This, from a friend who works backstage in the entertainment industry...
"Here's a Thing. An anecdotal Thing, but a Thing nevertheless...
I've been working on a comedy tour for the past couple of weeks, doing arena shows round the country. It's not – in the slightest – a 'political' comedy tour. No satire, no wry take on current affairs. It's just a fun night out with lots of jokes and stories about bodily functions and embarrassing sex, and a married couple taking the rise out of each other.
But here's the Thing. Each evening there's a point in the show where an image of the Prime Minister appears on the video screen. The artiste says "Cheers, you massive c**t". And then the roar starts. It begins quietly, and it build and builds and builds. It's primal, it's heartfelt, it's a release. And it's happened at every venue round the country. Ordinary folk, on an ordinary night out, venting their disdain and fury.
Does it mean the end of the Johnson government? I don't know. But it's definitely a Thing. And it does the heart good to hear it. Oh yes. It does the heart good to hear it."