Moving Rapidly Left
It’s been some time since political decisions were made with little regard for what the voters may think but with the dismissal of Suella Braverman the era of political appeasement may be returning.
Her comments about the pro-Palestinian marches last week, despite the acknowledgement that they “may not have been factually incorrect.” are a reason she has to go according to The Daily Telegraph.
Perhaps calling being homeless a lifestyle choice and declaring that multiculturalism has ‘failed’ were not her finest moments but is indicative of someone prepared to battle the overly offended to solve the underlying causes rather than the symptoms.
The King’s speech, which must have had him inwardly cringing and crossing his figures, highlights the apathy exuding from Sunak these days. It was basically a nothing speech leading some to speculate that Rishi may be looking for a towel to throw into the political ring while looking wistfully at his wife’s bank balance and keeping his phone close at hand hoping for a call from the PR department of a Global Tech company.
No need to be elected, apparently.
In a related story, which is so unlikely that you would be forgiven for thinking that the Conservatives have opted for a meritocracy, David Cameron has returned to frontline politics as foreign secretary. A trending Google search is “Is David Cameron an MP?“ No is the short answer but the former PM, who replaces James Cleverly, will take a seat in the House of Lords becoming the first ex-leader to return to the cabinet since Alec Douglas-Home 53 years ago.
Being in the House of Lords bypasses the need for a cabinet member to represent anyone who may have a vested interest in you being there. This leads to the meritocracy theory. Until you delve a little deeper into Cameron’s track record. It’s not great with some rather dubious long-term decisions that don’t bode well for his current employment.
Believing he knew what the voting public wanted he called the Brexit referendum which, among other things, got rid of a centuries-old strategy that ensured Europe wouldn’t gang up on Britain. His invitation to China to invest in British telecoms and nuclear power did not go down well with conspiracy theories outweighing any sound judgement. His “impossible promises” on immigration have been an ongoing political migraine for his many successors.
And maybe his least popular idea was the austerity plan he instigated after reading the infamous “I’m afraid there is no money. Kind regards – and good luck! note left by Labour’s outgoing Chief Secretary to the Treasury. While at the time it may have been the only option the massive payouts during the Pandemic got rid of a lot of the “good” that the years of austerity may have achieved.
And in a related matter, according to the Guardian James Cleverly, the old Foreign Secretary and now the new Home Secretary, can not recall referring to the PM’s flagship asylum plan as “Bat shit crazy.”
Inflation
You would be forgiven for thinking cataclysmic events like recession and inflation are political machinations owing to them frequently appearing around mid-term and miraculously being resolved in election year. Gordon Brown’s 2008 recession was a fine example of getting it wrong. We, the public, were told we were in a recession and to cut back spending and stop buying houses and other capital goods which would of course guarantee a recession. In election year Brown tried to declare the recession over but this backfired a little as by then we were in it up to our eyeballs and Brown lost the election.
An oversimplification of course but the current Government is on a hiding to nowhere with the inflation saga. If the political gurus on daytime shows and other “unbiased” media options are to be believed the recent inflation rise was due to Government ineptitude whilst the promised, and achieved, halving of the rate is because of the decrease in energy prices, increase in interest rates and other factors that had nothing to do with Government decisions.
Sunak has been the embodiment of an ethnically diverse British leadership but at what cost? The answer to that question will come next year at the general election. Until then the general populous, it seems, will have to endure an ever-increasing apathetic governance and an ex-Prime Minister whose appointment is guaranteed to piss off the Tory right.
