Indeed. Most people think they are worth it. They aren't. Many are good. But they attribute (wrongly) their rewards to their own brilliance rather than to a very large dose of good luck, even if they also work quite hard and well.
Here's something that has always exercised me. Let's say this is a pure red-blooded "free" market, like they make out. OK, so you and I both know that you could hire any number of bright kids (either from non affluent backgrounds here and/or from other less developed countries) and train them quite quickly to be effective, highly competent sales and trades type operatives. That there are loads of young people out there in the world who would be delighted with such an opportunity and would be very happy to do the job (once trained up) for an annual package inc average bonus of, say, £100k instead of £1m. Yet this not happen on any sort of scale. Fact it doesn't happen. It's almost as if it's not much of a free market at all. Almost as if it's a self-protecting, feather-bedded, quasi cartel pretending to be a rough-as-hell, ultra competitive environment in order to justify the huge sums it is effectively confiscating from those outside its gilded gates.
Of course it's a cartel. Have you only just noticed?
No more than lawyering.
Look at what criminal lawyers get paid. If it's a cartel, it's a bloody poor one.
If you are a criminal QC you can earn £200 000+ a year, if a pupil £15 000 a year, there is a big divide
I hope there aren't too many criminal QCs. You'd think it was the kind of thing the bar and the police would want to stamp down on.
I don't know about you, but it sounds like a cartel. Maybe not criminal though...
There can be no doubt that Boris was extremely annoyed by briefings about HS2. If Boris includes Cummings then that might be so. It was an unwise move of Saj to annoy the PM on the most expensive optional policy of the incoming government.
Different Point: A few years back I was surprised when I heard that Richmondshire had selected Rishi Sunak as Tory PPC, but I knew at least half a dozen on the Association exec over there so there could be no doubt he would be special.
What does he know about Workington ? Well quite a lot I would think, and the new Durham seats - you couldn't have a more Northern MP, certainly more Northern than Rory and no less Northern that Timmy.
BTW Rory should be kicking himself if he has the awareness. He would have been a shoe-in for the elected Mayor of Cumbria, a job he could have made his own.
Since when is Richmond Yorkshire more northernly than Penrith and the Border?
Also there is a big difference between Richmond and Workington. Still, I hope Sunak does do something to kickstart regeneration in those parts of the country which have largely been ignored.
BTW I agree with you about Rory. Nice as it is to see him in London he will not get the Mayoralty and could have used his undoubted energy in Cumbria to good effect.
Rory's trouble is that he is having to think up more and more gimmicks to attract a little attention. Like this latest stunt of offering to sleep with any Londoner that will have him (sleep in their home, that is).
He's doing what he did in Afghanistan. It's a bit odd. Endearing. But odd and unlikely to work. Still, he might have a chance at getting into second place. The Tory candidate simply hasn't been heard of.
I suspect he could be quite a good Mayor of somewhere. But I wonder whether he would not have been better advised staying in Cumbria. Did he burn his boats there I wonder? Or was he seduced into wanting a bigger stage?
Yes, he has burnt his boats, he would not be countenanced back in Cumbria. I was never his biggest fan - too insubstantial somehow. But there is no denying he was a good MP in the councillor sort of way - hence he could have been a great mayor.
I'm sensing some genuine sympathy for The Saj out there. Poor many was bullied, humiliated and ultimately destroyed by posh Boris and his pet bovver boy. We may look back on today as the moment the Boris magic started to fade.
Yep. Certainly the honeymoon is over.
Amongst whom? People who never vote Conservative and love Sajid Javid?
That's got to be one hell of a small slice of the UK Venn diagram...
Indeed. Most people think they are worth it. They aren't. Many are good. But they attribute (wrongly) their rewards to their own brilliance rather than to a very large dose of good luck, even if they also work quite hard and well.
Here's something that has always exercised me. Let's say this is a pure red-blooded "free" market, like they make out. OK, so you and I both know that you could hire any number of bright kids (either from non affluent backgrounds here and/or from other less developed countries) and train them quite quickly to be effective, highly competent sales and trades type operatives. That there are loads of young people out there in the world who would be delighted with such an opportunity and would be very happy to do the job (once trained up) for an annual package inc average bonus of, say, £100k instead of £1m. Yet this not happen on any sort of scale. Fact it doesn't happen. It's almost as if it's not much of a free market at all. Almost as if it's a self-protecting, feather-bedded, quasi cartel pretending to be a rough-as-hell, ultra competitive environment in order to justify the huge sums it is effectively confiscating from those outside its gilded gates.
Of course it's a cartel. Have you only just noticed?
No more than lawyering.
Look at what criminal lawyers get paid. If it's a cartel, it's a bloody poor one.
If you are a criminal QC you can earn £200 000+ a year, if a pupil £15 000 a year, there is a big divide
I hope there aren't too many criminal QCs. You'd think it was the kind of thing the bar and the police would want to stamp down on.
I did not dislike Theresa Villiers but she seemed fairly vacant as DEFRA Secretary. George Eustice should be a good choice, as Farming minister, like Bob O'Neill he gave the impression he knew a little bit about the subject. Will the industry support him or will it the NFU bods try to score cheap shots for their own advantage ?
On the strength of her performance at DEFRA the only job I would give to Liz Truss would be minister for the far side of the moon and I would insist that she took up residence there straight away.
I'm sensing some genuine sympathy for The Saj out there. Poor many was bullied, humiliated and ultimately destroyed by posh Boris and his pet bovver boy. We may look back on today as the moment the Boris magic started to fade.
Yep. Certainly the honeymoon is over.
Amongst whom? People who never vote Conservative and love Sajid Javid?
That's got to be one hell of a small slice of the UK Venn diagram...
Today's events are likely to reinforce the sense that Johnson is unreliable and more than a little unstable.
Japan seems to be struggling with coronavirus, they relaxed the testing requirements yesterday and now cases are popping up everywhere. Looks like it's in the wild in Japan. Goodbye Olympics, I wonder where their backup is.
I'm sensing some genuine sympathy for The Saj out there. Poor many was bullied, humiliated and ultimately destroyed by posh Boris and his pet bovver boy. We may look back on today as the moment the Boris magic started to fade.
Yep. Certainly the honeymoon is over.
Amongst whom? People who never vote Conservative and love Sajid Javid?
That's got to be one hell of a small slice of the UK Venn diagram...
Which party is it that is perceived to have a problem with Islamophobia?
Indeed. Most people think they are worth it. They aren't. Many are good. But they attribute (wrongly) their rewards to their own brilliance rather than to a very large dose of good luck, even if they also work quite hard and well.
Here's something that has always exercised me. Let's say this is a pure red-blooded "free" market, like they make out. OK, so you and I both know that you could hire any number of bright kids (either from non affluent backgrounds here and/or from other less developed countries) and train them quite quickly to be effective, highly competent sales and trades type operatives. That there are loads of young people out there in the world who would be delighted with such an opportunity and would be very happy to do the job (once trained up) for an annual package inc average bonus of, say, £100k instead of £1m. Yet this not happen on any sort of scale. Fact it doesn't happen. It's almost as if it's not much of a free market at all. Almost as if it's a self-protecting, feather-bedded, quasi cartel pretending to be a rough-as-hell, ultra competitive environment in order to justify the huge sums it is effectively confiscating from those outside its gilded gates.
Of course it's a cartel. Have you only just noticed?
No more than lawyering.
Look at what criminal lawyers get paid. If it's a cartel, it's a bloody poor one.
If you are a criminal QC you can earn £200 000+ a year, if a pupil £15 000 a year, there is a big divide
I hope there aren't too many criminal QCs. You'd think it was the kind of thing the bar and the police would want to stamp down on.
Like when Jules & Sandy turned their hands to being solicitors: "we're mostly engaged in a criminal practice...".
The reshuffle has definitely seen the rise of British Indians. Sunak, Sharma and Braverman are all Indian in a round about way. Indians also hold two of the four great offices of state. That's got to be a first.
Enoch Powell was right.
Non whites have got the whip hand over native white Brits.
And Boris is Turkish.
Boris is Catholic and Raab is Jewish, there is not one white Anglo Saxon Protestant holding the top offices of State now as the Tories are much more multicultural, Starmer is a white working class origin Anglican though
Boris was baptised as a Catholic but then became Anglican. Though I doubt he is religious in any sense whatsoever.
If you are baptised Catholic the Catholic church consider you are always Catholic, if lapsed or very lapsed in the case of Boris
Seems strange that an event over which I had no control when I was a baby should be relevant in how the church considers me now.
I'm sensing some genuine sympathy for The Saj out there. Poor many was bullied, humiliated and ultimately destroyed by posh Boris and his pet bovver boy. We may look back on today as the moment the Boris magic started to fade.
Yep. Certainly the honeymoon is over.
Amongst whom? People who never vote Conservative and love Sajid Javid?
That's got to be one hell of a small slice of the UK Venn diagram...
The whole episode makes Boris look like a shallow and vindictive thug, who used the hapless Saj for his own ends before forcing him out through some nasty manoeuvrings. It's a long way from the cheeky chappy with his Love Actually placards. Boris suddenly seems a fair bit stranger.
The reshuffle has definitely seen the rise of British Indians. Sunak, Sharma and Braverman are all Indian in a round about way. Indians also hold two of the four great offices of state. That's got to be a first.
Enoch Powell was right.
Non whites have got the whip hand over native white Brits.
And Boris is Turkish.
Boris is Catholic and Raab is Jewish, there is not one white Anglo Saxon Protestant holding the top offices of State now as the Tories are much more multicultural, Starmer is a white working class origin Anglican though
Boris was baptised as a Catholic but then became Anglican. Though I doubt he is religious in any sense whatsoever.
If you are baptised Catholic the Catholic church consider you are always Catholic, if lapsed or very lapsed in the case of Boris
Seems strange that an event over which I had no control when I was a baby should be relevant in how the church considers me now.
I don't think you quite get this 'church' malarkey.
The reshuffle has definitely seen the rise of British Indians. Sunak, Sharma and Braverman are all Indian in a round about way. Indians also hold two of the four great offices of state. That's got to be a first.
Enoch Powell was right.
Non whites have got the whip hand over native white Brits.
And Boris is Turkish.
Boris is Catholic and Raab is Jewish, there is not one white Anglo Saxon Protestant holding the top offices of State now as the Tories are much more multicultural, Starmer is a white working class origin Anglican though
Boris was baptised as a Catholic but then became Anglican. Though I doubt he is religious in any sense whatsoever.
Pity. Just imagine being the priest hearing his confession each week.
@ydoethur will no doubt correct me, but I believe that it was Disraeli who described himself as a buttress of the Church of England, supporting it from the outside.
I doubt it will do Boris any immediate harm, but having the PM and Chancellor as effectively the same person has never been done in this country before. A fundamental 'belt-and-braces' arrangement in British politics has been abolished in an instant. This is huge news.
Cameron/Osborne begs to differ. They were in lockstep and they did a fantastic job.
They were actual allies. Boris doesn't have allies, he has followers and temporary partners.
As ever, bold moves that lead to success are hailed as masterstrokes; those that fail are damned as hubris.
Time will tell about this one, but given that this government will stand or fall based on the economy, I feel much happier knowing that PM and Chancellor will be in productive alignment instead of hostile paralysis: give me Cameron-Osborne over Blair-Brown any day.
The reshuffle has definitely seen the rise of British Indians. Sunak, Sharma and Braverman are all Indian in a round about way. Indians also hold two of the four great offices of state. That's got to be a first.
Enoch Powell was right.
Non whites have got the whip hand over native white Brits.
And Boris is Turkish.
Boris is Catholic and Raab is Jewish, there is not one white Anglo Saxon Protestant holding the top offices of State now as the Tories are much more multicultural, Starmer is a white working class origin Anglican though
Boris was baptised as a Catholic but then became Anglican. Though I doubt he is religious in any sense whatsoever.
If you are baptised Catholic the Catholic church consider you are always Catholic, if lapsed or very lapsed in the case of Boris
Seems strange that an event over which I had no control when I was a baby should be relevant in how the church considers me now.
I don't think you quite get this 'church' malarkey.
If I am still classed as a member, I guess I get a vote in the next leadership ballot...
The reshuffle has definitely seen the rise of British Indians. Sunak, Sharma and Braverman are all Indian in a round about way. Indians also hold two of the four great offices of state. That's got to be a first.
Enoch Powell was right.
Non whites have got the whip hand over native white Brits.
And Boris is Turkish.
Boris is Catholic and Raab is Jewish, there is not one white Anglo Saxon Protestant holding the top offices of State now as the Tories are much more multicultural, Starmer is a white working class origin Anglican though
Boris was baptised as a Catholic but then became Anglican. Though I doubt he is religious in any sense whatsoever.
If you are baptised Catholic the Catholic church consider you are always Catholic, if lapsed or very lapsed in the case of Boris
Seems strange that an event over which I had no control when I was a baby should be relevant in how the church considers me now.
Catholics are lucky, of course.
In some parts of the world apostasy is punishable by death.
I doubt it will do Boris any immediate harm, but having the PM and Chancellor as effectively the same person has never been done in this country before. A fundamental 'belt-and-braces' arrangement in British politics has been abolished in an instant. This is huge news.
Cameron/Osborne begs to differ. They were in lockstep and they did a fantastic job.
They were actual allies. Boris doesn't have allies, he has followers and temporary partners.
Yes they were and it worked well, we had joined up government rather than constant bickering between the two.
So if he's not got a natural ally it seems logical to create one, he's got a vast pool of MPs he can promote and doesn't have to rely on cast offs from May and Cameron's days.
As ever, bold moves that lead to success are hailed as masterstrokes; those that fail are damned as hubris.
Time will tell about this one, but given that this government will stand or fall based on the economy, I feel much happier knowing that PM and Chancellor will be in productive alignment instead of hostile paralysis: give me Cameron-Osborne over Blair-Brown any day.
Well said. Funny how many people call on one hand for joined up government then bemoan it when it occurs. I swear some people are only happy when they're complaining.
The reshuffle has definitely seen the rise of British Indians. Sunak, Sharma and Braverman are all Indian in a round about way. Indians also hold two of the four great offices of state. That's got to be a first.
Enoch Powell was right.
Non whites have got the whip hand over native white Brits.
And Boris is Turkish.
Boris is Catholic and Raab is Jewish, there is not one white Anglo Saxon Protestant holding the top offices of State now as the Tories are much more multicultural, Starmer is a white working class origin Anglican though
Boris was baptised as a Catholic but then became Anglican. Though I doubt he is religious in any sense whatsoever.
If you are baptised Catholic the Catholic church consider you are always Catholic, if lapsed or very lapsed in the case of Boris
He hasn't lapsed. He chose to leave and embrace an alternative religion, though in name only. Or so I understand.
In reality the only God Boris believes in is himself. To call him a Catholic PM is just nonsensical. He doesn't even pretend to be religious let alone Catholic.
I'm not sure that being seen as the tea boy will be conducive to Rishi Sunak's leadership prospects. He's evidently not going to be allowed to have opinions.
Oh look, Alastair can't resist a snide and derogatory comment.
Rishi is a highly talented individual.
Where is the evidence for him being a highly talented politician? His appearances at the election debates were pretty wooden, frankly. What else is there?
Being a talented City bloke - and most City talent is, frankly, smoke and mirrors - means nothing in politics and certainly does not help in understanding the economic and financial position of people in the poor parts of the country.
What does someone like Sunak know of the needs and desires of people in, say, Western Cumbria, the old industrial part not the pretty tourist places?
I didn’t much like Javid. Sunak may be better but not if he’s just going to be a patsy.
+1 he was just a mouthpiece in election , parroting the Tory crap. Came across as a lightweight empty suit who had zero principles and would just say what he was told and as you say wooden with it.
I think when you go Rambo like this, you get one chance. If you chop out a load of people and the replacements last years, you are vindicated. If in a year, you have to shuffle the pack again, well you then run into problems.
One of the best things about the Cameron era, was just how stable things were. They picked people and really didn't want to move anybody unless they were makes a right balls up of it. Thus you knew if there was a reshuffle, if you took a job you would be trusted to get on with it and not at the mercy of the PM's wife deciding one day they didn't like you because you think Die Hard isn't a Christmas film.
The reshuffle has definitely seen the rise of British Indians. Sunak, Sharma and Braverman are all Indian in a round about way. Indians also hold two of the four great offices of state. That's got to be a first.
Enoch Powell was right.
Non whites have got the whip hand over native white Brits.
And Boris is Turkish.
Boris is Catholic and Raab is Jewish, there is not one white Anglo Saxon Protestant holding the top offices of State now as the Tories are much more multicultural, Starmer is a white working class origin Anglican though
Boris was baptised as a Catholic but then became Anglican. Though I doubt he is religious in any sense whatsoever.
If you are baptised Catholic the Catholic church consider you are always Catholic, if lapsed or very lapsed in the case of Boris
He hasn't lapsed. He chose to leave and embrace an alternative religion, though in name only. Or so I understand.
In reality the only God Boris believes in is himself. To call him a Catholic PM is just nonsensical. He doesn't even pretend to be religious let alone Catholic.
Good. Give me a PM who believes in self-interest over a PM who believes in a magical sky fairy any day.
As ever, bold moves that lead to success are hailed as masterstrokes; those that fail are damned as hubris.
Time will tell about this one, but given that this government will stand or fall based on the economy, I feel much happier knowing that PM and Chancellor will be in productive alignment instead of hostile paralysis: give me Cameron-Osborne over Blair-Brown any day.
Well said. Funny how many people call on one hand for joined up government then bemoan it when it occurs. I swear some people are only happy when they're complaining.
I think that's absolutely right - you can have good policy or bad policy, but if the machine doesn't work smoothly the result will be that much worse either way.
Plus Boris has earned the right to make some bold and unexpected decisions, if any PM has. Not all of them will work out, but I never cease to be amazed by the people who keep automatically underestimating him no matter how many times he defies expectations.
Rishi Sunak ... arguably only a heartbeat away from the top job or perhaps more aptly in this instance, only two major Boris cock-ups away ... watch this space.
The reshuffle has definitely seen the rise of British Indians. Sunak, Sharma and Braverman are all Indian in a round about way. Indians also hold two of the four great offices of state. That's got to be a first.
Enoch Powell was right.
Non whites have got the whip hand over native white Brits.
And Boris is Turkish.
Boris is Catholic and Raab is Jewish, there is not one white Anglo Saxon Protestant holding the top offices of State now as the Tories are much more multicultural, Starmer is a white working class origin Anglican though
Boris was baptised as a Catholic but then became Anglican. Though I doubt he is religious in any sense whatsoever.
If you are baptised Catholic the Catholic church consider you are always Catholic, if lapsed or very lapsed in the case of Boris
Seems strange that an event over which I had no control when I was a baby should be relevant in how the church considers me now.
Catholics are lucky, of course.
In some parts of the world apostasy is punishable by death.
An Oxford university is struggling to meet targets for widening participation, according to the latest set of official statistics – but it’s not the university you might think.
Oxford Brookes University admitted a higher proportion of privately educated undergraduates than most other UK universities, and more than some highly selective institutions such as the London School of Economics
The reshuffle has definitely seen the rise of British Indians. Sunak, Sharma and Braverman are all Indian in a round about way. Indians also hold two of the four great offices of state. That's got to be a first.
Enoch Powell was right.
Non whites have got the whip hand over native white Brits.
And Boris is Turkish.
Boris is Catholic and Raab is Jewish, there is not one white Anglo Saxon Protestant holding the top offices of State now as the Tories are much more multicultural, Starmer is a white working class origin Anglican though
Boris was baptised as a Catholic but then became Anglican. Though I doubt he is religious in any sense whatsoever.
If you are baptised Catholic the Catholic church consider you are always Catholic, if lapsed or very lapsed in the case of Boris
He hasn't lapsed. He chose to leave and embrace an alternative religion, though in name only. Or so I understand.
In reality the only God Boris believes in is himself. To call him a Catholic PM is just nonsensical. He doesn't even pretend to be religious let alone Catholic.
Good. Give me a PM who believes in self-interest over a PM who believes in a magical sky fairy any day.
You think a PM who thinks only of himself a good thing? Crikey.
You can't be Aulae Prae unless you're in College, and you can't be in College unless you win a scholarship. Maybe he was Sen Co Prae? That's head Commoner.
I went to a private school myself but that use of latin to describe the Head boy sounds like proper Hogwarts boarders stuff.
Complete bollox for a bunch of tossers more like, just some rich wa**ers trying to make out they don't have a crap like the rest of us but are far superior.
The reshuffle has definitely seen the rise of British Indians. Sunak, Sharma and Braverman are all Indian in a round about way. Indians also hold two of the four great offices of state. That's got to be a first.
Enoch Powell was right.
Non whites have got the whip hand over native white Brits.
And Boris is Turkish.
Boris is Catholic and Raab is Jewish, there is not one white Anglo Saxon Protestant holding the top offices of State now as the Tories are much more multicultural, Starmer is a white working class origin Anglican though
Boris was baptised as a Catholic but then became Anglican. Though I doubt he is religious in any sense whatsoever.
If you are baptised Catholic the Catholic church consider you are always Catholic, if lapsed or very lapsed in the case of Boris
He hasn't lapsed. He chose to leave and embrace an alternative religion, though in name only. Or so I understand.
In reality the only God Boris believes in is himself. To call him a Catholic PM is just nonsensical. He doesn't even pretend to be religious let alone Catholic.
Good. Give me a PM who believes in self-interest over a PM who believes in a magical sky fairy any day.
You think a PM who thinks only of himself a good thing? Crikey.
No. I think that a PM who does what he does because he thinks a magical sky fairy wants him to do it is a very, very bad thing!
A PM who thinks of himself wants to be re-elected, to be re-elected he needs to do a good job for the country and for the public to think he's the best man or woman for the job.
A PM who does what he thinks a magical sky fairy wants him to do is a much more scary prospect. Someone who believes something is the divine truth is irrational and can not be reasoned with.
An Oxford university is struggling to meet targets for widening participation, according to the latest set of official statistics – but it’s not the university you might think.
Oxford Brookes University admitted a higher proportion of privately educated undergraduates than most other UK universities, and more than some highly selective institutions such as the London School of Economics
Rishi Sunak ... arguably only a heartbeat away from the top job or perhaps more aptly in this instance, only two major Boris cock-ups away ... watch this space.
Boris does seem to have the ability to bounce back - I expect it will take a lot more than 2 cock-ups before he is on his way..
Another day and another opportunity for all those wise wags to predict for the umpteenth time how Boris has got it all wrong and the day of reckoning is nearer blah blah blah - the only funny one was Justin 124 [ he who expected incumbency to save all of Scotland's Labour MPs and none of any other party] now sensing this is the moment for Saj and his allies to send letters in to Graham Brady and swiftly bring down he who is nothing short of evil incarnate. As for the rest - the continual diet of sour grapes and acid ink is bad for the digestion. Chill.
As ever, bold moves that lead to success are hailed as masterstrokes; those that fail are damned as hubris.
Time will tell about this one, but given that this government will stand or fall based on the economy, I feel much happier knowing that PM and Chancellor will be in productive alignment instead of hostile paralysis: give me Cameron-Osborne over Blair-Brown any day.
But we don't have Cameron-Osborne. We have Basil-Manuel.
The reshuffle has definitely seen the rise of British Indians. Sunak, Sharma and Braverman are all Indian in a round about way. Indians also hold two of the four great offices of state. That's got to be a first.
Enoch Powell was right.
Non whites have got the whip hand over native white Brits.
And Boris is Turkish.
Boris is Catholic and Raab is Jewish, there is not one white Anglo Saxon Protestant holding the top offices of State now as the Tories are much more multicultural, Starmer is a white working class origin Anglican though
Boris was baptised as a Catholic but then became Anglican. Though I doubt he is religious in any sense whatsoever.
If you are baptised Catholic the Catholic church consider you are always Catholic, if lapsed or very lapsed in the case of Boris
He hasn't lapsed. He chose to leave and embrace an alternative religion, though in name only. Or so I understand.
In reality the only God Boris believes in is himself. To call him a Catholic PM is just nonsensical. He doesn't even pretend to be religious let alone Catholic.
Good. Give me a PM who believes in self-interest over a PM who believes in a magical sky fairy any day.
Most people in the world are religious. Most are not specially good. An Anglican Boris would be 'middle order' not especially good. If you had to be specially good to be religious it would be an identity for just a few.
An Oxford university is struggling to meet targets for widening participation, according to the latest set of official statistics – but it’s not the university you might think.
Oxford Brookes University admitted a higher proportion of privately educated undergraduates than most other UK universities, and more than some highly selective institutions such as the London School of Economics
I doubt it will do Boris any immediate harm, but having the PM and Chancellor as effectively the same person has never been done in this country before. A fundamental 'belt-and-braces' arrangement in British politics has been abolished in an instant. This is huge news.
Cameron/Osborne begs to differ. They were in lockstep and they did a fantastic job.
They were actual allies. Boris doesn't have allies, he has followers and temporary partners.
Yes they were and it worked well, we had joined up government rather than constant bickering between the two.
So if he's not got a natural ally it seems logical to create one, he's got a vast pool of MPs he can promote and doesn't have to rely on cast offs from May and Cameron's days.
Not the same thing - he can promote a flunkey, but an ally is more than just seeking out someone who will say yes all the time or be sacked. It's not even about saying yes, since anyone who works under a PM will need to if they want to remain employed, but the impression that he probably requires people to say yes without any hesitation or critical comment, even friendly, now he has all the power.
I doubt it will do Boris any immediate harm, but having the PM and Chancellor as effectively the same person has never been done in this country before. A fundamental 'belt-and-braces' arrangement in British politics has been abolished in an instant. This is huge news.
Cameron/Osborne begs to differ. They were in lockstep and they did a fantastic job.
They were actual allies. Boris doesn't have allies, he has followers and temporary partners.
Yes they were and it worked well, we had joined up government rather than constant bickering between the two.
So if he's not got a natural ally it seems logical to create one, he's got a vast pool of MPs he can promote and doesn't have to rely on cast offs from May and Cameron's days.
Not the same thing - he can promote a flunkey, but an ally is more than just seeking out someone who will say yes all the time or be sacked. It's not even about saying yes, since anyone who works under a PM will need to if they want to remain employed, but the impression that he probably requires people to say yes without any hesitation or critical comment, even friendly, now he has all the power.
Almost, I think Cummings is the person who everyone has to say yes to, including our clown of a Prime Minister
The reshuffle has definitely seen the rise of British Indians. Sunak, Sharma and Braverman are all Indian in a round about way. Indians also hold two of the four great offices of state. That's got to be a first.
Enoch Powell was right.
Non whites have got the whip hand over native white Brits.
And Boris is Turkish.
Boris is Catholic and Raab is Jewish, there is not one white Anglo Saxon Protestant holding the top offices of State now as the Tories are much more multicultural, Starmer is a white working class origin Anglican though
Boris was baptised as a Catholic but then became Anglican. Though I doubt he is religious in any sense whatsoever.
If you are baptised Catholic the Catholic church consider you are always Catholic, if lapsed or very lapsed in the case of Boris
He hasn't lapsed. He chose to leave and embrace an alternative religion, though in name only. Or so I understand.
In reality the only God Boris believes in is himself. To call him a Catholic PM is just nonsensical. He doesn't even pretend to be religious let alone Catholic.
Good. Give me a PM who believes in self-interest over a PM who believes in a magical sky fairy any day.
You think a PM who thinks only of himself a good thing? Crikey.
No. I think that a PM who does what he does because he thinks a magical sky fairy wants him to do it is a very, very bad thing!
A PM who thinks of himself wants to be re-elected, to be re-elected he needs to do a good job for the country and for the public to think he's the best man or woman for the job.
A PM who does what he thinks a magical sky fairy wants him to do is a much more scary prospect. Someone who believes something is the divine truth is irrational and can not be reasoned with.
I wasn’t comparing the two.
Boris is utterly self-interested. We will see whether that makes him a good PM for the country or not.
But on your religion point, it is worth looking at the role religious belief played in Mrs T’s politics and her political views on liberty and choice - it is rather more interesting than the- to me - silly “sky fairy” approach which misses wholly the role religion has played in the Labour movement and in politicians like Mrs T.
The reshuffle has definitely seen the rise of British Indians. Sunak, Sharma and Braverman are all Indian in a round about way. Indians also hold two of the four great offices of state. That's got to be a first.
Enoch Powell was right.
Non whites have got the whip hand over native white Brits.
And Boris is Turkish.
Boris is Catholic and Raab is Jewish, there is not one white Anglo Saxon Protestant holding the top offices of State now as the Tories are much more multicultural, Starmer is a white working class origin Anglican though
Boris was baptised as a Catholic but then became Anglican. Though I doubt he is religious in any sense whatsoever.
If you are baptised Catholic the Catholic church consider you are always Catholic, if lapsed or very lapsed in the case of Boris
He hasn't lapsed. He chose to leave and embrace an alternative religion, though in name only. Or so I understand.
In reality the only God Boris believes in is himself. To call him a Catholic PM is just nonsensical. He doesn't even pretend to be religious let alone Catholic.
Good. Give me a PM who believes in self-interest over a PM who believes in a magical sky fairy any day.
You think a PM who thinks only of himself a good thing? Crikey.
No. I think that a PM who does what he does because he thinks a magical sky fairy wants him to do it is a very, very bad thing!
A PM who thinks of himself wants to be re-elected, to be re-elected he needs to do a good job for the country and for the public to think he's the best man or woman for the job.
A PM who does what he thinks a magical sky fairy wants him to do is a much more scary prospect. Someone who believes something is the divine truth is irrational and can not be reasoned with.
Anyone who insults those of faith with that quite childish thickheaded description is clearly of little brain or culture. But then we already knew that about you.
So after this great reshuffle by this wonderfully powerful PM, do we have any more idea about what our post-Brexit trade policy is to be and, in particular, our policy re the EU and the implementation of the WA?
Indeed, do we have any idea as to who will be doing the negotiating with the EU? Is there a department with this responsibility? Or a Cabinet Minister?
So after this great reshuffle by this wonderfully powerful PM, do we have any more idea about what our post-Brexit trade policy is to be and, in particular, our policy re the EU and the implementation of the WA?
Indeed, do we have any idea as to who will be doing the negotiating with the EU? Is there a department with this responsibility? Or a Cabinet Minister?
Don't ask questions. Just bask in the radiant glow of a PM at the height of his chief aide's powers.
The appointment of the spectacularly dimwitted Suella Braverman confirns that Johnson is intent on curtailing the independence of the judiciary and that he has no attachment to the UK being a fully-functioning democracy. We are now going to sfind out that all those Brexit-backers who said leaving the EU was all about preserving and enhancing liberty are actually fine with libery being curtailed if it is curtailed by a Tory PM they approve of. None of this is a surprise, of course.
A good day to bury the Extinction Rebellion gardeners.
It's remarkable they are getting their garden spades out to protest the expansion of a coalmine rather than latching on to the worldwide coronavirus story. You'd have thought that was right up their "End is Nigh" street.
Though it does seem as if the giant asteroid will miss us on Saturday.
The appointment of the spectacularly dimwitted Suella Braverman confirns that Johnson is intent on curtailing the independence of the judiciary and that he has no attachment to the UK being a fully-functioning democracy. We are now going to sfind out that all those Brexit-backers who said leaving the EU was all about preserving and enhancing liberty are actually fine with libery being curtailed if it is curtailed by a Tory PM they approve of. None of this is a surprise, of course.
I certainly agree that it looks pretty suspicious that Cox has gone. He would probably have blocked Cumming's madcap scheme to employ only data science graduates as judges.
The appointment of the spectacularly dimwitted Suella Braverman confirns that Johnson is intent on curtailing the independence of the judiciary and that he has no attachment to the UK being a fully-functioning democracy. We are now going to sfind out that all those Brexit-backers who said leaving the EU was all about preserving and enhancing liberty are actually fine with libery being curtailed if it is curtailed by a Tory PM they approve of. None of this is a surprise, of course.
I certainly agree that it looks pretty suspicious that Cox has gone. He would probably have blocked Cumming's madcap scheme to employ only data science graduates as judges.
Johnson has that Trump like quality of firing his former supporters when they have outlived their utility.
That's an important judgement coming from a staunch Conservative supporter such as yourself. Don't tell me they've lost your vote?
You lost your chancellor today, that is always a big deal. The fact it wasn't intended makes it more so.
Pretending this is not a big deal and bad news is just silly.
Who's claiming it wasn't intended?
Indeed. Of course it was. Javid's card was marked with his HS2 screw up. I think Cummings and Johnson have played a blinder.
Blair lacked the balls to sack Brown and by the end it was a devastating mistake to leave Brown in place.
I don't think Javid is Brown but having the PM and Chancellor be in alignment makes sense.
Let's not forget the official title of the Prime Minister that is on the door to Number 10 Downing Street. Having the Treasury and PM at odds is not healthy.
Totally agree. The TB GB relationship was so toxic Labour failed to gain three landslide majorities because of it, and the unhealthy disagreement led to horrendous mistakes like the prime minster getting his way and taking us into the Euro. Those who say it can’t be sweetness an light all the time, things need to be said and argued if you seriously want to take things forward are clearly wrong. Tories have clearly dodged a bullet by weighting cabinet and government only one way. Such a set up can only deliver the best possible government to Great Britain.
That's an important judgement coming from a staunch Conservative supporter such as yourself. Don't tell me they've lost your vote?
You lost your chancellor today, that is always a big deal. The fact it wasn't intended makes it more so.
Pretending this is not a big deal and bad news is just silly.
Who's claiming it wasn't intended?
Indeed. Of course it was. Javid's card was marked with his HS2 screw up. I think Cummings and Johnson have played a blinder.
Blair lacked the balls to sack Brown and by the end it was a devastating mistake to leave Brown in place.
I don't think Javid is Brown but having the PM and Chancellor be in alignment makes sense.
Let's not forget the official title of the Prime Minister that is on the door to Number 10 Downing Street. Having the Treasury and PM at odds is not healthy.
Totally agree. The TB GB relationship was so toxic Labour failed to gain three landslide majorities because of it, and the unhealthy disagreement led to horrendous mistakes like the prime minster getting his way and taking us into the Euro. Those who say it can’t be sweetness an light all the time, things need to be said and argued if you seriously want to take things forward are clearly wrong. Tories have clearly dodged a bullet by weighting cabinet and government only one way. Such a set up can only deliver the best possible government to Great Britain.
The PM loses his Chancellor in a reshuffle and gets a fairly pointed resignation letter and the PB Tories call it triumph...
Comments
That's got to be one hell of a small slice of the UK Venn diagram...
'When the going gets tough, you don't want a criminal lawyer. You want a CRIMINAL lawyer.'
On the strength of her performance at DEFRA the only job I would give to Liz Truss would be minister for the far side of the moon and I would insist that she took up residence there straight away.
https://twitter.com/tnewtondunn/status/1227992776878567424
Seems like a logical bit of joined up government. Who's going to object?
Time will tell about this one, but given that this government will stand or fall based on the economy, I feel much happier knowing that PM and Chancellor will be in productive alignment instead of hostile paralysis: give me Cameron-Osborne over Blair-Brown any day.
In some parts of the world apostasy is punishable by death.
So if he's not got a natural ally it seems logical to create one, he's got a vast pool of MPs he can promote and doesn't have to rely on cast offs from May and Cameron's days.
In reality the only God Boris believes in is himself. To call him a Catholic PM is just nonsensical. He doesn't even pretend to be religious let alone Catholic.
One of the best things about the Cameron era, was just how stable things were. They picked people and really didn't want to move anybody unless they were makes a right balls up of it. Thus you knew if there was a reshuffle, if you took a job you would be trusted to get on with it and not at the mercy of the PM's wife deciding one day they didn't like you because you think Die Hard isn't a Christmas film.
The Sun has a new video of Andrew Roberts comparing Boris with Churchill.
https://youtu.be/1GuppnAdmBI?t=2383
Plus Boris has earned the right to make some bold and unexpected decisions, if any PM has. Not all of them will work out, but I never cease to be amazed by the people who keep automatically underestimating him no matter how many times he defies expectations.
2. No 10 seeking to control everything and not letting other views get a look in is not so good.
3. Advisors or, indeed, anyone being seen as indispensable: a very bad thing.
4. A Chancellor who is - or is perceived as being - simply a mouthpiece for the work of others is not a good thing.
We must hope for 1. But there is a high risk of 2 and 4 turning out to be the case. We already have 3 and it will not turn out well, I guarantee you.
Oxford Brookes University admitted a higher proportion of privately educated undergraduates than most other UK universities, and more than some highly selective institutions such as the London School of Economics
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/feb/13/oxford-brookes-doing-worse-than-university-of-oxford-on-state-school-admissions
Thick poshos all wanting to say they studied in Oxford.
A PM who thinks of himself wants to be re-elected, to be re-elected he needs to do a good job for the country and for the public to think he's the best man or woman for the job.
A PM who does what he thinks a magical sky fairy wants him to do is a much more scary prospect. Someone who believes something is the divine truth is irrational and can not be reasoned with.
#OneNation
Loses her job, so now has more time to spend with Phillip Davies.
https://twitter.com/HumzaYousaf/status/1228001908587147270
Boris is utterly self-interested. We will see whether that makes him a good PM for the country or not.
But on your religion point, it is worth looking at the role religious belief played in Mrs T’s politics and her political views on liberty and choice - it is rather more interesting than the- to me - silly “sky fairy” approach which misses wholly the role religion has played in the Labour movement and in politicians like Mrs T.
He ran a good GE campaign.
Understand he's been shunted out of the cabinet and become a Minister at the FO.
Indeed, do we have any idea as to who will be doing the negotiating with the EU? Is there a department with this responsibility? Or a Cabinet Minister?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/02/13/trump-russia-impeachment-scandal-crossfire-podcast-uk/
https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1227962779899965445?s=19
Seems a bit of a hospital pass to run those on three months notice.
https://twitter.com/sajidjavid/status/1228012635343523840
You do know that rather a lot of politics happens in Westminster, do you?
If they are bad results, she'll get the blame (via Dom's briefings) and if they are good results then it'll be thanks to Boris.
Most of the Conservative Party talent is now on the backbenches, or in minor ministerial roles.
There are some really dunces in key offices of state.