Bullingdon Club
The Bullingdon Club is a long-established club for students at the University of Oxford.[1]
Originally founded as a club to support sports, at Oxford, like cricket, by the late 20th century, its members were notorious for vandalism, sexism, drunken rowdiness, and elitism.[1] By the 21st century the bad behaviour of club members, like future Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom David Cameron and Boris Johnson had caused the club membership to dwindle. In 2018 the Oxford Conservative Party Association barring Club members from leadership positions within the Association.[2]
When Johnson Prime Minister he was criticized for appointing individuals who had been his friends, in the club, to posts for which they seem unqualified.[1]
Johnson was widely criticized for appointing former Bullingdon Club member Ewen Fergusson to the Committee on Standards in Public Life - a committee intended to rout out corrupt activities.[3] Ferguson was the 173 choice in a ranking of possible candidates for committee membership.[4]
Even after the earlier criticism for appointing other friends of his, from the Bullington Club, on September 2, 2022 - less than a week after his scheduled retirement as Prime Minister, Johnson appointed Harry Mount to the House of Lords appointments commission.[5] Mount is the author of "The Wit and Wisdom of Boris Johnson".
Alumni include
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Harriet Sherwood. Sexism, vandalism and bullying: inside the Boris Johnson-era Bullingdon Club, The Guardian, 2019-07-07. Retrieved on 2022-09-07. “Now new light has been shed on the outrageous antics of the Bullingdon Club – the Oxford University group that may be about to produce its second British prime minister – by someone intimately connected to it during Boris Johnson’s membership.” mirror
- ↑ Barbara Ellen. The Bullingdon is on its uppers. Let’s all celebrate by trashing a restaurant, The Guardian, 2018-10-14. Retrieved on 2022-09-07. “While past members include David Cameron, Boris Johnson and George Osborne, people recently invited to join the Bullingdon have been turning it down, those who join are branded “losers” and, in 2016, it was said to be on the brink of closure for lack of members.” mirror
- ↑ Rachel Wearmouth. Boris Johnson's Bullingdon club 'chum' selected out of 173 applicants for sleaze watchdog, The Mirror, 2021-08-02. Retrieved on 2022-09-07.
- ↑ Jon Stone. Government passed over 171 candidates to pick Bullingdon Club ‘chum’ of Boris Johnson for sleaze watchdog role, The Independent, 2021-08-02. Retrieved on 2022-09-07. “The longtime friend of the prime minister was appointed to scrutinise him after an advisory panel had “carefully considered all applications”, she said.”
- ↑ Matthew Weaver, Henry Dyer. Boris Johnson gives peerages job to author of book on his ‘wit and wisdom’, The Guardian, 2022-09-02. Retrieved on 2022-09-07. “Boris Johnson has sparked fresh accusations of cronyism after choosing the author of a book on his 'wit and wisdom' to help oversee the appointment of new peers to the House of Lords.” mirror