Photo/Illutration Britain’s Prime Minister Liz Truss addresses the media in front of 10 Downing Street in London on Oct. 20. (AP Photo)

British people are renowned for their deadpan humor. Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was in the United States for a summit meeting and dictating to his secretary in his room after a bath when the towel in which he was wrapped fell off.

Just then, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) walked into the room. Stark naked, Churchill said, “You see, Mr. President, I have nothing to hide.”

This veteran statesman, who led Britain to victory in World War II, was once asked what qualities are essential to a politician.

He famously replied, “A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterward to explain why it didn’t happen.”

I can visualize his signature sardonic grin with a cigar dangling from his mouth.

Could outgoing British Prime Minister Liz Truss have foreseen what was coming? After only 45 days in office, she announced her resignation to take responsibility for the economic chaos she created. Her administration is said to be the shortest-lived in Britain.

I thought I was quite used to metaphorical musical chairs involving Japanese prime ministers. But I was surprised to hear this.

Truss had made a grand entrance, promising to “make Britain great again.” But her overblown tax cut package shook the market, triggered a sharp decline of the currency, drove her Cabinet ministers away, and forced her to practically scrap her entire policy.

But Truss’s exit won’t free British citizens from their day-to-day worries. How are they going to deal with their soaring utility charges? With winter fast approaching, the situation calls for urgent action.

The Tories are holding an election to pick their new leader. And among the names being considered is none other than Truss’s scandal-ridden predecessor Boris Johnson, who resigned in disgrace only as recently as in September.

Is this for real? For now, I shall take this as a classic example of British black humor.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 22

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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