Big Dog - Going, going, not quite gone. Thread 14.

[Notonthestairs]

Will it be Continuity Truss or "Socialist" Sunak in charge?

He certainly is. I’m so looking forward to the Portillo moment when he loses his seat.

DH got it from a very excited local party official he was doing some work for a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully he was just getting over excited.

JRM will be ok , I can't see the good people of North Somerset ( I think that's correct ) kicking him out not unless they go for the lib Dems.

I bet that’s what they said about Neil Parish 80s. His majority was 10k bigger than JRM’s and his constituency was next door. I reckon the Libdems will clean up in the south west next time.

I wonder if Boris is sitting in on PM's questions today, or whether he's too busy serving his constituents in Uxbridge. Neither I expect.

The local council is Lib Dem now...

10+ years ago the Tories were always the second party in the South West to the Lib Dems. And since austerity has been really bad for rural areas and the rise of second homes and Air BnBs have distorted local economies in scenic areas of the SW and as with everywhere- public services remain massively overstretched, fuel poverty and energy poverty are huge issues rurally as well, I don’t think the Tories should be at all complacent about holding on to those seats.

Exactly the sort of response I expected from @JaniieJones

She walked into the trap straight away (no pun intended). 😁

I think the Lib Dems will do well next GE (based on council voting near me in SE)

DH & I were fantasising that Truss is actually a Lib Dem sleeper agent and now has the keys to No. 10 😁

The Tories had held our local council since 1978. They lost it this year. Unbelievably our local mayor is now Labour. And this used to be the safest Tory seat in the country when Major was our MP.

twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1567536477071982592?t=ZhzWay4bgMiq39y55l3ZSA&s=19

In the last 24 hours been a huge amount of focus, inevitably, on Westminster. But Scottish govt has announced a cost of living package, which includes:

-rent freeze and moratorium on evictions until March 2023
-extension of free school meals
-freeze in rail fares til March 23

Sturgeon called the cost of living crisis a "humanitarian emergency" and cited real terms decline in Scottish govt spending power as a result of inflation

She also pledged to legislate for another independence referendum, if Supreme Court accedes, criticised by the other parties

Oh, @JaniieJones is far better at it than me, they really do seem to have found their true calling.

I'll give it to her she's good. But jwg1 you are still the queen of it. I can't work out sometimes if your being serious or not and have to check your username. With JJ I know it's her!

Can't deny you both have a certain talent for it though

I wrote that a few weeks ago too 🤣🤣🤣

British pound has fallen to it lowest level against the US dollar since 1985, when Margaret Thatcher was running the country

It is very kind of you to say so.

Well Truss turned up to PMQs and did OK, not that I agreed with anything she said. Though at one point when she was talking about her plans to cut taxes I thought I saw a look of utter panic on the face of Kwasi Kwarteng, as though he’d just only realised he’d signed up to preside over an economy in utter chaos and decline.

I noticed that too. I never thought the day would come when Labour was obviously the party of fiscal responsibility. As someone once said “It’s a funny old world”.

Weren't the old guard Scots in Labour always associated with fiscal responsibility? Apparently, economic shrewdness and caution are associated with a Scots accent.

Ha thats very funny, but seriously, he is one of us, a man of his peoples and i'm sure we both have lots in common with JRM.

Anyone watching eastenders?

There is currently a storyline of pupils putting films online if teaching staff.

HT "we can press charges. But this isn't just an issue in our school. It's in every school, offices - the House of Commons"

We've even got the despicable behaviour of our elected MPs being used in soap operas as storyline fodder.

Oh should have said it was talking about pornography.

Yes, I saw that!!

Watching PMQs.

2 thoughts.

1. have to say I'm impressed with Truss in the fact she will answer questions and explains her reasoning. (Not that I agree with her!)

2. statement "I want to grow nuclear power which the opposition didn't do when in power"
   Ignoring the fact (again!) neither have the current government who has been in power for 12 years 🤦🏼‍♀️

She is definitely another Thatcher. Can argue her point but sadly isn't supportive of those who need help. "I'll support those who do the right thing - cutting NI"

Eg - she doesn't want to support those who can't work.

Overall though it's nice to watch a PMQs where there is actually discussion even if the immature backbenchers are cheering like hormonal teenagers in a common room.

She is more level headed than Boris Johnson I'll give her that.
Starmer will find it hard to break down her defenses. It won't be a walk in the park.

Starmer will find it easier to debate with her because she will debate, not deflect or lie. Her performance today was better than expected - that’s quoting Andrew Neil - and it put a clear line between Government and Opposition, but it may not have done her any favours. Complacency is not a good look when the country is facing multiple crises.