Sajid Javid just resigned

Yes, it's one thing to identify that we're in a pickle now and that economic policy in recent years hasn't helped with that: poor decisions like QE, emergency inflation rates for a dozen years etc. It's quite another to ascertain what best to do. Very much an 'I wouldn't start from here' one. A lot of the issues we face now are baked in.

It’s very complex and not every economist will agree on best approach

To take a small example if this BoE won’t all agree with each other so they have a voting system amongst nine.

We are in a very difficult position which results in different levers - which all impact on each other eg interest rates / taxes but the one that concerns me overall debt

Lately I’ve heard more about debt tipping into problematic territory impacting the pound

I know you said rhetorical but I try to listen out for economists speaking

This current circus should be a gift to Labour and at this stage if a snap GE was called win hands down. But I don't have confidence in Labour and I wouldn't vote for them. I can't support a party who has pledged to amend the GRA/gender ID and who denies biological science.

@MangyInseam "Labour would win if they'd pull themselves together but if I were a betting woman I'd be willing to make a good sized bet that they won't."

What you say here I agree with. I'd love to vote Labour. I want to be able to vote Labour. But even if you choose to set aside the gender stuff, they seem incompetent. I listened to Keir and Angela responding to the Boris stuff yesterday and they just gave nothing. Repetitive, soundbitey, nonsense with no meaning.

Some of the backbench conservatives who spoke did so with passion and sincerity, even if I wouldn't usually agree with them on a lot of things.

If Labour just don't care, which it feels like they don't, likely because they're too busy infighting, we're in trouble!

Where is the analysis of what has gone wrong and how to fix it? Every economist worth their salt knows. So the Government were told repeatedly as the Civil Service has economists in their employ even if Ministers were clueless. Why have those people who know what to do not been listened to? Why have the public not even been informed of the nature of their predicament so that they can make rational choices about a way forward?

Rhetorical questions, obviously.

*any

The question should be why no politician on either side of the house seems capable of even articulating what the main problems facing the country are and WHY people are suffering the consequences, let alone proposing and sensible ways forward to fix some of those problems.

Answers on a postcard?

For most of the electorate, a lot that was associated with Boris will go by the wayside. Dedicated political types not so much but often they don't change their vote anyway.

I don't think that in conservative circles worldwide, austerity has quite the same kind of following that it did.

That being said I suspect that there isn't going to be a lot of room to wiggle in terms of economics, no matter what party is running the show. There is a lot of global level stuff at play plus the after effects of the pandemic.

Labour would win if they'd pull themselves together but if I were a betting woman I'd be willing to make a good sized bet that they won't.

Sure. I am not voting for any party whose focus is on divisive identity politics and replacing sex based rights and understanding of the world with the new authoritarian religion of gender identity and queerness. This completely rules out the current iteration of Labour amongst others.

You must. What did you experience in those 13 years that were so awful?

Plus Starmer isn’t Blair and if you cut out the bad parts I did like lots of what Blair did, hence voting for him

But even Labour from back then have similar issues with Starmer - he’s not getting the same cut through which it’s up to Labour to fix

lovely 13 year interlude?
I must've been living in some parallel universe

Still an illegal war is not great legacy, others might feel differently that’s up to them.

We have two huge global events now impacting everyone too.

People can make their own decisions re voting I don’t need to convince people. I know the issues I care about though hence posting on the sex and gender board.

The late 90’s early 00’s were good for me too. Sure start centres were great, as pp said no homelessness and functional public services, the local play park was well cared for there was so much optimism. Child tax credits made a real difference. Lots of good things came from New Labour.

A shame about the GRA, the Iraq war and the extradition agreement with the US. Too much a puppet of the US administration by the end, in my opinion.

The financial crash was global @MarshaBradyo but of course you know that. Every political party and most of the public supported the Iraq war, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

The only time since the eighties that I've not seen homeless on the streets was during a labour government.

Labour was nice at the beginning with Blair but it didn’t end well. Illegal war and financial crash.

I voted for Blair and liked his centrist optimism at the time. Starmer just isn’t there with the same for me.

I’d like them to experience it too. In the last 43 years we’ve had Tory governments for 30 years with a lovely 13 year interlude of Labour. A time when tens of thousands of children were lifted out of poverty, public services ran efficiently and the economy was stable. My most fervent hope is that I won’t end my life under a Tory government. I’ve only got another 20 years if I’m lucky so with a bit of luck your kids and I can enjoy life under a functional government. God knows it’s about time we had one again.

I kind of want my late teen kids to experience a Labour government so they can appreciate just how shit Labour are in power! They've heard all the amazing and batshit promises
from Corbyn and Starmer, but haven't lived through a Labour government!

No it's called having a sence of humour. Seem's to have been lost with some people these days. Bet your fun at parties. Not!

Mud will continue to stick to every minister and MP who supported Johnson through the prorogation lies, partygate, the Paterson scandal, the free school meals about-turn, the wallpaper for favours scandal, the PPE contract waste, killing care home residents, the jobs-for-the-mistress scandal, the Rwanda scandal, Barnard Castle, the covid-contracts-for-mates scandal, the Test and Trace fuck-up and countless other scandals and cock-ups and who claims only now to be shocked by his lack of integrity and honesty.

I don't think it will (sadly).

Partygate will be associated with Boris - it was his "home" and his staff doing the partying. Sunak will find some mud sticking after his fine though.

I think regardless of supporting Boris for as long as they did, you'll get some front runners in the leadership contest who will be perceived to have fairly clean hands.

I think the key battlegrounds are going to be economic policy and defence.

On that basis I see Wallace and Javid (as a former chancellor) as the front runners.

We’ll see

Of course there are Labour supporters who will never switch, if you look on here it’s obvious that Johnson going wouldn’t change that, but it’s those who reacted to partygate and do vote Conservative generally who are there for the vote

‘Boris is a liar’ etc it was personal and tied to him and his personal failings, pretty much leading to today

It felt like blockage on partygate repeat for 6 months will be good to move on. I hope the new leader is someone that is generally liked. There are a few favourites who I prefer too.

Partygate was ridiculous but I’m glad for today actually

Mud will continue to stick to every minister and MP who supported Johnson through the prorogation lies, partygate, the Paterson scandal, the free school meals about-turn, the wallpaper for favours scandal, the PPE contract waste, killing care home residents, the jobs-for-the-mistress scandal, the Rwanda scandal, Barnard Castle, the covid-contracts-for-mates scandal, the Test and Trace fuck-up and countless other scandals and cock-ups and who claims only now to be shocked by his lack of integrity and honesty.

Labour can’t call a GE so two years of ‘pure’ conservatism it is. People have short memories. Boris was conservative with a very small C

The current Tory leader didn't even start with levelling up, so the next one is hardly likely to make any attempt at it I agree.