe fṛm śops n barz. It rzults in a cabiṇtmītñ t dbet ny rstrix́nz ɖt cncludz, aftr tū aurz, wɖ a dsiźn nt t dsîd. It z ɖ prim̦inistr seyñ h “wl nt heẓtet t act” az loñ az ɖt ax́n cn wêt untl aftr Crisṃs.

Ẃn Jonsn wz at ɖ hît v hiz pǎrz h wd privaṛcet at leźr, cumftbl in tū mîndz or mor, hapi t mc īgr cortịrz cmpit fr hiz ir n hañ on hiz dsiźn. Ẃn ɖ Covid crîsis frst struc, h yzd dle az a manijmnțecnīc, letñ tîm n ivnts wino ɖ opśnz ẃl rampñ ɖ rjnsi, untl ɖ locdǎn dsiźnz md ɖmslvz. Nǎ, bròt lo bî scandl n bsijd bî aspîrñ s’xesrz, inax́n z ɖ cors impozd bî an absns v oʈoṛti ovr hiz parti.

Ɖoz r ɖ difṛnt stejz v cecizm, fṛm insūsịns t p’raḷsis, via dnayl. At its cor sits mońmntl aṛgns – a fīlñ v s’pirioṛti t forsz ɖt cnstren ɖ infirịr clas v poḷtiśn hu sbmits t hisṭri instd v masṭrñ it. Fṛm ɖt vaṇti it foloz ɖt rūlz r fr ɖ litl ppl. Hlmzṃn v hisṭri r alaud t unwînd ovr ćīz n wîn on ɖ Dǎnñ Strīt teris, īvn ẃl ɖ faṃliz v Covid victimz hold fynṛlz bî Zūm.

Ɖ prim̦inistr mt nt hv iśùd an xplisit lîsns t flǎt locdǎnrūlz in guvnmnt, bt nn wz nīdd. H rediets ɖ intîtlmnt t slf-gratiḟceśn n ɖ pmpoṣti ɖt jusṭfîz it az fer recmpns fr a hard de’z srvis t ɖ neśn. It z a ptiklr tîp v c’rupśn, comn t reṿluśnri reźīmz ɖt hv lost îdịlojicl m’mntm. It z ɖ dec̣dnt stej ɖt cmz ẃn ɖ parti ilit hz unḍstd ɖt ɖ ytopia ɖe promist z un’teṇbl, bt z injoyñ ɖ trapñz v pǎr tù mć t brec ɖ bad nyz t ɖ ppl in huz nem ɖe sizd pǎr.

Ɖ pandemic hz doṃnetd Jonsn’z tîm in ofis, bt Brexit gev him hiz mandet. It wz ɖ cōz ɖt wún him an ilex́n bt, mor importnt fr hiz stîl v guvnmnt, ɖt vicṭri wz unḍstd bî Yṛsceptic hardlînrz az an xpreśn v ɖ tru wil v ɖ ppl. It wz ɖ refyteśn v ɖ neseyñ, cozṃpoḷtn rmenr ilits, fusi sivl srvnts, bizibodi byṛcrats, bīn-cǎntñ tred xprts n meḍlñ jujz hu clemd ɖt Jonsn cd nt hv hiz cec n īt it.

T ɖt rostr v śem cn nǎ b add “unilectd public hlʈspocsprsn”, ẃć z ɖ trm wn Tori MP yzd t dnǎns Cris Ẃiti, ɖ ćīf medicl ofisr fr Ñgḷnd, fr dẹrñ t sǎnd dǎnbìt abt ɖ spred v Omicron in ɖ runup t Crisṃs.

Ɖt z ẃr cecizm tndz – ɖ sspiśn ɖt sayns itslf z part v an ilit cnspiṛsi agnst liḅti. Ɖt z nt Jonsn’z vy, bt h hz lost cntrol v ɖ doctrin h paynird. Hvñ aqîrd ɖ test fr unliṃtd cec, ɖ Cnsrṿtiv parti wl nt īẓli b pt bac on a caḷri-cntrold poḷsidayt.

Cecizm z nt a forḿla ɖt wrcs in guvnmnt bcz, in riaḷti, ɖ cec hz t b raśnd n ppl notis. Ɖe notis, tù, ẃn ɖ prim̦inistr n hiz frendz hlp ɖmslvz t ɖ fatist slîs, ẃl rjñ ɖ public t absten ǎt v sivic dyti. Ɖe si hǎ ɖ man hu trīts evriʈñ az a joc z olso lafñ at ɖ ppl hu ilectd him. Ɖt z ẃn ɖ lît ćenjz, ɖ smîl darcnz intu a snir, ɖ popylist luzz hiz ppl, ɖ p’laṛtiz v hiz magṇtizm r flipt, n ɖ fors ɖt wz wns atrax́n trnz rpulsiv.