
Win, lose or draw, today was set to be a healthy day for British democracy. Until this: Boaty McBoatface is no more. Oh buoy.
Back in March, when the Natural Environment Research Council invited people to suggest names for their new £200m polar-research ship, this name shot to the top of the polls. Its success quickly kicked up a media storm, with commentators liking and loathing the prospect in equal measure: an irreverant symbol of national pride, said some; an embarrassment, said others. Much like Boris Johnson then.