If and when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leads the Conservative Party into another election, the contest will almost certainly be dominated by his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to his government’s seemingly effective vaccination campaign, Johnson’s performance did not have many defenders: Britain suffered proportionally more deaths in each of the successive waves of outbreaks than many countries in Europe and endured more severe lockdowns as well. For Johnson’s critics, this was more than a product of poor luck but rather entirely in keeping with his eccentric personality and absent-minded approach to governance when denied his preferred role as the purveyor of positive news.
Johnson hasn’t made it easy for his supporters to defend his managerial skills. But there is another line of defense available, one that the British public deserves to consider. The problem might not be solely that Johnson has performed the job of prime minister poorly during this latest national crisis but rather that the job of prime minister, even in normal circumstances, has become too dysfunctional for anyone to fulfill.
