Thoughts and prayers with all those supposedly sensible Tory bigwigs who shoiuld have known better but decided to throw away their credibility by saying Liz Truss had the right plan for Britain. Off the top of my head: Sajid Javid, Tom Tugenhadt, Penny Mordaunt, Ben Wallace. Who among the non-loons am I missing?
I am not 100% sure what the BoE buying bonds means, but I suspect it is a very expensive can being kicked down the road.
And the can has dynamite in it.
They are buying bonds because prices were falling (and yields therefore rising). This matters because esp. pension funds hold a lot of long-dated government debt and the asset/liability mix was becoming very unhealthy.
It is the same behaviour, however, as quantitative easing - ie buying bonds which adds more cash to the economy which in turn is inflationary.
Although, stuck record as I am, I have to believe that people will at some point twig and not spend/increase the monetary base as they know what's coming down the line. Which is known as Ricardian Equivalence.
Anyone listening to WATO? If this was done when we had a Royal Family worth the name Karteng would be in the Tower awaiting execution! When even Yannis Varoufakis thinks they've ballsed it up ('A rookie error') you know you're in a hole.
Thoughts and prayers with all those supposedly sensible Tory bigwigs who shoiuld have known better but decided to throw away their credibility by saying Liz Truss had the right plan for Britain. Off the top of my head: Sajid Javid, Tom Tugenhadt, Penny Mordaunt, Ben Wallace. Who among the non-loons am I missing?
Matthew Parris has helpfully catalogued them in The Times today
those many senior Tories who surely knew well enough that the new leader would be calamitous but who slithered into the ranks of her supporters when it became clear she would win and who wanted a job.
For example, Nadhim Zahawi: “Liz understands that the status quo isn’t an option in times of crisis . . . [she] will overturn the stale economic orthodoxy and run our economy in a Conservative way” (Telegraph); Tom Tugendhat: “Liz’s plan for the economy is founded on true Conservative principles of low tax, a lean state and bold supply-side reform” (Times); Sajid Javid: “. . . a bold Conservative policy agenda that shows the public we are rising to the challenges of our times. Time served in government has not dulled Liz’s sharp focus and willingness to challenge the status quo” (Times); Penny Mordaunt: “[Truss is] the hope candidate . . . I’ve seen enough to know the person I’m going to put my faith in — and that is Liz Truss.” (Exeter hustings); Ben Wallace, who had the decency at least to sound sheepish, mostly listing the jobs Truss has done: “She’s very straight, she’s authentic, what you see is what you get [and] she’s actually incredibly experienced in government” (Sky News); and Brandon Lewis, who initially backed Zahawi: it was an “easy choice” subsequently to back Truss (Telegraph).
Former minister: “The problem is that even if she sacks Kwasi, there is no solution. I can’t think of what anyone could possibly do to calm things down. Her only option is a total overhaul of team and direction but she has alienated so many because of the reshuffle.” https://twitter.com/jessicaelgot/status/1575103357814861824
Torsten Bell @TorstenBell The scale of the destruction it is bringing is hard to comprehend: - higher import prices - surging mortgage bills - higher deficits risking big spending cuts to come - pension funds taking big losses on forced asset sales - likely lasting risk premiums for UK firms and govt
At least there was an argument for joining the ERM. And before you say it, Brexit wasnt actually the policy of the Prime Minister than made it happen.
Thoughts and prayers with all those supposedly sensible Tory bigwigs who shoiuld have known better but decided to throw away their credibility by saying Liz Truss had the right plan for Britain. Off the top of my head: Sajid Javid, Tom Tugenhadt, Penny Mordaunt, Ben Wallace. Who among the non-loons am I missing?
I see one way out for Liz and Kwasi. It isn’t a pretty one. It might not even help the markets now the genie is out of the bottle, but it goes something like this.
“We have seen how the markets have reacted to our announcement. We are disappointed that this is the attitude that has been taken in response to our bold proposals. In the interest of market stability we will take the proposals off the table. It remains our aspiration to build a low tax economy and when the fiscal situation allows we will revisit this.”
It makes them a laughing stock and borks their credibility but it might just save them in the short to medium term and reverse some of the damage.
Thoughts and prayers with all those supposedly sensible Tory bigwigs who shoiuld have known better but decided to throw away their credibility by saying Liz Truss had the right plan for Britain. Off the top of my head: Sajid Javid, Tom Tugenhadt, Penny Mordaunt, Ben Wallace. Who among the non-loons am I missing?
It's curious. Liz was just a slightly odd, almost anonymous character best known for some embarrassing photo ops. What she ever did or said that made people think she was PM material is completely beyond me. She didn't even really seem to cut it as an Major-esque compromise candidate. Strange.
When Liz Truss said that she would be hitting the ground running from her first day in office, we probably should have asked from what height she was falling.
Former minister: “The problem is that even if she sacks Kwasi, there is no solution. I can’t think of what anyone could possibly do to calm things down. Her only option is a total overhaul of team and direction but she has alienated so many because of the reshuffle.” https://twitter.com/jessicaelgot/status/1575103357814861824
Perhaps Jake Rees will step into the fray as Chancellor?
Who benefits from this? Is it really Russia? Quite the puzzle
VDL and Borrell making a statement at 4 on this apparaently
I feel like A Conspiratorial Loon but if I had to hazard a guess I'd say the Yanks did this, not Jonny Moscow
The pipeline is a crucial choke-point for Putin, he can apply pressure, or allow gas deliveries, as he desires. If the pipeline is destroyed he loses all leverage - after the initial shock. How does he gain from that?
The destruction of the pipeline means that continental Europe, especially Germany, is more likely to stay loyal to NATO and the western/Ukrainian cause, because there is no longer any choice in the matter
I see one way out for Liz and Kwasi. It isn’t a pretty one. It might not even help the markets now the genie is out of the bottle, but it goes something like this.
“We have seen how the markets have reacted to our announcement. We are disappointed that this is the attitude that has been taken in response to our bold proposals. In the interest of market stability we will take the proposals off the table. It remains our aspiration to build a low tax economy and when the fiscal situation allows we will revisit this.”
It makes them a laughing stock and borks their credibility but it might just save them in the short to medium term and reverse some of the damage.
I have the feeling that the genie is out of the bottle on this one, and such a statement wouldn't make any difference to sterling or the gilt market.
Moving towards my longstanding 40-40-20 view (Lab/NOM/Con).
I've got (small, old) bets on Con maj and Con most seats
(I even kept them when Truss was announced leader, thinking there might be a bit of a bounce to trade them out. Now pinning hopes on the next Con leader and hoping that's before a GE, but they're looking dead parrot sick as bets)
Harmony latest. A senior Cabinet minister says any of their colleagues talking about letters or changing leader "do not deserve to be in power. They should defect and fuck off." https://twitter.com/MrHarryCole/status/1575099471876460544
Who benefits from this? Is it really Russia? Quite the puzzle
What other use does Russia have for it? There aren't any buyers at the other end.
There would be buyers if Putin was overthrown and the Russian Army withdrew from Ukraine. Seems like this is Putin burning his boats to bind the rest of the Kremlin into his determination to fight this war to the bitter end.
I am not 100% sure what the BoE buying bonds means, but I suspect it is a very expensive can being kicked down the road.
And the can has dynamite in it.
They are buying bonds because prices were falling (and yields therefore rising). This matters because esp. pension funds hold a lot of long-dated government debt and the asset/liability mix was becoming very unhealthy.
It is the same behaviour, however, as quantitative easing - ie buying bonds which adds more cash to the economy which in turn is inflationary.
Although, stuck record as I am, I have to believe that people will at some point twig and not spend/increase the monetary base as they know what's coming down the line. Which is known as Ricardian Equivalence.
I see one way out for Liz and Kwasi. It isn’t a pretty one. It might not even help the markets now the genie is out of the bottle, but it goes something like this.
“We have seen how the markets have reacted to our announcement. We are disappointed that this is the attitude that has been taken in response to our bold proposals. In the interest of market stability we will take the proposals off the table. It remains our aspiration to build a low tax economy and when the fiscal situation allows we will revisit this.”
It makes them a laughing stock and borks their credibility but it might just save them in the short to medium term and reverse some of the damage.
"I prefer to believe that certain lessons have been learned from experience, that we are coming, slowly, painfully, to an autumn of understanding. And I hope that it will be followed by a winter of common sense. If it is not, we shall not be diverted from our course.
To those waiting with bated breath for that favourite media catchphrase, the 'U-turn', I have only one thing to say: 'You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning!' I say that not only to you but to our friends overseas and also to those who are not our friends."
Thoughts and prayers with all those supposedly sensible Tory bigwigs who shoiuld have known better but decided to throw away their credibility by saying Liz Truss had the right plan for Britain. Off the top of my head: Sajid Javid, Tom Tugenhadt, Penny Mordaunt, Ben Wallace. Who among the non-loons am I missing?
It's curious. Liz was just a slightly odd, almost anonymous character best known for some embarrassing photo ops. What she ever did or said that made people think she was PM material is completely beyond me. She didn't even really seem to cut it as an Major-esque compromise candidate. Strange.
Indeed. Plenty of Labour members and supporters, and indeed ordinary voters thought Corbyn was PM material. So I suppose there's that?
Punters betting on Lab Maj at that ridiculously short price are either:
A. completely ignorant of electoral behaviour in Scotland; B. confident of total Tory collapse in England; or C. confident of a Lib Dem landslide in southern England
It is very, very hard to reconcile that judgement with other prices, eg
- next FM Anas Sarwar 16/1 - LD Vote Share favourite band 10-15%
Several Western governments are now recommending that their citizens should leave Russia immediately. Both Estonia and Latvia are holding emergency exercises concerning the possibility of a border crisis as large numbers of Russians seek to flee the country. The borders are closed to most Russians in any event and are not likely to be reopened for quite a while.
It feels like Putin is about to double down again, but if you go all in and still lose, then its a huge question as to what happens after that. No one yet seems ready to put a stop to the insanity in Russia (and of course the growing chaos in the UK and in the markets is giving the tyrant hope that he can still get a way with it).
It is only slow, but there is little doubt that the situation in Russia is seriously deteriorating.
Who benefits from this? Is it really Russia? Quite the puzzle
Russia. Saves Gazprom a bunch of compensation. Shows America its threats against it were misplaced. Saves paying Ukraine, which is why Nord Stream 2 was built.
Former minister: “The problem is that even if she sacks Kwasi, there is no solution. I can’t think of what anyone could possibly do to calm things down. Her only option is a total overhaul of team and direction but she has alienated so many because of the reshuffle.” https://twitter.com/jessicaelgot/status/1575103357814861824
Perhaps Jake Rees will step into the fray as Chancellor?
Look at the wording of that comment. Do you seriously believe a senior tory MP would speak in those terms, or any terms, to some left wing muppet journalist at the Guardian?
Who benefits from this? Is it really Russia? Quite the puzzle
VDL and Borrell making a statement at 4 on this apparaently
I feel like A Conspiratorial Loon but if I had to hazard a guess I'd say the Yanks did this, not Jonny Moscow
The pipeline is a crucial choke-point for Putin, he can apply pressure, or allow gas deliveries, as he desires. If the pipeline is destroyed he loses all leverage - after the initial shock. How does he gain from that?
The destruction of the pipeline means that continental Europe, especially Germany, is more likely to stay loyal to NATO and the western/Ukrainian cause, because there is no longer any choice in the matter
Cui bono? The USA
Well: Gazprom is the other big beneficiary. Right now, they're on the hook for around $20bn/month in damages for their failure to supply gas. In the event that Gazprom cannot supply gas because of an event outside their control (i.e. the destruction of a gas pipeline or two), then they can declare Force Majeure and walk away from the contract.
Who benefits from this? Is it really Russia? Quite the puzzle
VDL and Borrell making a statement at 4 on this apparaently
I feel like A Conspiratorial Loon but if I had to hazard a guess I'd say the Yanks did this, not Jonny Moscow
The pipeline is a crucial choke-point for Putin, he can apply pressure, or allow gas deliveries, as he desires. If the pipeline is destroyed he loses all leverage - after the initial shock. How does he gain from that?
The destruction of the pipeline means that continental Europe, especially Germany, is more likely to stay loyal to NATO and the western/Ukrainian cause, because there is no longer any choice in the matter
Cui bono? The USA
Wildcard: the French have gone all Rainbow Warrior again. Can’t see the reason though.
I am not 100% sure what the BoE buying bonds means, but I suspect it is a very expensive can being kicked down the road.
And the can has dynamite in it.
They are buying bonds because prices were falling (and yields therefore rising). This matters because esp. pension funds hold a lot of long-dated government debt and the asset/liability mix was becoming very unhealthy.
It is the same behaviour, however, as quantitative easing - ie buying bonds which adds more cash to the economy which in turn is inflationary.
Although, stuck record as I am, I have to believe that people will at some point twig and not spend/increase the monetary base as they know what's coming down the line. Which is known as Ricardian Equivalence.
VONC and GE is what is needed. Of course, that requires a lot of Tory MPs to do what is right for the country rather than themselves. In the long run they may benefit though, by being shown to have been on the right side of history.
If there were a general election tomorrow, which PBers would vote Tory?
I would likely still give a personal vote to my MP as he is very good. God alone knows how you campaign for the Conservative Party on the doorsteps though.
Former minister: “The problem is that even if she sacks Kwasi, there is no solution. I can’t think of what anyone could possibly do to calm things down. Her only option is a total overhaul of team and direction but she has alienated so many because of the reshuffle.” https://twitter.com/jessicaelgot/status/1575103357814861824
Perhaps Jake Rees will step into the fray as Chancellor?
Look at the wording of that comment. Do you seriously believe a senior tory MP would speak in those terms, or any terms, to some left wing muppet journalist at the Guardian?
Hmm sterling very bumpy at the moment, markets definitely pushing sterling down and an "unknown actor" likely attempting to hold it above $1.06, I don't see this as sustainable for very long which means the chancellor will need to present a plan which involved tax rises and spending cuts to fund the £45bn.
Who benefits from this? Is it really Russia? Quite the puzzle
VDL and Borrell making a statement at 4 on this apparaently
I feel like A Conspiratorial Loon but if I had to hazard a guess I'd say the Yanks did this, not Jonny Moscow
The pipeline is a crucial choke-point for Putin, he can apply pressure, or allow gas deliveries, as he desires. If the pipeline is destroyed he loses all leverage - after the initial shock. How does he gain from that?
The destruction of the pipeline means that continental Europe, especially Germany, is more likely to stay loyal to NATO and the western/Ukrainian cause, because there is no longer any choice in the matter
Cui bono? The USA
Well: Gazprom is the other big beneficiary. Right now, they're on the hook for around $20bn/month in damages for their failure to supply gas. In the event that Gazprom cannot supply gas because of an event outside their control (i.e. the destruction of a gas pipeline or two), then they can declare Force Majeure and walk away from the contract.
Yes, I've seen that theory on Twitter. I don't buy it. There must be other ways for Gazprom to dodge this bill, other than by sabotaging Russia's main judo-hold on the West
And let's not forget that early, hasty tweet from the Polish ex-foreign minister, thanking America for doing this
Harmony latest. A senior Cabinet minister says any of their colleagues talking about letters or changing leader "do not deserve to be in power. They should defect and fuck off." https://twitter.com/MrHarryCole/status/1575099471876460544
Probably worth taking bets now on how long it will be before the first (1) substantial U-turn (2) significant backbench revolt (3) government defeat in the Commons. I suspect Truss/Kwarteng may manage the hat trick before Halloween https://twitter.com/robfordmancs/status/1575107154666610691
On current polls Labour would indeed win a majority. Though they should certainly at least win most seats in a hung parliament.
The latest Yougov would give an even bigger swing to Labour than 1997 since the last general election
The world has changed in the last week.
Up until now the polls have not meant much; it was summer, two years out from a GE, people thinking of other things. Now we are into Party Conference Season and they become a bit more meaningful. A lead in excess of 10% becomes meaningful, and after the Kwasifuckup you guys might soon be looking nostalgically back on the time when the lead was that small.
You need to start work, now, on the reconstitution and repairing of what was once the natural Party of Government.
Hiding in her bunker after less than a month in office. She must be under tremendous mental strain. I genuinely hope she’s got a very good private support network. This kind of pressure would crack a lot of people.
Who benefits from this? Is it really Russia? Quite the puzzle
VDL and Borrell making a statement at 4 on this apparaently
I feel like A Conspiratorial Loon but if I had to hazard a guess I'd say the Yanks did this, not Jonny Moscow
The pipeline is a crucial choke-point for Putin, he can apply pressure, or allow gas deliveries, as he desires. If the pipeline is destroyed he loses all leverage - after the initial shock. How does he gain from that?
The destruction of the pipeline means that continental Europe, especially Germany, is more likely to stay loyal to NATO and the western/Ukrainian cause, because there is no longer any choice in the matter
Hiding in her bunker after less than a month in office. She must be under tremendous mental strain. I genuinely hope she’s got a very good private support network. This kind of pressure would crack a lot of people.
Why tremendous mental strain? At this, her hour of triumph!
When Liz Truss said that she would be hitting the ground running from her first day in office, we probably should have asked from what height she was falling.
Perhaps we should be blaming Boris for all this. He did well by giving a lot of get-go rhetoric but was clever enough not to actually do much to upset the applecart. Liz, in contrast, decided that genuine mania was a virtue.
On current polls Labour would indeed win a majority. Though they should certainly at least win most seats in a hung parliament.
The latest Yougov would give an even bigger swing to Labour than 1997 since the last general election
The world has changed in the last week.
Up until now the polls have not meant much; it was summer, two years out from a GE, people thinking of other things. Now we are into Party Conference Season and they become a bit more meaningful. A lead in excess of 10% becomes meaningful, and after the Kwasifuckup you guys might soon be looking nostalgically back on the time when the lead was that small.
You need to start work, now, on the reconstitution and repairing of what was once the natural Party of Government.
+1 - last Friday the newly appointed Chancellor blew up the Tory's reputation for financial competency..
That is going to take a long time to fix because the plan can't be pointed at anyone except the Government...
That's a lie. She sent a message to the Jewish community in the UK, condolences to the Japanese people over the funeral of Shinzo Abe, and wrote an op-ed in defence of her plan to grow the economy:
Hiding in her bunker after less than a month in office. She must be under tremendous mental strain. I genuinely hope she’s got a very good private support network. This kind of pressure would crack a lot of people.
More than anything else her complete and total absence should be setting off major alarm bells. It is probably making the situation worse.
Hiding in her bunker after less than a month in office. She must be under tremendous mental strain. I genuinely hope she’s got a very good private support network. This kind of pressure would crack a lot of people.
Who benefits from this? Is it really Russia? Quite the puzzle
VDL and Borrell making a statement at 4 on this apparaently
I feel like A Conspiratorial Loon but if I had to hazard a guess I'd say the Yanks did this, not Jonny Moscow
The pipeline is a crucial choke-point for Putin, he can apply pressure, or allow gas deliveries, as he desires. If the pipeline is destroyed he loses all leverage - after the initial shock. How does he gain from that?
The destruction of the pipeline means that continental Europe, especially Germany, is more likely to stay loyal to NATO and the western/Ukrainian cause, because there is no longer any choice in the matter
Cui bono? The USA
It also looks like it is reinforcing what is being said in back channel discussions:
"Threatening to use nukes has lost you Nordstream 1 and 2. Use nukes - and every bit of your hydrocarbons kit will get the same treatment. Now, fuck off out of every bit of Ukraine, before we get really pissed off at you and some more of your playthings accidentally break....."
Who benefits from this? Is it really Russia? Quite the puzzle
The US?
Norway?
I mean, it makes the most sense, but….
Nah. It’s got to be either Russia or the US.
I can't see it being the US. The reputational damage if they were caught would be astronomical.
1. Quite unlikely to be caught
2. If they were ever "caught", it would be a western government doing the catching, and - as we lurch towards all-out war with Russia - which western country is going to stir up a fight, right now, with Washington?
Russia will get the blame whoever did it, and I suspect the Americans did it, in full knowledge of that
Hiding in her bunker after less than a month in office. She must be under tremendous mental strain. I genuinely hope she’s got a very good private support network. This kind of pressure would crack a lot of people.
Why tremendous mental strain? At this, her hour of triumph!
Probably worth taking bets now on how long it will be before the first (1) substantial U-turn (2) significant backbench revolt (3) government defeat in the Commons. I suspect Truss/Kwarteng may manage the hat trick before Halloween https://twitter.com/robfordmancs/status/1575107154666610691
It doesn't matter whether she has been in a week or a decade. She should resign along with her daft Chancellor.
"The Air Force simply could not effectively interdict North Vietnam's supply routes to the South. In Clausewitzian terms, Rolling Thunder failed because it was not an effective political instrument—it did not achieve its stated goal of compelling the North Vietnamese to do our will."
Am wondering how long it will take for B of E and Treasury to concede defeat at the hands of the markets.
If there were a general election tomorrow, which PBers would vote Tory?
I would likely still give a personal vote to my MP as he is very good. God alone knows how you campaign for the Conservative Party on the doorsteps though.
It may surprise you to learn this,MM, but I have promised to give a couple of days canvassing time to Tissue Price (alias Aaron Bell MP) at the next election. Why? He's not on my side of the divide, but he's a good bloke, intelligent, and a man of goodwill. He hasn't a hope in hell of holding on, but it doesn't matter. If voters supported men and women of that ilk our government and politics would be much better.
I urge you to do liewise with a local MP who is obviously a cut above most.
Michael Crick @MichaelLCrick Former high-flying Labour MPs EMMA REYNOLDS and PARMJIT DHANDA are among a strong field trying to be Labour candidate in WYCOMBE in Bucks, held by Brexit champion & NI minister Steve Baker. Wycombe hasn’t been Labour for 71 years.
Hiding in her bunker after less than a month in office. She must be under tremendous mental strain. I genuinely hope she’s got a very good private support network. This kind of pressure would crack a lot of people.
Its a dungeon, not a bunker. Apparently.
She wouldn’t be the first PM who needed “minders”.
Enormous queue of Russians - mainly fighting age men - fleeing their country at the border with Georgia
"Checkpoint "Upper Lars" on the border with 🇬🇪 - 🗑🇷🇺 "refugees" in a mountain of garbage are waiting for their turn. They also report that they sell their cars for a penny, since they cannot be driven into 🇬🇪"
I still find the pathway to majority for Labour difficult - the SNP hold onto Scotland so tightly I don't see them making gains there. Wales looks like it will be Con free under current polling, and Labour will gain those over anyone else. And I can imagine some Red Wall seats coming "back" to Labour. I just don't know if there are enough competitive seats in the home counties, south and rurally? Maybe the LDs do well enough to win seats / prevent the Tories winning them? Maybe this economic ruin is so bad Tories just won't vote?
On current polls Labour would indeed win a majority. Though they should certainly at least win most seats in a hung parliament.
The latest Yougov would give an even bigger swing to Labour than 1997 since the last general election
The world has changed in the last week.
Up until now the polls have not meant much; it was summer, two years out from a GE, people thinking of other things. Now we are into Party Conference Season and they become a bit more meaningful. A lead in excess of 10% becomes meaningful, and after the Kwasifuckup you guys might soon be looking nostalgically back on the time when the lead was that small.
You need to start work, now, on the reconstitution and repairing of what was once the natural Party of Government.
I fear that recent times have caused more damage to the reputation of the Tory Party than was even suffered in the 1990s.
I think they need to be driven from office now, but I hope they are able to rebuild in opposition because I need a centre-right alternative to the Labour Party (who I am currently lending my vote to).
My fear is that it will take them a very long time to do so - the current generation will need to exit the scene before they will get a look in, IMHO.
It’s a shame that the red wall generation who could be the up and coming future Tory leaders will likely now be swept away in the coming cataclysm.
Comments
The latest Yougov would give an even bigger swing to Labour than 1997 since the last general election
12.65*365= 4617 days
Days since the death of the Queen = 20
Financial crises during the reign of Charles III = 231
https://twitter.com/Aiannucci/status/1575097926975913984
https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1575085436862664704?s=20&t=bPEnGces3IOaSlIpt5Nsng
Who benefits from this? Is it really Russia? Quite the puzzle
https://twitter.com/AnushkaAsthana/status/1575101928140197888
They are buying bonds because prices were falling (and yields therefore rising). This matters because esp. pension funds hold a lot of long-dated government debt and the asset/liability mix was becoming very unhealthy.
It is the same behaviour, however, as quantitative easing - ie buying bonds which adds more cash to the economy which in turn is inflationary.
Although, stuck record as I am, I have to believe that people will at some point twig and not spend/increase the monetary base as they know what's coming down the line. Which is known as Ricardian Equivalence.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardian_equivalence
those many senior Tories who surely knew well enough that the new leader would be calamitous but who slithered into the ranks of her supporters when it became clear she would win and who wanted a job.
For example, Nadhim Zahawi: “Liz understands that the status quo isn’t an option in times of crisis . . . [she] will overturn the stale economic orthodoxy and run our economy in a Conservative way” (Telegraph); Tom Tugendhat: “Liz’s plan for the economy is founded on true Conservative principles of low tax, a lean state and bold supply-side reform” (Times); Sajid Javid: “. . . a bold Conservative policy agenda that shows the public we are rising to the challenges of our times. Time served in government has not dulled Liz’s sharp focus and willingness to challenge the status quo” (Times); Penny Mordaunt: “[Truss is] the hope candidate . . . I’ve seen enough to know the person I’m going to put my faith in — and that is Liz Truss.” (Exeter hustings); Ben Wallace, who had the decency at least to sound sheepish, mostly listing the jobs Truss has done: “She’s very straight, she’s authentic, what you see is what you get [and] she’s actually incredibly experienced in government” (Sky News); and Brandon Lewis, who initially backed Zahawi: it was an “easy choice” subsequently to back Truss (Telegraph).
https://twitter.com/jessicaelgot/status/1575103357814861824
Torsten Bell
@TorstenBell
The scale of the destruction it is bringing is hard to comprehend:
- higher import prices
- surging mortgage bills
- higher deficits risking big spending cuts to come
- pension funds taking big losses on forced asset sales
- likely lasting risk premiums for UK firms and govt
At least there was an argument for joining the ERM. And before you say it, Brexit wasnt actually the policy of the Prime Minister than made it happen.
I mean, it makes the most sense, but….
Nah. It’s got to be either Russia or the US.
“We have seen how the markets have reacted to our announcement. We are disappointed that this is the attitude that has been taken in response to our bold proposals. In the interest of market stability we will take the proposals off the table. It remains our aspiration to build a low tax economy and when the fiscal situation allows we will revisit this.”
It makes them a laughing stock and borks their credibility but it might just save them in the short to medium term and reverse some of the damage.
The pipeline is a crucial choke-point for Putin, he can apply pressure, or allow gas deliveries, as he desires. If the pipeline is destroyed he loses all leverage - after the initial shock. How does he gain from that?
The destruction of the pipeline means that continental Europe, especially Germany, is more likely to stay loyal to NATO and the western/Ukrainian cause, because there is no longer any choice in the matter
Cui bono? The USA
Short and caught...??
(I even kept them when Truss was announced leader, thinking there might be a bit of a bounce to trade them out. Now pinning hopes on the next Con leader and hoping that's before a GE, but they're looking dead parrot sick as bets)
https://twitter.com/MrHarryCole/status/1575099471876460544
@MrHarryCole They are pretty much saying that to their voters too.
https://twitter.com/EmporersNewC/status/1575105120278151168
To those waiting with bated breath for that favourite media catchphrase, the 'U-turn', I have only one thing to say: 'You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning!' I say that not only to you but to our friends overseas and also to those who are not our friends."
TheScreamingEagles Posts: 103,404
1:11PM
I’m never taking another holiday again.
So that's it - it's all TSE's fault!
A. completely ignorant of electoral behaviour in Scotland;
B. confident of total Tory collapse in England;
or C. confident of a Lib Dem landslide in southern England
It is very, very hard to reconcile that judgement with other prices, eg
- next FM Anas Sarwar 16/1
- LD Vote Share favourite band 10-15%
It feels like Putin is about to double down again, but if you go all in and still lose, then its a huge question as to what happens after that. No one yet seems ready to put a stop to the insanity in Russia (and of course the growing chaos in the UK and in the markets is giving the tyrant hope that he can still get a way with it).
It is only slow, but there is little doubt that the situation in Russia is seriously deteriorating.
https://twitter.com/WelshGasDoc/status/1575106207618306049
And let's not forget that early, hasty tweet from the Polish ex-foreign minister, thanking America for doing this
Hmmmm
https://twitter.com/robfordmancs/status/1575107154666610691
UK government: Sabotaged their own economy
Up until now the polls have not meant much; it was summer, two years out from a GE, people thinking of other things. Now we are into Party Conference Season and they become a bit more meaningful. A lead in excess of 10% becomes meaningful, and after the Kwasifuckup you guys might soon be looking nostalgically back on the time when the lead was that small.
You need to start work, now, on the reconstitution and repairing of what was once the natural Party of Government.
https://twitter.com/joelwgibbonsv/status/1574788485420048386
Somewhat cheering, assuming he’s right.
Was internally dubbed “Operation Rolling Thunder”, a Whitehall source involved told me, after the US bombing blitz in Vietnam.
But… after the mini-Budget fallout the tag is now not being used.
https://twitter.com/benrileysmith/status/1575108612321468417
That is going to take a long time to fix because the plan can't be pointed at anyone except the Government...
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-11246335/LIZ-TRUSS-long-politicians-fought-slice-economic-pie.html
"Threatening to use nukes has lost you Nordstream 1 and 2. Use nukes - and every bit of your hydrocarbons kit will get the same treatment. Now, fuck off out of every bit of Ukraine, before we get really pissed off at you and some more of your playthings accidentally break....."
2. If they were ever "caught", it would be a western government doing the catching, and - as we lurch towards all-out war with Russia - which western country is going to stir up a fight, right now, with Washington?
Russia will get the blame whoever did it, and I suspect the Americans did it, in full knowledge of that
Am wondering how long it will take for B of E and Treasury to concede defeat at the hands of the markets.
Looks like Operation Rolling Bollocks is winning.
I'm currently flat if she stays this year and ahead if she goes, so waiting for the odds to go down more before making any further moves.
I’m honestly beginning to think maybe you lot are right & I would do a better job 🤦🏻♀️
https://twitter.com/Liztruss/status/1575098230626721793
I urge you to do liewise with a local MP who is obviously a cut above most.
Michael Crick
@MichaelLCrick
Former high-flying Labour MPs EMMA REYNOLDS and PARMJIT DHANDA are among a strong field trying to be Labour candidate in WYCOMBE in Bucks, held by Brexit champion & NI minister Steve Baker. Wycombe hasn’t been Labour for 71 years.
"Checkpoint "Upper Lars" on the border with 🇬🇪 - 🗑🇷🇺 "refugees" in a mountain of garbage are waiting for their turn. They also report that they sell their cars for a penny, since they cannot be driven into 🇬🇪"
https://twitter.com/TarmoJuntunen/status/1575031756964900865?s=20&t=bPEnGces3IOaSlIpt5Nsng
I think they need to be driven from office now, but I hope they are able to rebuild in opposition because I need a centre-right alternative to the Labour Party (who I am currently lending my vote to).
My fear is that it will take them a very long time to do so - the current generation will need to exit the scene before they will get a look in, IMHO.
It’s a shame that the red wall generation who could be the up and coming future Tory leaders will likely now be swept away in the coming cataclysm.