‘Johnson is a good-humoured, entertaining commentator, with an agreeably optimistic bent.’ Observer
‘In a class of his own. Irresistible’ Daily Mail
Synopsis
This book includes some of Lend Me Your Ears.
In his own inimitable style, Boris Johnson turns his attention to the culture, manners and morals of British society, giving us a humorous, at times furious, but always entertaining read. A witty anthology of pieces comprising Boris Johnson’s thoughts on everything from the presidency of Tony Blair to the idiosyncrasies of modern British culture. Focusing on Diana, the age of self-expression, the end of culture, the moment of the Yuppies, and liberty versus freedom, Johnson takes us on a rollercoaster ride through contemporary Britain. He has also interviewed many of the key figures in the political and cultural worlds over the last sixteen years and addresses what these personalities tell of our age. Boris Johnson’s writings have appeared in a variety of British and American magazines and newspapers. Vigorous, idiosyncratic, always intelligent and informed, with a very interesting perspective on our times, “Have I Got Views For You” is a pleasure to read.
You can buy it on Amazon
Raincoaster
Don’t ever say I don’t listen to you – you big star
Ooh, want one so much it hurts!
Melissa – how about another competition for the loyal readers to win a signed copy?
I promise not to let our special relationship interfere with the judging.
Melissa, don’t listen to that man. He has a “special relationship” with everyone online, including Tom.
I’m glad to see that somebody reads the comments section, doling out generous compliments along the way. I would humbly accept the compliment directed my way, but cannot, as my ego won’t let me. I shall therefore arrogantly accept it; thank you.
Now do I get a book?
(think donkey in Shrek2)
no pick me, pick me! I want a book and I’m broke, and apart from that my son’s lost my wallet so I can’t even go into debt for a book so..
Pick me, ooh pick me!
I think the latest thing, if you really want to win, is to buy her a sweater. Pick it out yourself!
Ok Jaq – I guarantee you will get one (and Vicus/raincoaster …of course)- now we must make sure you do something to deserve it!
Will have a word with Boriswatch star Simon and find a system for giving away a few prizes…..
Be in touch
Ooh joy and happiness!! (think roger rabbit leaping into the air flapping his feet)
But Simon?? Can’t Boris think up a system for giving prizes? And in this heat too! I suppose kissing/licking him all over like he’s a jubbly is not a good thing?
(hmn, think JESSICA rabbit – I’m not really bad, I’m just drawn that way…)
so sorry, wrong thread.
perhaps the excitement over the book has gone to my head.
It’s the heat.
Hey, I was offered free drinks, I am a writer and therefore can neither afford my own drinks nor resist a comp, and I STILL didn’t go, because it’s too hot.
jaq, I’m simply interpreting Melissa’s statement as meaning that we few, we happy few, are guaranteed books and it’s the hoi-polloi who will have to scramble like the human sacrifices on Weakest Link for a crumb of mercy and a paperback.
Please, Melissa, don’t shatter my dreams.
Boris –
still blindly and relentlessly using the word ” British ” when you appear to mean English . So irritating . In case you hadn’t noticed ” British ” is in the process of disapearing – fast . To a large extent already has .
The word British should only be used – and carefully – to refer to the joint activities , AS the joint activities , of the countries of the United Kingdom ( ie Wales , Ulster , Scotland and occupied England ) -ie mainly foreign policy and defence therefore .
Otherwise use the word English when you refer to us . Not using this designation is becoming increasingly dated and revealing -a marker for those who are desperately trying to pretend that we are still a united British country – including Boris and many who contribute to these threads . I suppose we still are – just about – in military terms but there has been a most definite parting of the ways in just about everything else – with England being consistently and selectively discriminated against on a vast scale by your British state ( note : not a country )
raincoaster – I was indeed hoping that to be the case and took it as such, but the ‘Simon Says’ aspect rattled me. You see, I’ve no doubt Simon would come up with something intellectual and challenging – I can be intellectual and challenging, but not in this heat. The way I’m feeling at the moment (still a bit sore) I’ll be looking for a full moon and a dark night to do anything worthy of note. Sorry, you’re right, it’s the heat.
Well anyway, thanks for the reassurance – I can bask in the warm snuggly glow of knowing a book is on it’s way. Pleease Melissa – don’t shatter our dreams.
Maybe we could give books to the high scorers of the Boris Game?
Oh I liked that, that was fun.
I think I got 21 once, but that was some time ago. Not trying tonight, as 21 is approximately equal to the units of Bombay Sapphire I’ve consumed.
Pardon my ignorance – but what is ‘Bombay Sapphire’?
(and if anyone suggests I should get out more I will rip their heads off – remember, the BJ blog is an information forum, sharing not just opinions, but enlightenment)
Gin. You’ve been enlightened.
Hmn Gin! Well that could beat climbing the walls….oh happy day – I’ve just found 3 fingers of gin in a dust laden bottle.
Bugger! No ginger (not like me at all) Oh well I’ve found 2 Avent teats so alls well!
I’m a-skeert to ask what that means.
What DO you actually stand for Boris you chump? (apart from ‘market forces’ with which you seem to have some sort of love affair)
All of your glib and witty little articles suggest you are ‘broadly in favour of…’ or ‘irritated with current legislation which…’; absolutely nothing on the line lines of ‘I will not stand for…’ Surely there’s only so much nebulosity a constituency can take.
Stick to journalism, you haven’t got the bottle for politics.
raincoaster – Avent teats are the plastic teats for babies bottles. Whilst ferreting in my drawers I found a couple that hadn’t been used. Couldn’t get them to fit a gin bottle though. I had a glass of merlot instead.
I see the Apes are beating about the bush. They never seem to bother the alpha male though do they.
Can’t wait till I get my book.
If he thinks there’s “absolutely nothing on the line lines of ‘I will not stand for…’ ” on this site, he hasn’t read much of the archives.
I’m impressed he can read. I wonder if he ‘talks’ in sign language and lives in Madagascar.
can already buy it second hand on Amazon! mine arrived today – bargain at £4.something! Look forward to reading it on the sweltering commute tonight 🙂
I bought ‘The Abolition of Britain’ off Ebay for £11 and when I got it, it had £3 pencilled in the fly leaf, as second-hand bookshops do.
Such is my life.
If there’s gona be signed copies of ‘Have I Got Views…’ up for grabs can I pleeeease get my hands on one Melissa (I’ve never posted here before but other requests seem to have gone through you!) – my best friend’s 20th birthday is coming up and she adores Boris. Previous years we made her a ‘Boris for PM’ t-shirt and a snow-shaker with his picture inside but this year I’d love to get her something that the great man himself had touched!
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease x
Got my mitts on a copy of this for £4 on Amazon. In typical BoJo style he had me giggling (granted i was also a bit tipsy as well) out loud on the train last night. I recommend it to anyone who’s a fan – or people trying to get friends on board.
You may well be right about this Boris but if so the media & opposition deserve censure for running not on this story but on the implication that Prescott had been bribed (or as it is weasely put “not seen to be above suspicion”) by the stetson. That the media & most politicians always go for the cheap shot & treat us as children is ridiculous.
It doesn’t even work that well – Davis got Clark’s scalp by openly refusing to call for his resignation & expressing some support until Clark had really proved the immigration thing to be out of control.
By the bye I remember that prescott once said that Labour wouldn’t deserve to rule if they messed up the Dome – that willingness to say what he means, however injudicious, is what makes me think him one of the better members of cabinet.
I told raincoaster I wasn’t going to blog for a while but I’m bored writing my CV.
Here’s a better game you can all play.
There are 50 boxes of ball bearings, 49 of the boxes contain ball bearings weighing 10g each, 1 box contains ball bearings weighing 10.1g each. You have an accurate weighing machine that will weigh to 0.1g but you are only allowed to use it once in order to find out which box contains the 10.1g ball bearings. What do you do?
I’m assuming these clever House of Commons types will not need me to tell them the answer.
Have fun, I’ll close MS Internet Explorer now and get on with my CV.
Steven, is the “50 boxes” metric boxes or imperial boxes?
Bought mine this weekend and I am already steaming through it.
Steven – you remember to ask the supplier to mark each box with the contents. You then remember not to let the children near the boxes – they’d be all over the floor within seconds.
Sorry Raincoaster / Jaq,
Each box contains 100 ball bearings
Loved the book – especially the piece about the saskatoon berry
he says something about a saskatoon berry? that is inexplicably exciting to a girl from Alberta. I look forward to it. If only my train ride were a bit longer
Boris is all about the Saskatoon berry.
How well I remember my first email to Melissa, asking about said Saskatoon berry article. And how much she must regret having answered me; the Frankenstein Effect.
I’ve just been reading the bit about the history of the Blair / Brown divide / alliance.
What worries me now is
a) No-one takes Blair seriously anymore and war is kicking off all over the place.
b) Brown has handed the running of our economy over to the banks, has a $75 barrel of oil to deal with and still wants to tax working people unfairly.
Mel Gibson is a disgrace. A disgrace who is giving alcoholics a bad name! 0.12% blood alcohol level when he was caught-only three pints of beer for an average man! Jeez, he probably behaves like this after swilling his mouth out with listerine. ‘Alcoholic for years,’ my ying-yang. Come on Mel, if you’re going to have an almighty screw up you should really learn to drink like a man!
Yes, please, PLEASE send that to every disgruntled taxpayer you know. Every Conservative MP, MLA, mayoral candidate, spokesperson, staffer, every Rotarian and Lion’s Club member, all Masons, and, for good measure, the Aryan Nation.
Ask them to send it to all their friends.
Oh, use the fax. And it looks really good if you reverse it to white print on black background. Very impactful.
Hmmm
I think you will find illegal immigrants cannot claim welfare – and that most British Pakistanis are here quite legally and in my experience work and pay tax.
I aint no socialist either I’m a livid opponent of tax credits but that poem is basically a bit rascist.
Rich
of course we will gladly get a book signed for your friend – just wing it over in our direction c/o House of Commons
cheers
Melissa (just back from holiday…August is much a holiday month in the Commons…all goes ghostly quiet)
I completely agree with your understanding of the situation, it is a shame you need to tell your side with such a maddening ferocity of verbage. You are a good politician in my mind, you appeal to people on top of core rational views, but you are not serious enough to be taken seriously. Oh well, you have my vote until that is it comes to the crunch then I think you are just a little to silly – oh well, best of luck anyway.
Boris for P.M
Boris for P.M
Boris for P.M
Boris for P.M
Boris for P.M
Boris for P.M
Boris for P.M
Boris for P.M
Boris for P.M
ooh someone’s getting a jar of sasaktoon jam sent his way…