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July 11, 2022
Johnson’s white empire vision opened door for people of colour
Adam Gifford
Posted On July 11, 2022
Download AudioAn observer of British politics says the weakness outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson created in the United Kingdom gave New Zealand the opportunity to sign a strong free trade agreement.
Neal Curtis, a comics scholar and associate professor in media and communications at the University of Auckland, says that included a section aimed at protecting Maori interests.
Mr Johnson announced on Friday he was stepping down after the resignation of more than 50 members of his government over his handling of allegations against his ex-deputy chief whip.
Dr Curtis says he was elected on a ticket of populist nationalism, racism and xenophobia which harked back to a past white British Empire, so it’s fascinating to see who is lining up to replace him.
“There’s lots and lots of people of colour within the Conservative Party who are potentially going to be leaders but this is really interesting because it is great to see so many people of colour vying for these positions of power but representation is not enough if those people are also standing on a ticket of racism and xenophobia and structural inequality,” he says.
Dr Curtis says Boris Johnson is sure to prosper after politics as a well-paid newspaper columnist, and there’s no shortage of rich people wanting a clown for their parties.
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