Greased piglet

For other uses, see Pig wrestling.

"Greased piglet" is an epithet used by former British Prime Minister David Cameron to describe later British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.^[1] The term has been applied to Johnson by the British media,^[2][3][4] international media,^[5][6][7][8] as well as political adversaries,^[9][10] and some political scientists.^[11][12]

Origin

The term originates from October 2019 when former British Prime Minister David Cameron, in discussing the difficult Brexit talks, said of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, "The thing about the greased piglet is that he manages to slip through other people's hands where mere mortals fail".^[13]

At the time, Cameron was speaking at the annual October Harrogate Literature Festival in North Yorkshire to promote his book For the Record, when he was asked about his relationship with Johnson and if they had nicknames for each other.^[14][15] Cameron made the comment by way of responding to the question, disclosing what he had texted to a friend who had asked him about Johnson's chances of getting his upcoming Brexit legislation voted through parliament.^[14][15]

The political editor of The Independent John Rentoul, noted that Johnson had himself previously called the former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron a "greased piglet", on separate occasions.^[16]

Meaning

In 2019 The Economist said the term was one of four faces that Johnson portrayed, being the "player, gambler, Machiavelli or piglet", and that the greased piglet "either wriggles through loopholes or else shifts the blame expertly to anyone but himself".^[17] In 2022, The New Zealand Herald said the use of the term in relation to Johnson was "due to his legendary ability to evade scandal",^[5] while The New York Times attributed the term to him being "a man who could slip out of any tight situation".^[18]

In March 2021, British political journalist Andrew Rawnsley wrote of Johnson, "'Getting away with it' has been one of the more consistent features of the career of a man whom other Tories call 'the greased piglet', and quoted a former cabinet minister who told him "Boris has got this Teflon quality. He gets away with things that no other politician would get away with".^[19]

In May 2022 Pankaj Mishra, writing in The Washington Post, wrote that the "greased piglet" term had become associated with the myth of Johnson as "a great survivor". The Washington Post wrote "Yet Johnson perseveres, even attracting a myth that he is a great survivor, a “greased piglet,” in former Prime Minister David Cameron’s description, able to slip out of every cage he lands in. On closer examination, Johnson’s survival skills amount to little more than shamelessness. He owes his resilience in disgrace to Britain’s debased political culture and institutions such as the British parliament, the media, the London police and the Conservative party."^[20]

See also

• Public image of Boris Johnson
• List of nicknames of prime ministers of the United Kingdom

References

1. Hayward, Will (6 July 2022). "Why is Boris Johnson called a greased piglet?". WalesOnline. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
2. O'Grady, Sean (19 May 2022). "Boris Johnson, the greased piglet, has wriggled free on Partygate". Independent. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
3. "The Times view on Boris Johnson's survival: Greased Piglet". The Times. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
4. Tominey, Camilla (6 June 2022). "The 'greased piglet' wriggles free again, but this PM's mutinous party still smells blood". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
5. Venuto, Damien (8 July 2022). "The Front Page: Boris Johnson resigns - The scandal that finally ensnared the 'greased piglet'". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
6. Thompson, Isobel (7 July 2022). "Boris Johnson's Bravado couldn't save him this time". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
7. Donaldson, Kitty; Wickham, Alex; Mayes, Joe (7 July 2022). "Defiant Johnson refuses to quit amid resignations and firings". The Japan Times. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
8. Ashton, Emily (6 July 2022). "'Teflon' Johnson May Not Shake Off This Crisis". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
9. Cable, Vince (6 June 2022). "The greased piglet escapes yet again – but at what cost?". Independent. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
10. Gauke, David (7 July 2022). "Why Tory MPs must force Boris Johnson to leave office immediately". The New Statesman. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
11. McCabe, Steven (February 2021). "34: Al promised you a miracle – Life under the 'Greased piglet' Johnson". In Mair, John; Clark, Tor; Fowler, Neil (eds.). Populism, the Pandemic and the Media: Journalism in the age of Covid, Trump, Brexit and Johnson. Routledge. pp. 242–250. ISBN 9781003253822.
12. Landler, Mark; Castle, Stephen (19 May 2022). "Boris Johnson Avoids Further Fines as the Police End Lockdown Inquiry". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
13. Drake, Matt (18 October 2019). "David Cameron calls Boris Johnson a 'greased piglet' before backing Brexit deal". Independent. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
14. Rawlinson, Kevin (17 October 2019). "'Greased piglet' Boris Johnson could pass deal, says David Cameron". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
15. Heffer, Greg (18 October 2019). "'The greased piglet will slip through' – David Cameron forecasts success for Boris Johnson deal". Sky News. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
16. Rentoul, John (13 January 2021). "Neither Keir Starmer nor Lindsay Hoyle could get a grip on Boris Johnson, the greased piglet". Independent. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
17. Bagehot (27 November 2019). "The four faces of Boris Johnson". The Economist. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
18. Castle, Stephen; Robins, Peter (7 July 2022). "How Boris Johnson Fell, and What Happens Next". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
19. "Why Boris Johnson, the greased piglet, is eluding the grasp of Keir Starmer". The Guardian. 7 March 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
20. Mishra, Pankaj (25 May 2022). "Voters Must End Boris Johnson's Antics". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 July 2022.