Generations of "born to rule" ideology mixed with a press that is actively pro-tory or at best is so ideologically blind that they believe "keir starmer tanked the market in opposition" must be taken seriously to maintain "balance"
Completely fecked
Westminster Politics
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
Completely fecked
Thats not really true though is it? With a left wing opposition they'd have said corporation tax should be increased to more than Sunak's 25%; leaving Truss a Get out of jail option to fall back on Sunak's 25%; whilst not being seen as anti business (the lesser of two evils)
Likewise a Corbynite would likely have been against the £1m AIA which could well have given wiggle room for Tories to reduce this back down to maybe a couple of hundred thousand to raise some cash.
A more socialist opposition would likely also be against the U-Turn on NI given that this was intended to fund social care which would be a priority for a left wing government who would favour higher taxes to allow higher spend.
Truss would also be able to attack a more left wing labour party who disagreed with Stamp Duty cuts in favour of social programs as an attack on first time buyers.
A socialist government would also have to explain what additional taxes they would levy to fund nationalising rail, energy, mail etc in an environment of expensive debt and wobbly confidence. Starmer has merely made a Johnsonite suggestion of a few billion for an energy quango.
A left wing party would also be vehemently against a points based immigration system (I agree with that by the way) and would have fallen into the trap of being able to be portrayed as a "low wage, high immigration" party.
Starmer has avoided all those traps by merely agreeing with the vast majority of tax decreases and agreeing with the vast majority of spending commitments.
He's basically marketing himself as to the right of Sunak economically (he agrees with £100b to cut corporation tax, income tax, NI and freeze energy prices), but a little to the left off Truss (he disagrees with £2b of higher rate cuts).
Throw in the odd populist Johnsonite focus-group approved policy like an(other) windfall tax and he's sorted.
Starmer is basically who the Tory Parliamentary Party would have voted for if it didn't go to the members.
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I've no idea what Labour's position is on the corporation tax hike being canned. Has Starmer commented on that? Didn't come up in the Kuenssberg interview on Sunday.
You are ignoring the proceeds of Labour's proposed windfall tax on energy companies, which would rake in tens of billions of pounds, but you know that.
At what point do the adults step in and take the reins before these two genuinely bankrupt the country? This odious woman and her two-bit chancellor have a mandate of 0.3% of this country’s population.
The only good thing to come from this is it should keep the Tories out of power for a generation if cardboard cut-out Starmer can hold it together until the next GE.
The only good thing to come from this is it should keep the Tories out of power for a generation if cardboard cut-out Starmer can hold it together until the next GE.
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Thought you were kidding til I googled it. Bollocks article with zero supportive quotes in it, even from crank right wing economists. At least the DM comment sections are saying 'this is bollocks', not all buying at least.
True, but if it were seen as just one piece of a regeneration, I don't think it would be badly received. The timing meant that the masterplan for the town ended up getting curtailed.
Same can be said for Manchester City Council spending hundreds of millions renovating the victorian town Hall and Westminster likely to cost billions. On one hand it seems excessively wasteful, on the other hand the alternative is to let it go to ruin and spend on a new one having lost iconic historic buildings.
Why does every Tory seem to think they show strong leadership by completely ignoring people’s concerns and doubling down on their shit ideas.
Because while a GE is not yet on the horizon, it’s their peers which hold them accountable and to heir peers ignoring the people and being dogmatic with Tory ideals is a show of strength.
Because they don't rule for your benefit. They are demonstrating strong leadership to their paymasters if they can inflict misery without losing power.
We'll have Boris back by Christmas at this rate
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You do realise that Labour are planning to pay for the price freeze on energy bills by imposing a windfall tax on the profiteering fuel companies? That alone would save considerably on borrowing.
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Jesus fecking christ. I can genuinely feel myself losing brain cells listening to this.
Undoubtedly the stupidest PM I can ever remember. There are literally no redeeming features at all. You can see the cogs turning every time she has to answer a question outside of her proforma and she doesn't even have the mental agility to bluster like Johnson or Cameron did.
How depressing.
the bbc running an explainer "what are bonds?" is very much 2008 vibes.
so the boe has spent >60bn propping up the market since friday? isn't that more than the proposed taxcuts? now take the devaluation of the currency into account and mortgage issues, lending rates, etc., and this might be the worst mistake in modern british political history outside of wars.
so the boe has spent >60bn propping up the market since friday? isn't that more than the proposed taxcuts? now take the devaluation of the currency into account and mortgage issues, lending rates, etc., and this might be the worst mistake in modern british political history outside of wars.
Yes exactly. It is all about trying to show that you are so unbelievably clever that you and only you know that you are absolutely right and everyone else is so unbelievably stupid that they cannot understand why.
And she and her CX are prepared to trash the UK economy and put millions of peoples pensions and savings and mortgages at risk simply to give a show of strength.
It is now up to the rest of the Tory MPs to make them change course. I have written to my useless Tory MP Chris Skidmore asking him why he thinks his leader should not change course.
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She is so shit.
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This is a great episode of The Thick of It
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To be fair I've never seen her sweat and I've read rumors about her being dry.
So it is the fault of:
Putin.
Global problems
The Bank of England
Radio Bristol
But nothing to do with me gov.
The cameramen are laughing.
Are we definitely sure she hasn't quantum leaped from The Thick of It. She's an omnishambles.
Are we definitely sure she hasn't quantum leaped from The Thick of It. She's an omnishambles.
Paul Pogba will be on the list soon
That is genuinely what it feels like at the moment!
Seems like we are missing a real life Malcolm tucker to crack some heads together
My comment from 5th June.
Plenty more going back years where that came from.
She's very drunk, she's at an open mic night, her friends have convinced her that she is hilarious and have encouraged her to have a go, and now they're giggling in the dark as she is standing on stage trying to remember a joke and is being heckled by half the audience.
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Those radio interviews are something else. She simply cannot come up with on the fly answer, when asked about something off script it's just radio silence.
Yeah she's totally out of her depth. All she's got is that silly "I don't recognise that question" answer which basically means "Nobody has told me how to answer that one". Absolute cretin.
it's refreshing. with other prime ministers there was always a sense that "this might be part of some broader strategy" when they were really just woefully incompetent. with truss, that illusion doesn't exist at all.
Indeed. I posted this in December 2021:
Needless to day, her struggles thus far have not come as a surprise to anyone who has previously worked with her. She is woefully inadequate for the role she's been given. These radio interviews this morning are absolutely typical - listening to her speak extemporaneously on any subject is just painful.
The amazing part is this is exactly what everyone knew they were getting with her.
The issue isn't that she's less clever than prior PMs (although she undoubtedly is) it's that she's so unpolished and slow of thought she can't handle public exposure. Some of the above are standard answers really but she delivers them in a way that loses any trust.
Her advisers will prep her and it'll all sound convincing in her mind then she immediately drops the ball when challenged.
The issue isn't that she's less clever than prior PMs (although she undoubtedly is) it's that she's so unpolished and slow of thought she can't handle public exposure. Some of the above are standard answers really but she delivers them in a way that loses any trust.
Her advisers will prep her and it'll all sound convincing in her mind then she immediately drops the ball when challenged.
The worrying thing is the tories may bin her off before an election.
I'd much rather she be the one to contest it than say a JRM who may be able to salvage a tory win. Or even worse, return of Bojo
I'd much rather she be the one to contest it than say a JRM who may be able to salvage a tory win. Or even worse, return of Bojo
The silences as her brain scrambles for the scripted answers. Utterly out of her depth.
Don't see JRM ever running for leadership. Think he and the party know he's far too removed from the public and too much of a cnut.