AIBU to think Rishi Sunak is actively trying to piss off the entire country?

[Locutus2000]

Or does he genuinely not get it?

Every time he speaks he seems further detached from reality. His interview today was insanely out of touch.

Got a mortgage? Stuffed

Work in the public sector? Stuffed.

Rent your home? Stuffed

Live in a small town? Stuffed

Supported Brexit? Disaster

Not to mention the Johnson honours scandal and Liz Truss.

AIBU to think the only people happy are his fellow super rich?

I’m just interested to ask what can be done? The tax take on the better off who actually pay all their taxes is the highest it’s ever been with loss of personal allowances, tax rate of 45% and restrictions on pension investment - so some of this means more tax than under Tony B. Yet no party is suggesting going against Amazon or coffee shops that issue high licence costs to wipe profits made in the Uk and remit licence fees in Lichtenstein or issue loans for the same purpose. What about some large care home conglomerates sucking up council care home fees also off shoring etc!

I'm not from the UK, so forgive the question, I hope it doesn't sound like aggitating. I am not advocating for either party (I'm always wishing for a 3rd honest party to appear in these cases).

I can completely understand why people want to vote to remove the Tories but I'm a little confused why people seem to believe that when Labour is in power all the problems caused by the Tories will cease. I have found that for the most part every politcal party is the same in that they will find ways to milk the country to make money for themselves and for their 'friends' who support their party. Are Labour so very different in this respect. I didn't follow British politics when Labour was in power years ago, so I'm not familiar with their track record.

From what I have read, yes the Tories are quite happy to tear down the country to make money from it, but I'm surprised by the belief that Labour will not do the same once they are running the country. I have very little faith in politicians, so I'm sure this is colouring my view about trusting any of them. TIA

Here's a reminder of Labour's plans -
Freezing council tax
Proper windfall taxes
School breakfast clubs
13,000 more police officers
8,500 more mental health professionals
And more.
https://labour.org.uk/buildabetterbritain/

And Lib Dems -
Cleaner water
More doctors, nurses, paramedics
Planned support for businesses
https://www.libdems.org.uk/plan

Just wondering how this compares with the government where you are? Where is that?

@MurielThrockmorton I'm so sorry for what you've been through. It was a horrible time and so blatantly unfair. I knew then that the Tories are not the party of small business. I'd saved hard towards a pension (before I'm flamed I know I'm lucky to have one) then had to raid it to pay the mortgage. The inequity has been breathtaking given the unbelievable amount of money the Tories have wasted or lined their own pockets with.

Can you tell I'm still bitter about it 🤣

The tax take on the well off isn't the highest it's ever been. The highest income earners have a tax rate of 45% - not so if you are already so rich you don't have to work for a living and get your income from stocks and shares etc. Then the tax rate is way lower - like Sunak's. His effective tax rate is 22% because he makes his millions every year from the many many millions he already has - not the income as prime minister.

And this where I really do not understand the journalists. Why did he today not get a single question about tax rises for the super rich like himself. Why - when he tells people that we will get through is - do the journalists not ask why he is getting through this on an effective tax rate of 22% while many of those struggling with the mortgage increases probably pay a significantly higher rate of tax - an average doctor in London would pay 40%.

Why does no one even ask the question that tax rises for the very wealthy could be one measure to help bring inflation down? Surely a journalist worth their salt would at least ask the question.

It feels like we are all being taking for the biggest fools ever - by Sunak with his ridiculous rehearsed lines and by the media struggling to hold him to account. I know Sunak doesn't get that he's out of touch. But everyone except him can see it why not ask the question?

He’s not a statesman. What would he know about leading a country. He’s someone who was over promoted because the caliber of Tories is so low in general since the Cameron years.

He’s called a technocrat for a reason. Not particularly bright, no leadership qualities at all, and selected rather than elected.

No one expects the UK to improve overnight after the next GE. The damage wreaked on the country by 13 years of Tory corruption, incompetence and recklessness will take years to recover from.

The UK cannot recover while the Conservatives are in power.

Canada. We are in the same position of basically only having two parties to vote for. There are some good things JT has done, but there are also some shitty things of course. He is probably the best choice we have had for a very long time (best of the worst), but he is still a politician and defintely looking out for his best interest and those of his mates.

I would love to have a great PM that we could trust, but unfortunately that never seems to be the case, so I feel like you always have to be wary of promises and be prepared for the worst. I don't know what the answer is, but I've come to the conclusion that I always have to vote to avoid the worst option rather than because I think the leader/party is what I believe in, if that makes sense. Is that how many Brits are viewing the next election or is there truly some hope that Labour will come through and make big changes?

People didn't vote for or against Lockdown. It was imposed by the Tory government. People didn't vote for a particular position on the War in Ukraine. The government chose the stance. We haven't even had a GE since these things happened.

People actively voted for Brexit and the Tories to Get Brexit Done.

I wonder if we finally have a prime minister who recognises that we have to crash the housing market. Wages are out of touch and they won't raise them, nor deal directly with serious inequality through tax, so they need to lower the cost of living going forwards.

It's come 20 years too late: it will not affect the boomers who have made their money screwing us all over, and it will further screw over my generation, the xennials, the first of generation rent who have not long picked up house keys and mortgages. But we have always been the sacrificial goats, no one has ever given a shit about those of us sandwiched between the media friendly boomers and millennials, especially not if we had no bank of mum and dad.

Why he's doing it and now is open to interpretation: because he genuinely recognises it needs to happen? Because he knows they won't get elected next year and so can take the shit decisions that need to be done, even if it is too late? Because his cronies are practising disaster capitalism?

Anyone else whining about how much tax the rich pay already, or those falling for their lies, really needs to know about the true scale of inequality in the UK. https://equalitytrust.org.uk/scale-economic-inequality-uk

It's because we had to enter a kind of IVA agreement with the money markets after PM Truss crashed the economy.

What alternative does he think there is for people? They have no choice what the mortgage rate is do they. It’s a totally meaningless sound bite. And an annoying one at that!

Just quickly as I have to run out. I'm not sure if this was in answer to my post, but if so... I didn't mean that things would be ok immediately if Labour was voted in. More that do people believe that there will be no (or much less) corruption and incompetence from a Labour government. I hope they will do a better job (as I would sincerely hope they couldn't do worse!). I guess I tend to think/worry that 'here comes the new boss, same as the old boss'.

The only possible upside of this shit show is that the tories get their arses handed to them at the next GE. I cannot think of another positive thing about it.

We have no idea what people who voted Brexit were voting for. We can surmise, we can try to extrapolate. We can interpret. We can interpolate. But ultimately what Being "in" or "out" of the EU meant to individual voters is between them and their god.

However, on the basis that there has been no attempt to hold anyone to account for what has been delivered in the name of "brexit", it's fair to say most people who voted for it are happy with it.

A triumph of democracy, and really a powerful if not irrefutable argument for having referendums on all our big complicated issues. We should apply the wisdom of crowds and tap into that thirst for representation that burns so deep and bright in the national psyche.

It's a sadly predictable trait of the British to despise winners. Tall poppy syndrome and all that.

5 PMs in 7 years.
No coherent policy whatsoever.
Destroyed our foreign trade.
Destroyed our reputation on the international stage.
Bankrupted the country.
Made us an unstable, uninvestible, unwell country.

No party could be worse.

5 PMs in 7 years.

I know. Few countries are able to match the UKs commitment to at least trying to ensure everyone gets an equal shot at the job ! Another world beating development for team UK.

I think you don't understand just how bad the Tories have been @MostlyHuman.

Err? Is this a parody?

Oh sorry missed the top bit… IVF brain 🤦🏻‍♀️

Sunak was helicoptered into the safe seat of Richmondshire after William Hague (who at least was a local person) resigned and he's clearly not up to the job. It covers a huge rural mainly farming area including several market towns and the c. 12,000 soldiers in the Catterick Garrison which is NOT a well off area nor are a lot of people who live and work in the countryside - we have foodbanks etc like everyone else does.

It is though, a very traditional, conservative with a small c, constituency but not necessarily dyed in the wool tory - Richmond council didn't have a single tory councillor before it was subsumed into N Yorks council recently.

I'm really hoping for a big revolt against Sunak at the next GE 🤞but it might be a forlorn hope. He's a useless orator and just a puppet for big business. He reminds me of a spitting image puppet to be honest - a walking talking parody.

This. But people will still vote for these moral degenerates, especially since they appear to know what a woman is. Never mind the fact that they will say anything to cling to power.