Should we trust Sunak or the next PM to fix the Country's problems? (title revised 24/10/22)

[honeybee13]

Reactions from Russian state media and the Washington Post.

 

'Stupidity has triumphed': Russian state TV reacts to Liz Truss victory

WWW.AOL.CO.UK

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Kremlin-controlled Russian TV suggested that Liz Truss would bring about 'the end of the world'.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/06/liz-truss-troubled-britain-leader/

[honeybee13]

From the Times today. The bloodletting began before Truss even went to Balmoral.

 

'Aides, officials and staff lined the corridor to applaud him on the way out, as is traditional. Johnson stopped to thank them before stepping out in front of No 10 to deliver his resignation speech ahead of the showers.

An hour later many of those who lined the corridor received a blunt email telling them they were not wanted by Liz Truss’s new regime and to clear their desks and leave No 10. Political advisers were told to be out by 9.30am while 50 civil servants, many of whom had expected to remain, were told to leave by 11am and report to the Cabinet Office.'

[honeybee13]

I can see that, UB. Sometimes it isn't what you do, it's how you do it that says a lot about you.

[honeybee13]

Good article from Tony Connelly of RTE on the Article 16 situation.

 

Truss and the NI Protocol: Reset or ongoing conflict?

WWW.RTE.IE

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There has been a carefully calibrated European response to Liz Truss becoming the British prime minister.

 

[honeybee13]

This is a good one. Putin says Truss's election is undemocratic.

 

Putin says Truss victory in Tory leadership vote ‘far from democratic’ | Liz Truss | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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Russian president alludes to fact prime minister was chosen by party members, not by whole country

 

[honeybee13]

Thoughts from David Allen Green on the Bill of Rights drawn up by Dominic Raab. He thinks there will be other measures and it will be run by the Home Office/Suella Braverman.

 

'Dominic Raab and his “Bill of Rights” may have gone.

 

But the need to be vigilant about what the government wants to do with our Convention rights has not gone at all.'

 

Raab has now blocked DAG on Twitter, he can't have liked some of the comments.

 

The dropping of “The Bill of Rights” – and why it is both good and bad news – The Law and Policy Blog

DAVIDALLENGREEN.COM

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7th September 2022 The Human Rights Act 1998 is still in place. And Dominic Raab is not. Raab was three times a minister at the Ministry of...

 

[honeybee13]

The new government as seen from the US.

 

Looking at the state of Britain from the US, for once I feel very glad to be here | Emma Brockes | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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It was an unfamiliar feeling of relief: whatever may be wrong with America, at least no one is looking to Liz Truss to solve it, says Guardian columnist...

 

[honeybee13]

It hasn't been announced yet but from what I've read, the fuel price freeze is going to be funded by extra borrowing that will come back either as a surcharge on bills or future taxation on ordinary people.

 

Truss is against a windfall tax, but then she was with Shell as an accountant and the fuel lobby has given £1.5m to the Tory party in the last few years.

 

A lot of commentators would just like her to be honest about how the sums add up and not pretend she can do everything she's talking about. Not directly related but to quote James O'Brien on Twitter

 

'You can either 'grow the economy' or impose economic sanctions on yourself. I wonder how long it will take Tories to realise that you can't do both.'

[honeybee13]

Truss seems to have a long history with right-wing think tanks, some of which are opaquely funded.

 

Revealed: Cost of living ‘solutions’ floated by Truss allies

WWW.OPENDEMOCRACY.NET

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MP says Truss could be a ‘puppet’ for right-wing groups that have already generated a dozen of her policies

 

[honeybee13]

Here's George Mobiot on neoliberalism and its economics which seems to be the current government's policy. It seems to want to revert to the 19th century when there were a few very rich people and a lot of very poor people. Scary stuff.

 

Trussonomics is a fanatical, fantastical creed, and the last thing Britain needs | George Monbiot | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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Just when we need visions of a better world, the prime minister is proclaiming the toxic gospel of neoliberalism, says Guardian columnist...

 

[honeybee13]

I don't understand the subleties between neoliberalism, Thatcherism and Britannia Unchained-ism, but certainly two of them are aimed at making the rich richer and the rest of us poorer.

 

Rees Smug wants to ditch the limits on working hours and stop people having paid holiday. I think he'd like a country of rich landowners with the rest of the population as serfs, the workhouse, etc.

[honeybee13]

Changing the subject slightly.

 

No 10 chief of staff in FBI inquiry over ‘election bribe’ in Puerto Rico

 

archive.ph

ARCHIVE.PH

 

[honeybee13]

From the FT's stats man, John Burn-Murdoch.

 

 Britain and the US are poor societies with some very rich people

When it comes to average household incomes, the UK may soon need to ask migrant labourers to take a pay cut

 

archive.ph

ARCHIVE.PH

 

[honeybee13]

It's not a good look, is it? I see he's 'too busy' to go to New York with Truss now...

[honeybee13]

 

[honeybee13]

As she leaves the country for a few days, Truss admits talks aren't even happening. I'd be surprised if they do while the NI Protocol is still being argued over.  A lot of people told them they couldn't get a trade agreement with the US in less than 10 years, but they knew better.

 

Even then do other countries trust the UK not to try and rewrite what's been agreed unilaterally.

 

No US trade deal on the horizon, admits Truss as she flies in for Biden meeting | Liz Truss | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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PM admits talks are not even taking place and plays down hopes from Brexiters that they could start ‘in the short to medium term’

 

[honeybee13]

I don't blame them, it's embarrassing.

 

Obama said the UK would go to the back of the queue - I think he meant to wait our turn, then Trump made enthusiastic noises but did nothing. I think Brexiters convinced themselves they would get priority over other countries in negotiating a deal.

[honeybee13]

The Biden/Truss meeting tomorrow isn't looking promising. From the Guardian live feed, 15.20.

 

Liz Truss is more committed to trickle-down economics than any other British prime minister taking office at least since Margaret Thatcher in 1979 (and even Thatcher was in power for nine years before she finally got round to slashing the top rate of income tax to 40%). Biden says he is “sick and tired” of this approach because it never works.

 

 

 

 

[honeybee13]

In terms of undergoing scrutiny, nothing seems to have changed.

 

Kwasi Kwarteng refuses to let OBR release forecasts with mini-budget | Economic policy | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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Tory chair of Treasury committee says assessments on economic impact of planned tax cuts vital to provide reassurance to markets

 

[honeybee13]

Someone has tweeted a video of Farage when he was still an MEP.

 

 

[honeybee13]

Article by George Monbiot.

 

Has Liz Truss handed power over to the extreme neoliberal thinktanks? | George Monbiot | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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The prime minister is in hock to rightwing lobbyists who are themselves indebted to oligarchs and corporations, says Guardian columnist George...

 

 

[honeybee13]

The markets don't like the 'fiscal event' at all, do they?

[honeybee13]

 

[honeybee13]

Some recent surveys have said the public are less concerned about immigration than they were.

[honeybee13]

When you have an ageing population, it's good to have younger immigrants coming in to bolster the workforce, pay tax and NI and so on.

 

I'm not clear where that leaves Europeans who might still want to come to the UK.