Thread 39 Sunak - Government by Gaslight

[DuncinToffee]

previous thread

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5016708-thread-38-sunak-soooo-square-one-is-an-option-then?page=40&reply=133647875

I think this story got a bit lost yesterday, but Rayner has been cleared by police of any wrong doing related to where she was registered to vote. Which also suggests she didn't evade CGT.

www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-68546313

What a ridiculous waste of police time that was.

Matt Green got there before Hollinrake

https://x.com/mattgreencomedy/status/1767678308353802646?s=20

Will the Minister condemn a racist donor?

Re: PMQ’s KS just pointed out that RS is sending his ministers out to parrot lines that later he turns around and makes them look like twits. (Over Hester btw)

pretty sure that’s one of the final blows BJ took.

Starmer did well. Sunak looks weak.

Flynn giving it an excellent go in the racism issue too. Sunak just refusing to answer really.

Ooh. Flynn rattled Sunak nicely there. Sunak almost lost his temper IMHO.

Cross post, cardibach!

Flynn has been annoying me lately, spending more energy attacking Labour than Tories, but that was good! Hoyle let him get away with saying ‘bloody dangerous’ too. Accurately.

Thus proving what a good thread title we have currently.

Absolutely 👏👏

I was listening to it in the car and laughed at the predictable whataboutery from Sunak.

I did like how Starmer seamlessly changed the conversation to National Insurance.

….and Sunak refused to answer the question. Starmer asked would the NI cut/future abolishment of NI be paid for with cuts to pensions or the NhS, or by tax rises elsewhere. He said - if Starmer had been listening , they increased NHS funding in the budget.
OK Sunak - so it’s pension cuts or tax rises then. Which? That was the question.

Yes, Sunak just waffled something about unfunded plans from Labour.

Abbott should have been given a chance to speak.

I have seen many comments that the Speaker ignored Diane Abbot trying to catch his attention?

Awful optics.

Yes it seems the Speaker overlooked her.
I would have liked to have heard her thoughts.

Also odd that Sunak didn't reiterate Starmers comments about May - it's generally common practice to acknowledge & agree.

Diane Abbott may not be popular but she has consistently been treated really badly throughout her political career. She deserves a sainthood for sticking with it.

History will judge May more kindly than her colleagues at the time. She was our last serious PM.

I hope Starmer said something decent about her. She actually cared. I'm not a Tory, but I saw the effort. All the others after her have been absolute no marks

I might need to relisten to PMQ’s but I’m sure Rishi alluded to his reasons for holding a national address becoming clear in the next week or so.

Bit more project fear headed our way I reckon, he’s played this incredibly poorly if this is a game plan. There is still a strong memory of WMD’s, the electorate do not appreciate dropping hints either share whatever this threat is or shut up.

I won’t be sorry if this is a massive own goal but feel my expectations of the public may be too high given the constant goading and encouragement to rail against each other.

I'm not sure many of my opinions and Abbott's overlap much. But she's bloody well earned the right to be heard today.

Starmer thanked May for her work on Modern Slavery & her sense of duty & public service to her constituents. I don't think I share too many opinions with May either! But I like to see politicians acknowledge one another as human beings and despite differences worthy of respect and recognition when it's due.

She has lost weight and looked rather fragile.

Oliver Dowden did the nodding duty. He appeared to be struggling. Sunak was very very weak.

Frightened of his party was quite the zinger. Because it was true.

If anyone is interested read the Forde Report. It paints quite a poor picture of the treatment of 'outsiders' in the PLP - section 6 is the one with specific mentions of DA and other women and BME parliamentarians. It's salutary stuff and probably explains a lot of what Starmer is wrestling with now in terms of the fact that any of his -ites have bullied Abbott (not him specifically)

It's awkward for everyone when any party lets racism and misogyny take hold. Probably especially for 'woke Labour'.

https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/The-Forde-Report.pdf

I would not be surprised to hear of her being bullied. It is a behaviour endemic across politics in Westminster.

It was one of the main purposes of the rport to uncover bulying off the back of allegations about Corbyn. It's not pretty.

The Starmer faction certainly behaved like schoolyard bullies towards the Corbynites.