One of 10 Downing Street’s most impressive architectural features is the Grand Staircase, linking the entrance hall to the first floor. The staircase is also home to a complete set of monochrome portraits of past prime ministers. They are arranged in chronological order, with the most recent past incumbent at the top of the stairs. Very soon, Theresa May will take one step downwards, when Boris Johnson’s portrait is added.

By all accounts Mr Johnson is a pretty shameless individual with a fair conceit of himself. He possibly believes he belongs alongside William Pitt, Robert Peel, William Gladstone, Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee. If so, he is seriously misguided.

To misquote Jacob Rees-Mogg, in that company Mr Johnson is not a lightweight, he is a featherweight. His premiership will be seen as the triumph of illusion and deception over substance and political heft.

It’s not as if the Tory Party was unaware of Mr Johnson’s personal and professional deficiencies. They overlooked those limitations because his superficial, frivolous approach resonated with the tabloid reading, clickbait and soundbite generations.

It wouldn’t have mattered so much had Mr Johnson simply been a short-term aberration, a footnote to future histories of the 21st century. Unfortunately, the “Johnson Effect” has inflicted serious and lasting damage on parliamentary and political processes.

Yet, we can’t lay all the blame on his shoulders. Compared to our parents’ and grandparents’ generations, we are the political lightweights. Back then, political views and beliefs were shaped through personal experience, debate and thinking. Information was garnered from lengthy and detailed newspaper accounts of parliamentary proceedings. Our parents and grandparents were miles better informed and could recognise a political charlatan when they saw one.

Our lives are no busier or harder, and that’s a lame excuse for allowing our views to be shaped by tabloid headlines and social media. We have relieved ourselves of the bothersome task of thinking for ourselves. Mr Johnson and his ilk sensed substantial sections of the electorate find thinking way too hard work. Parroting vacuous slogans about “Getting Brexit Done” and “Taking Back Control” is easy, but does nothing to find solutions to weightier matters such as the economy or social care. Meaningless sloganizing reduced critical resistance to blatant lies such as the weekly £350 million for the NHS and cheaper energy costs.

That big red bus, the vehicle of choice for the NHS whopper, underlined the importance of the visual in the Johnson age of political superficiality. It also explains the current proliferation of flags. No Downing Street or First Minister briefing is complete without a couple of Union Flags or Saltires.

Labour leader Keir Starmer has fallen into trap. He has failed to spell out Labour’s answer to heavyweight issues such as inflation and rocketing living costs, instead wrapping himself in the Union Flag and stressing his and Labour’s patriotism. The GOV.UK website sets a standard worthy of North Korea; “The government wants to see more flags flown, particularly the Union Flag…a symbol of national unity and pride”.

One of Mr Johnson’s likely successors has publicly nailed her colours to the mast. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss’ risible Christmas card featured her as a budget Britannia perched between a Union Flag and a globe. A not too subtle depiction of Global Britain perhaps?

Indeed, Global Britain may be missing a trick here. The world’s tallest flagpole was once sited in Hyde Park, before its removal on safety grounds. The current record holder, measuring 561 feet (none of that European metric rubbish here) is in Saudi Arabia. Mr Johnson’s record suggests he’s a man for whom size matters. There couldn’t be a better symbol of Global Britain than the Union Flag atop the world’s tallest flagpole. Or perhaps not.

The current flag fetish is certainly symbolic. It symbolises the predominance of trivia over ideas and the insubstantial character of politics and politicians It’s probably too late to change Downing Street and Westminster, but come on Nicola, ditch the flags and get back to grown-up politics and things that matter.

Our columns are a platform for writers to express their opinions. They do not necessarily represent the views of The Herald.