To Ivan’s rebuttal about Boris’ book and incompetence.

Competence and incompetence are fluid concepts. At times they are completely illusory, in that, what people see before them, is in fact not really there. They see someone who is different, who is self-assured, even arrogant, as they rail against the status quo and those that create it. They are seen as leaders because they appear to “blaze” their own trails and speak their own minds and disagree with everything that their listeners currently disagree with. And for these things they are regarded as game-changers, as someone who will actually listen to them and make the hard decisions that other politicians just give lip service to. Like: Brexit is good and great for the UK, and Make America Great Again.

But what is behind the brash statements and absolute “truths” voiced, over and over again? Are they actually what they seem?

Back in the day, the truth wasn’t so damn fluid. It was definable, visceral. It was there to be view and agreed with or not. Today — not a chance. We call it Fake News when we disagree with what others say, or become worried when the curtain is slowly pulled back to reveal the real person standing behind it.

Take another look at this still relevant saying, attributed to your own Disraeli, as well as Mark Twain and others. “There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies and statistics.”

Facts and information are ripe for twisting and retooling. A Public Relations nightmare or wet dream, depending on your perspective and side of the aisle.

My only point, really, is that concepts like competence and incompetence must rely mightily on what actually lies behind them. What was actually said? What was actually done? Was it mechanical failure or sabotage? Did she actually save a billion dollars or did she simply take credit for it?

Sorry, but we’re getting lazy. We accept what Google says as gospel and look no further than the latest Facebook post to determine who did or didn’t do the deed. Do you think Russian influence on the last US elections could have happened to the extent it did, in 2000 or 1988?

We accept what we see because we assume it’s accurate — and it’s easy. Internet facts have been elevated to the same value as long and hard research in a reference library. Beware of what people say is the truth. Giving people the benefit of the doubt is laudable, but in today’s Internet world where facts are truths and truths sublime, we can no longer simply accept.

Boris may be the right man for the job or just Trump II. We’ll soon find out. But the days of blindly accepting political slogans and television ads are gone. And if not, then our democracies may soon be.