to cringe at people who talk about "Boris"

[randomer]

Why do people continue to talk about him as if he was their mate?
Has he really succeeded in fooling so many?
It makes me cringe everytime people say it.

Lets see what Boris says
I'd like to meet up but it depends on Boris

on and on it goes.
The man is an embarassment.

@Dyrne

Nice to see I’m not the only one who occasionally calls him Bozza.

It’s definitely not a sign of affection here.

Honestly I find it slightly weirder that even though you dislike him you afford him the respect of referring to him as “Mr Johnson”.

When applied to him I like to think of Mr Johnson in the American sense i.e Knob

Because other PM's have names where you could reasonably ask 'David who?' or 'Tony who?' Whereas when you say 'Boris' - particularly at the moment - there's no confusion whatsoever.

Anyway, what does it even matter to you?

YABU.

I was brought up in a working class part of Scotland. There were loads of women called Maggie but everyone knew from the context when someone was referring to Maggie Thatcher.

I call him Boris. Generally to say things like "Boris is a cunt", so it's definitely not matey. As others have said, I'd think 'Mr Johnson' or 'the Prime Minister' convey more respect for him, and I don't respect him, so why would I want to do that?

@unmarkedbythat you learn something new everyday! Thank you I honestly did not know that

Randomer - not nearly as much as I laugh at the smug and oh so assuming (that everyone agrees with them) anti Boris, anti Tories anti Brexit... and yet, here we are. Funny that.

Laugh away. I sure am.

@Somuddled

What as strange take on it. No one thinks that he is a friend of theirs. It is used to show how little respect people have for him.

Exactly this.

I agree with you OP.

Johnson has branded himself as the affable chap and us using his first name reiterates that.

He's not our mate. He's not harmless. He's Cameron, he's Thatcher, he's Blair, he's no different from any of them.

For me, it's "Boris" instead of "that bastard" or "Johnson" instead of "that prick" - the people I'm talking to know from my tone there is no respect there whatsoever.

Everyone I know refers to him as Boris, and definitely not because we like him or think of him as a mate! There's no need to refer to him as "Boris Johnson" when everyone knows who "Boris" is.

@BarryGlendenning

But it isn't his name, it's a brand he created!

Exactly!!! Johnson or BJ are much more appropriate.

Nicola Sturgeon is often just referred to as Nicola, or 'our Nicola' in Scotland though. Again, she has created a brand.

I call him all sorts. Matt Hancock has been shortened to "Mancock" in this house, as in "What the hell is that Mancock on about now?"

By the way, "de Pfeffel" is pronounced "de Piffle" dont you know. Its one of those posh names like Cholmondley.

Have you forgotten that everybody called Margaret Thatcher 'Maggie', and Tony Blair 'Tone'?

Eh. That's on you OP. I don't differentiate the people I do and don't like by only calling people by their first name if I like them. No one I know does that!

I think it's because his first name is more unusual than his last.

Quite. "David" could have been David Cameron, David Davis, David Millband, David Lammy. "Johnson" isn't a specific enough name. Plenty of people referred to Thatcher as "Maggie", too.

I tend to call him Boris - I don't think he's a mate, much as I'm sure that outside of politics he's a perfectly nice person just like most other people - but if someone refers to Boris you know immediately to whom they're referring.

@WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo

I call him Boris because calling him "that colossal cunt" doesn't always go down well.

I call him Bojo. Makes him sound like a clown. Which he is.

@MagicSummer

Have you forgotten that everybody called Margaret Thatcher 'Maggie', and Tony Blair 'Tone'?

We called her "the bitch" or "Thatcher". I never heard anyone call Blair "Tone".

This drives me mad too. Especially at work in formal meetings; I think it sounds v unprofessional. I always call him Johnson.

He is a disgrace but what people call I'm doesn't matter. So yabu

@Tomcullenisahero

It annoys me, one of my sons is called a Polish derivative of Alexander and it's too nice a name to belong to such a vile man!

He’s known as Doris in my family.

As in “What shit is Doris saying now?”

What a strange thing to get annoyed about haha.

I always say Boris because I’m too lazy to say Boris Johnson.

I would say full names if I don’t talk about them often eg Eamon Holmes but everyone knows who you mean when you say Boris do there’s no need to say his full name.

@BarryGlendenning

But it isn't his name, it's a brand he created!

Yep!

I think it's because his name is Boris.

It sums up the ridiculousness of the man. Even his name is a joke.

Boris, Bozza, Boz. Whatever, I cannot take the man seriously at all.

Guaranteed if his name was Mark or whatever nobody would use it. But we have a Jester called Boris in charge. So they do. 🙄