To ask why we call him 'Boris' ?

[OrchardBlack]

It really irks me.

No other PM has been referred to in this way (aside from maybe 'Maggie' but even that is usually by a small group and she is mostly known as Thatcher.

We wouldn't call the others Gordon, Tony, John or Theresa. It's either just their last name or both first AND last.

I can only imagine it's because he has managed to carve out an informal 'man of the people' nonsense caricature??

It's because no one has any respect for him.

It's not even his first name, he friends call him Alex, Boris is just a media friendly name for Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson

Mind you, it's far more polite than any name I would call him.

PP has already nailed it. It's because he doesn't deserve any respect.

He was known by his first name and surname, both unremarkable, but decided to use his middle name instead. His siblings call him Al.

I don't understand why it bothers people?

It’s part of his cheeky, fun persona and the way he presents himself. Except that it’s no fun to have someone like that running the country, which is a serious job.

if I ever speak of him, I always refer to him as Johnson. Just as in the past I would have talked about Blair, Cameron etc. We shouldn’t go along with it.

It bothers me because it seems like another subtle way of making him seem more friendly, more approachable, when we've done it for no other leader, and he is anything but.

This is exactly what I was trying to say. Thank you.
I even refferd to him as Johnson the other day and MIL corrected me!!?!

An utter lack of respect for him in my case.

Maybe because Boris is such a rare name. With names like Tony, David and John it would be less obvious who you were talking about. Although Scots do refer to ‘Nicola’ - a pretty common name for women her age!

I think it’s the hair…

It bothers people because it feeds into his carefully cultivated image as a loveable buffoon man of the people bollocks. Which, astonishingly, some people still seem to believe.

I refer to the person by his surname.

I'm Scottish and the majority I know call her 'Sturgeon' or 'wee nippy' - I don't think anyone calls her just Nicola

I remember a radio 4 program years ago when he was still Mayor of Londonian. This very switched on woman was saying stop calling him Boris and seeing him as some bumbling funny idiot, he knows exactly what he's doing and liked him to Miss Marple (rather generously) but I got the point she was making.
He's machiavellian and don't just see him as an idiot, he knows exactly what he's doing.

It's because the word "cunt" is frowned on by a lot of people.

It's a sort of nickname - even though it's his middle name - that stuck, I think. He was referred to as 'Boris' when he was nothing but a comedy turn on Have I Got News For You all those years back.

Because that's his name, and everyone knows who you mean. There's been lots of noise on MN about how nobody should call him that as he's not our mate. Or something. Overthinking it.

Can't stand him or his faux 'bumbling' image that is clearly there to disarm people. Can't knock the PR job that either him or his party have done in literally making people not care at just how awful they are.

Because twat is frowned upon

Because frizzy haired twunt is a bigger mouthful.

🤣

Female leaders are often referred by their first name unlike their male counterparts and it has always annoyed me. So I don't mind this development.

To steal a quote I witnessed on twitter.years ago about a Tory mp.
"Please don't call him a cunt, cunts are warm and hospitable places"
She got a ban for saying that, when she came back she said immediately.
"Fine call him a cunt then🤷"

Simply because it's an unusual, easily distinguishable name compared to the more common name of Johnson. So we know exactly who someone is talking about when they say Boris. Whereas if we had said Tony, Gordon or David, well, that could be anyone. That's it for me anyway.