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Rishi Sunak’s impotence – politicalbetting.com
Rishi Sunak’s impotence – politicalbetting.com
In today's Playbook — Knives out for Suella Braverman as she returns to the Home OfficeTruss ally says she was known in govt as "leaky Sue" and accuses her of having "leaked OBR-sensitive information and then lied to the prime minister and the country about what happened" pic.twitter.com/lob6dt9wEn
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Hard to argue with that.
Too late.
Seriously, this was the blood sacrifice he had to make to become PM. With braverman backing Boris he'd have probably run and won.
It's a shockingly appalling appointment
https://twitter.com/JohnRentoul/status/1585268112970194948/photo/1
Once again, I'd like for anyone to name a better alternative, as I see it we would have had Boris as PM on Monday and Braverman as HS on Tuesday has Rishi declined her offer.
Rishi, IMO, did what grown up politicians do and compromised to get over the line. Purity is invariably for losers and anyone who's saying that he should have rejected her is kidding themselves about the road not taken.
City Latest: https://trib.al/pWXZG2W https://twitter.com/BloombergUK/status/1585293604444114946/photo/1
My hunch is that the coronation is most of it, but not all. I think he likes having a right winger in the HO feeding headlines to the Mail.
Though if he's still available, and Sunak is flondering in (say) late May 2024, the temptation to Bring Back Boris is going to be hard to resist.
Wonder who the panic button choice is if it can't be BoJo?
What was said was Foreign Office advice that if you are travelling to another country that you have to be respectful of their laws which differ from our own. Just as visitors to this country have to be respectful of our laws. While also calling on Qatar to show flexibility too.
There is nothing else that can be said on this matter. If anyone was proposing to import Qatar's laws here that would be appalling, but warning people who are travelling there that they need to respectful of the laws over there is what the Foreign Office has always done for very good reason! That's not illiberal and its not discriminatory.
Qatar's laws are awful, repugnant and wrong. But they're also there laws and anyone who travels their and breaks the law while over their could get into serious local difficulty there, which unless you're deliberately doing so (like Peter Tatchell who has my admiration and respect) that is something most people should try to avoid.
Your ranting about people from immigrant backgrounds is just depressing. I know many liberal people of minority backgrounds, and many illiberal people of white backgrounds. You can't judge people by the colour of their skin, especially people who were born in this country!
And I've never seen homophobia in any of my Jewish friends. Attacking non-whites and then "Jews" and "Irish" too and complaining that people say "racism" ... ???
She gets the job either way, the difference is that we've got a proper grown up in charge as PM rather than the fat sack of shit.
But not with Braverman anywhere near government. It's hard to find an adequate description for her, fascist obviously isn't it, but it's certainly fascist-adjacent - the disrespect for the rule of law combined with the love of the police state and hatred of immgrants - there's something Trumpian about her that I find utterly toxic.
A terrible move by Sunak, and one that keeps moderates like me firmly away from the Conservatives at the ballot box.
NB today Sunak mentioned "controlling our borders" AGAIN. He knows it is totemic and he knows that if he can halfway solve the issue he could get a big boost in the polls. Which he urgently needs, given these enormous Labour leads
He gave his word, that may not mean anything to you but clearly it does to him.
Politico.com - House progressives retract Russia-diplomacy letter amid Dem firestorm
Party lawmakers were blindsided by Monday's release of a letter calling for direct negotiations in Ukraine, according to several people familiar with the situation.
Amid the pushback, Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) released a statement to clarify her support for Ukraine.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/25/house-progressives-russia-diplomacy-00063338
House progressives on Tuesday retracted a letter calling on President Joe Biden to engage in direct diplomacy with Russia, less than 24 hours after it sparked intense backlash from other Democrats.
The about-face comes as some Democratic lawmakers vent their fury that the letter backing talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin — originally drafted and signed in June — wasn’t recirculated before its public release on Monday. That release made it appear that the 30 House Democrats who signed on, all lawmakers in the roughly 100-member Congressional Progressive Caucus, were urging the Biden administration to push for diplomacy immediately despite Russia’s engagement in war crimes and indications of a military escalation against Ukraine. . . .
“The Congressional Progressive Caucus hereby withdraws its recent letter to the White House regarding Ukraine,” the caucus’ chair, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), said in a statement after POLITICO first reported that the retraction was imminent. “The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting.”
Jayapal said she accepts “responsibility” for the embarrassing flub, adding that the timing of the letter caused a “distraction” and was “conflated” with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s recent suggestion that Republicans might pull back on Ukraine funding if they win control of the House.
“The proximity of these statements created the unfortunate appearance that Democrats, who have strongly and unanimously supported and voted for every package of military, strategic, and economic assistance to the Ukrainian people, are somehow aligned with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian forces,” Jayapal added.
A source familiar with the situation told POLITICO that Jayapal personally approved the letter’s release on Monday. Spokespeople for the Progressive Caucus and Jayapal’s personal office, asked for comment, referred back to the group’s statement without denying Jayapal’s direct involvement. . .
SSI - Note that Rep. Jayapal don't need my humble vote in 2022; she's a shoe-in versus a total nothing of a Republican opponent, in one of the most GOP-allergic districts in the nation.
HOWEVER, should she ever be in need of my vote in future - BITE ME!
Owls arn’t what you gave out free in your election campaign - they are your football team!
Who are owls hunting tonight then? 🙂
Incumbent Patty Murray’s support has slipped in recent weeks, prompting outside groups to pour in millions to prevent a sleeper victory by Republican Tiffany Smiley.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/26/democrats-washington-patty-murray-senate-00063447
Democrats are adding millions in television spending to boost Sen. Patty Murray, a sign that the party is employing a take-no-chances approach even in solidly blue Washington state.
The 30-year veteran of the Senate is facing a challenge from Republican Tiffany Smiley, a political newcomer whose campaign has seized on quality-of-life issues, from urban crime and homelessness to inflation, to tarnish Murray. In recent public polling, Smiley has closed a sizable gap since this summer, when Murray led by 18 percentage points in an 18-candidate, all-party primary.
A Seattle Times poll released last week showed Murray slipping slightly, from 51 percent in a July survey to 49 percent now, with Smiley’s support increasing from 33 percent this summer to 41 percent now. The poll also finds that Smiley has improved with independents in the state, capturing 50 percent of their support to Murray’s 34 percent.
The national political environment currently favors Republicans in the midterms, and the fact that Democrats are spending to shore up an incumbent in a solidly blue state is not a good sign for them. . . .
SSI - You can say that (last line) again!
While Patty (as she's universally known) is likely (IMHO) to prevail against Smiley (not yet - if ever - a household word) the possibility for a 1980-style upset, when entrenched Democratic incumbent and DC powerhouse Warren Magnuson lost what proved to be HIS last hurrah.
> Republican goal at start was less to topple Sen. Murray and more to hold her down and force her to raise & spend money that might have otherwise gone to helping other Dems for US Senate; they certainly have achieved THAT goal, and may hit the jackpot also.
> Rather than run one of their usual right-wing head-bangers or quasi-clapped-out apparatchiks, Republicans gambled on attractive non-politico from part of state that hasn't produced a (resident) governor in living memory - smart move!
> Patty has run a pretty crappy campaign most featuring sub-standard TV ads that go out of their way to make her appear old and in the way, rather aided by fact the Senator has apparently not been to decent hair salon since (at least) the Obama administration.
Old "Dudders" out at International Trade as is Big Alec Shelbrooke at MoD.
And all it "delivered" was that he was a weak politician who had relied on the support of a corrupt politician, and had no choice but to reward it. Give us a story about a man biting a dog rather than vice versa, for God's sake.
And now I am going shopping to buy ingredients for my Singapore Chicken Armageddon Laksa. Later
Best outcome for Sunak is Lab get their scalp, he says soz Cruella but you gotta go, that's the ERG paid off, Penny to HS.
The grown up thing to do is to show why he is the right person for the job, not sell your integrity out for it.
The MPs would have backed him still, anyway, overwhelmingly as they already were.
(I do not mean today's sabre rattling by Putin)
Wallace is biggest at 25/1. Wonder if Sunak might upset him enough over Ukraine/MoD budgets for him to resign.
I'm doing my first lot of home made dumplings today, with a slow cooked chicken something something something.
The most difficult question was whether there is any difference between savoury dumpling dough and sweet dumpling dough, Apparently not.
Whether I get dough! or doh! remains to be seen.
Incidentally, does anyone have a good recipe for striploin of cheval?
I wish that hadn't made me consider a scenario of Thérèse Coffey having sweaty candlelit coitus with a very drunk Marc Francois.
Most charitable interpretation for Rishi Sunak, beyond simple immediate political expediency, is that the Prime Minister maybe giving her more than enough rope to hang herself, as a cabinet minister and AND as a future rival.
“It is a weakness of Sunak that he had to reappoint Braverman to keep the ERG/Spartan Brexiteers onside given than he has inherited a majority of circa 70, a powerful PM would have left Braverman on the backbenches in disgrace.”
But did he have to appoint her, that is the question? The answer is surely not? She might have backed Boris then, so what, what difference would it have made, so why make the deal with her?
No I think he’s in stronger position than he thinks he is, probably a better politician than he thinks he is, he just acts insecure.
Becuase there is a pattern developing here. He had done the Suella deal, how many other needless and pointless deals did he make with others? Cleverley? Shapps? Gove?
And then today, in complete contrast to no smiles Tuesday a smiley smiley yah boo PMQs to play to the party not the country.
Is he actually in an insecure political situation, or just awake all night fretting that he is and allowing such thoughts to lead to bad decision making?
Quite a contrast from the brass neck of Truss.
He should make it an absolute priority.
It's a small price to pay.
If Braverman manages to do this (and I don't fancy her chances, it is so fiendishly difficult) then no one will care about her gaffes and fibs, and Sunak will get a surge of new support (esp in the Red Wall)
Ok we get the drift but I would love to know the end of that simile. Does it involve step-moms at all?
she did to Truss.
Very similar to Patty's situation in 2022.
He likes her and her type of politics and thinks she’s done - and is going to do - a good job.
There’s a decent chance that this is the correct explanation. The posters on here, the media and Starmer are wrong. They’re guilty of projecting onto Sunak what they want to be the case.
Occam’s razor.
Remember, Sunak ain’t a liberal.
"Russia is not going to use nukes," the Kremlin's Ambassador to the UK Andrey Kelin tells me in an exclusive interview, on a day when Russia is conducting military nuclear training drills.
https://twitter.com/amanpour/status/1585274663386636291?s=20&t=UroPwnVQXmDZc6XnJbi_KQ
Normally its 1984 our politicians take as an instruction manual, not a warning - this time its Faust.
We don't.
We know precious little apart from the economy, but he was very hawkish on immigration in his leadership campaign.
Edit.
I see ping has been thinking similarly.
She is the Princess over the Water for the ERG, so it makes sense to hug her close.
And by appointing her to the Home Office, she will have to carry out policies that will alienate potential supporters.
Plus - the Home Office is a difficult brief for even the most efficient and competent ministers.
Perhaps Sunak is just giving her enough rope to hang her with.
Put it another way - is there any way that Braverman could conceivably enhance her reputation in the Home Office?
* Take the hit of "breaking your word", publicly condemn security breaches, appoint another Ergonaut and basically accept she is going to be disloyal anyway so why not face it when you are strongest.
* Make her Party Chair.
Either way though, unless he vehemently agrees with Braverman or thinks its OK to flout the rules, its a bad sign to reappoint a security risk just days after a sacking.
Rishi likes and wants a culture warrior headbanger in the HO generating headlines for the Mail to distract from economy.
Even better, a deeply flawed one who he can get rid of when he needs to. Rishi is a not a compassionate Conservative, wet. He was once Boris' right hand man.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63403363
Rishi has obviously decided to go for Johnsonian bluster, and has a certain schoolboyish energy that can power him through. He is vulnerable on detail, though, because the Tory record is so poor.
Starmer still needs to get his adenoids unblocked FFS.
It is however a completely impossible task given how international law works - remember that the EU / Africa side of things works because those in Libya have a major incentive (slave labour) to return people to the African side of the med.
They must know Rwanda, etc. isn't going to work so all they are trying do is manage the political fallout not the actual problem. Until that shift in focus happens nothing will change.
Continuing my tour of the nation's Travelodges.
Braverman is still in post I see. Give it time...
"who steals my purse steals trash.
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed"
That’s fine, but it doesn’t say great things about the Tory Party. Conversely, Starmer has managed to ease out the conspicuous nutters from the Labour front bench.
And, whatever the calculation behind Braverman, that doesn’t explain Raab, who was effectively sacked for incompetence before, and is now back to the horror of civil servants.
Truss' supporters were something like 86%-8% in favour of Rwanda, while Rishi's were 53%-40%.
Could well be nothing to do with Rishi's race, and simply that she was seen as the candidate of the right-right, but that's one hell of a difference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1lRkbkXQ4g
If she'd been sacked a year ago, then a second chance would be fair enough, but six days ago? Its taking the piss.
"I think you were in Arizona a shade late for the Big Sandy Shoot - the world's largest festival to the machine gun. That would be a place to go people watching...."
I'm glad I wasn't there!
You can’t wish it away just because you like the cut her her jib(berish).