Thread 38 Sunak: Soooo, square one is an option then?

[AdamRyan]

Thanks to @cornettoninja For the epic title!

I dunno, sometimes sitting and doing nothing but draining something dry when big choices and action need to be taken can be far worse.

Military one is interesting. I am getting a bit lost and muddled as to who our allies are. US has at least sent some aid to Gaza, but we haven't. Not sure what we are doing with Ukraine other than sending some rockets that won't go over the bridge in firing range. I don't get the distinct impression Brexit or post Brexit trade squabbles has helped form any new ones (or keep old ones more to the point). So...?

Ah so Sunak's speech is being knitted together to create:

Mr Simcox said the creation of a new definition of extremism, which the BBC understands will be set out next week, had a "clear purpose", and would be used "to guide future decisions over who the government does and does not engage with and fund".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68508351

After a major political event such as a mid-term budget one can expect the opposition to get a boost after all the publicty they get. When people start to see the effect of the budget in their pockets then they will realise which way to vote and the Tories will get fewer votes.

Teresa May was the worst PM ever until all the ones that came after her.

She was responsible for the whole hostile environment stuff wasn’t she? And IIRC (although I could be wrong) Rudd fell on her sword over the Windrush scandal as she was Home Sec at the time the story broke but it happened on May’s watch.

Ha! I think that’s the first time I’ve ever said anything about a Tory politician and probably the last.

Its the stuff over Brexit that did it for me with her, she governed to save her party and fcuk the UK, during the pre Brexit debates, she kept her head down so she could pop up afterwards and claim pro EU or pro Brexit credentials... unscrupulous woman.

Her Hostile Environment thing was just typical Tory behaviour.

The last decent Tory (in office) that actually cared about the UK was, imho, John Major, i'd disagree with him on most things but he cared about the country.
Maybe Rory Stewart too?

With Theresa May standing down at the next GE, it makes me wonder whether Boris might see Maidenhead as a 'safe' Tory seat and jump in there to try to get back in the game.

Oh lord don’t say that will tip me over the edge.
I never agreed with John Major’s politics but I think he was a decent man certainly from what I remember he wasn’t an inveterate liar.

When he was PM he came to Cornwall where we were holidaying. He came over to speak to us and my cheeky DD who was about 6 or thereabouts, offered him a bite of her Cornish pasty!
He was charming and said no, but he was hoping to eat at least one pasty later!

I’ve just listened to The Rest Is Politics interview with SajidJavid and he came across well too though he and Alastair got quite heated at one point. And there were several more moderate Tories that sadly got the boot from Boris. (I say sadly because we do need an opposition but a reasonable opposition would be better than the current bunch will be if (hopefully ) there is a Labour win).

Ken Clarke fan here.

I can't imagine actually hearing Sunak call an election. But then I couldn't imagine Truss resigning.

Ken Clarke was of course, a hardcore Thatcherite, sell off public assets, under fund public services, destroy the mining industry with zero to replace this lost industry, right to buy, with no new council housing....
Supported the move to the service sector, at the expense of industry..

So basically giving us the long term problems we see today!!!

I sometimes have to remind myself when i listen to Heseltine and Clarke, who they were in Govt with and the policies they supported as they are so moderate in comparison with Sunak or Hunt.

Well, yeees - but a Europhile, and actually very popular in his (mining) constituency.

I’m listening at the moment to Dominic Sandbrook’s magnificent ‘Who Dares Wins - Britain 1979 to 1982’ and the chapter on The Right To Buy actually made me cry. Along with several other chapters.

Yes hard to believe he was expelled from the Conservative party, thats sort of reserved for racists, criminals, sex offenders.... his "crime" was backing staying in the EU....

Notts miners were quite moderate weren't they? his area voted Remain!!

Tbf i long for the days of a more moderate Tory party, they weren't generally speaking, crooks.....even if i detested their policies!

The difference between Conservative politicians now and then is then I could follow the argument. So even if I didn't agree with the method, I understood the objective. I'd Hhmph over my kettle listening to the morning news but I didn't think they were stupid (just heartless).

Now I listen to Ministers and can not only guess what they will say before they say it but pick those arguments to pieces (as could most of MN).

I haven't magically become more intelligent, so either they have got stupid/lazy or they aren't able to formulate consistent, rational policies AND maintain order within the party AND govern meaningfully.

Throw in recent examples of lack of honesty, integrity and ability.

And what you have is a party can't make the case that they should be given another 5 years.

Lol

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/08/low-traffic-neighbourhoods-generally-popular-report-ordered-by-sunak-finds

An official study of low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) ordered by Rishi Sunak amid efforts to stop them being built has instead concluded they are generally popular and effective, with the report initially buried, the Guardian has learned.

Oh whoops...

My bad

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/07/socialism-anti-fascism-anti-abortion-prevent-list-terrorism-warning-signs

One sees the same when posters come on her and try and defend the government, they can't string a rational argument together either. Although it must be quite confusing now that Sunak spins his policy wheel each week.

O bother, I qualify on most of those and now I'm a danger to the country. If only Tories hadn't sold off most of the psychiatric hospitals there would be somewhere to send me to have my disordered thinking corrected. Calling Nurse Ratchett.

We should probably tell the rest of Europe that socialism is an extremist ideology.

I did a thread about this a while ago.

The thing is - if too many people get referred to Prevent, then it's going to miss terrorists.

But what else does being on the Prevent list mean for you?