Thread 20 Sunak and the Winter of Discontent

[DuncinToffee]

Previous thread www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4672210-thread-19-from-trussterfuck-to-sunakered

I agree too.

Bravermans Fb page is always full of people who have or threaten to switch to reform.

It's an odd and worrying time when Braverman isn't right wing enough for her supporters.

God yes @itsgettingweird .

The narrative being pushed about strikers etc is not necessarily going the way the government are hoping. People aren't stupid, they know that the strikers are underpaid, everything is stretched beyond snapping point. And they object to be told don't do anything as you might need an ambulance etc etc. But the government are beyond desperate. It's all they have.

Is Sunak really just totally disengaged, a figure head PM for the Tories who they hope will "stick" until 2024? Or are there swan's feet paddling frantically below the water to salvage something for the GE? Strategising away. I feel definitely the former.

Rishi Sunak appoints head of Historic England as ethics adviser
twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1605933980255244288?t=j0J4qPfS-lperWkecRokVQ&s=19

twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1605969215428575252?t=v1TSrTSpZljSMW8yXMMHbg&s=19

Today's economic figures confirm just what a terrible state the British economy is in. In the third quarter of the is year, the economy was 0.8 per cent smaller than in the final quarter of 2019, pre- Covid pandemic.

FT: "All other G7 economies [apart from UK], by contrast, have regained ground lost during the pandemic. In the three months to September, the US economy was 4.3 per cent larger than in the fourth quarter of 2019, while eurozone output was up 2.2 per cent."

I agree @tobee. Everyone I know is utterly bemused by the government’s refusal to negotiate. I just wish they’d announce an election and put everyone, including themselves, out of our misery. The thought of this going on for another 23 months makes me want to put my head in the oven.

Appointed on same terms as previous advisor and therefore not independent. Funny really, what are they scared of.
That said he's of Eton & Oxford stock so I'd assume pretty establishment in outlook.

Pretty handy these figures come out when Parliament is in recess.

And an investment banker to boot

Also appears to have given £3k to Conservative MP Nick Boles in December 2017, "to support the research and writing of a book".
twitter.com/Direthoughts/status/1605973482369454087?t=RyQY4UwSgvDeZ9bmRyipMA&s=19

Ambulance workers in the Unison union will stage two further strikes on January 11th and 23rd.

Also appears to have given £3k to Conservative MP Nick Boles in December 2017, "to support the research and writing of a book".

Fat lot of good that did him. Boles resigned the Tory whip in 2019. 😂

"Target date for cleaning up waterways in England is moved back by 36 years"

A Brexit benefit, apparently. theguardian.com/environment/20…

twitter.com/rolandmcs/status/1605982973676769280?s=46&t=_vEY77pDQPLCv5ME1a6B2w

"Until Brexit the UK government was signed up to the water framework directive, which required countries to make sure all their waters achieved “good” chemical and ecological status by 2027 at the latest. The UK government later reduced the target to 75% of waterways reaching the single test of good ecological status by 2027 at the latest. The target for the majority of waterways to achieve good status in both chemical and ecological tests has now been pushed back to 2063, according to the documents.
By 2027, only 4% of waters are currently on track to be in good overall condition."

36 years!
Note - they Environment agency have slipped this information out just before Christmas (less media or political scrutiny?) 🎄

I assume for the next 2 weeks there will quite a lot of negative stories floating around under the radar - buried under an avalanche of year in review articles.

Mind you the year in review cant make for comfortable reading for the Government given much of the Cabinet were in place when Partygate etc began.

The thought of this going on for another 23 months makes me want to put my head in the oven.

Me too. However it’s plenty of time for more profiteering and asset stripping for those with friends in high places.

I assume for the next 2 weeks there will quite a lot of negative stories floating around under the radar

Like Rail fares in England to rise by up to 5.9% from March

Britain’s winter of discontent is the inevitable result of austerity
A decade of Tory spending cuts left the country vulnerable to the external shocks of the past two years

www.ft.com/content/b2154c20-c9d0-4209-9a47-95d114d31f2b

twitter.com/AdamBienkov/status/1606600685855903744?t=qtiXrEyrYTaDsgcHke1glA&s=19

Sunak asks a homeless man in a homeless shelter whether he "works in business", then proceeds to talk about the financial services industry. Utterly bizarre

I’m cringing for him.

Jobs for friends continues

Rishi Sunak has hired James Forsyth, political editor of @Spectator and his close personal friend, to join Downing Street as his political secretary.

He has been tasked with improving communication with Tory MPs and act as link man between PM, policy unit and party.

twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1606604756327321601?t=Ha5RGPlJCL8_UEhbrYl8Wg&s=19

Fucks sake.

The merry go round continues. It's a bit like those schmaltzy Hallmark Christmas films (which I thoroughly enjoy) where it appears there are only 12 actors in the whole of America.
Westminster actually only has a dozen or so people and they just swop chairs/titles when the music stops.

Just why? Why couldn't he ask the man how he was surviving and what could be done to help him?

The merry go round continues. It's a bit like those schmaltzy Hallmark Christmas films (which I thoroughly enjoy) where it appears there are only 12 actors in the whole of America.
Westminster actually only has a dozen or so people and they just swop chairs/titles when the music stops.

Be actually had to check if I'm watching sequels the actors are so limited 🤣

But yes I get exactly what you mean. I think the fact they don't even think to look further than what they know is the biggest hurdle they have to the change they keep say g they need and want.

It's a shame really, I think it's just literally impossible for him to understand normal lives. The sooner we can all move on the better.

I just watched that, wondering if the description of it was any sort of exaggeration. I’m gobsmacked that no, he actually said that. In his little jumper and gloves, dishing up fried eggs.