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My Sunak 2022 exit bet is looking better – politicalbetting.com

SystemSystem Posts: 12,623
edited April 2022 in General
imageMy Sunak 2022 exit bet is looking better – politicalbetting.com

As far as what used to be called the broad sheets are concerned there is no doubt what the main story of the day – the tax status of the wife of Chancellor Sunak.

Read the full story here

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Comments

  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 55,508
    First unlike Rishi
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,822
    Rishi's hopes of becoming party leader and PM are dead. But I'm not sure that means he's going to be booted out of No 11 anytime soon.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 19,825
    bigjohnowls said:

    1979: UK was sitting on a revenue bonanza from North Sea Oil, had a National Debt of just £80bn and owned all it's utilities, transport, infrastructure & millions of social homes.

    2020: UK has £2.2Tn national debt & virtually no assets.

    Capitalism has destroyed our kids' future

    How did communion work out for Eastern Europe? Venezuela? Capitalism has its problems for sure, but it’s like democracy, the best of a bad set of options.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,822
    bigjohnowls said:

    1979: UK was sitting on a revenue bonanza from North Sea Oil, had a National Debt of just £80bn and owned all it's utilities, transport, infrastructure & millions of social homes.

    2020: UK has £2.2Tn national debt & virtually no assets.

    Capitalism has destroyed our kids' future

    Given the state of the public finances they inherited from Gordon Brown, you have a point - it's just as well that Osborne, Hammond, Javid and Sunak didn't take Labour's advice and increase the borrowing to even more eye-watering levels, eh?
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 22,435
    Richard_Nabavi said:

    bigjohnowls said:

    1979: UK was sitting on a revenue bonanza from North Sea Oil, had a National Debt of just £80bn and owned all it's utilities, transport, infrastructure & millions of social homes.

    2020: UK has £2.2Tn national debt & virtually no assets.

    Capitalism has destroyed our kids' future

    Given the state of the public finances they inherited from Gordon Brown, you have a point - it's just as well that Osborne, Hammond, Javid and Sunak didn't take Labour's advice and increase the borrowing to even more eye-watering levels, eh?
    It seems to be generally agreed in the economics profession - admittedly within hindsight - that austerity went too far.

    From memory there was no difference between Labour’s plans and Osborne’s out-turn anyway.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Rishi's hopes of becoming party leader and PM are dead. But I'm not sure that means he's going to be booted out of No 11 anytime soon.

    He might walk knowing the dream is over.

    Very few in modern politics seem to stay much longer than is absolutely necessary to be in with a shout at top jobs.

  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,718
    I wonder how much tax she does actually pay in India on her Indian income. Or might we find that affairs have been arranged so that little or none is paid there either?
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 56,314
    The Senate on Thursday unanimously voted to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, sending the legislation to President Biden's desk. It also voted to ban all oil imports and energy products from Russia.

    Both votes were 100-0 — an unusual show of complete bipartisanship on Capitol Hill.

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-trade-relations-senate-suspends/
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    Mirror enjoying themselves...



  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 52,589
    rottenborough said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Rishi's hopes of becoming party leader and PM are dead. But I'm not sure that means he's going to be booted out of No 11 anytime soon.

    He might walk knowing the dream is over.

    Very few in modern politics seem to stay much longer than is absolutely necessary to be in with a shout at top jobs.

    Nah, I don't think so. His chance may come again, though I doubt it. He needs to hang onto the job until the autumn budget, and print some surprises.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 22,435
    Ignore the silly tweet.

    The Indian news clip is interesting in that it points to both the Ukrainian war and Brexit as behind inflation and a forthcoming crunch for the British food industry.

    https://twitter.com/savebritishfood/status/1511988428266782722?s=21&t=GgdNd1UL47sg8lQvtul3hA
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,822
    Gardenwalker said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    bigjohnowls said:

    1979: UK was sitting on a revenue bonanza from North Sea Oil, had a National Debt of just £80bn and owned all it's utilities, transport, infrastructure & millions of social homes.

    2020: UK has £2.2Tn national debt & virtually no assets.

    Capitalism has destroyed our kids' future

    Given the state of the public finances they inherited from Gordon Brown, you have a point - it's just as well that Osborne, Hammond, Javid and Sunak didn't take Labour's advice and increase the borrowing to even more eye-watering levels, eh?
    It seems to be generally agreed in the economics profession - admittedly within hindsight - that austerity went too far.

    From memory there was no difference between Labour’s plans and Osborne’s out-turn anyway.
    There weren't any Labour plans. In the most extraordinarily cynical dereliction of duty, Brown insisted that Darling didn't carry out a spending review. So all we had was a spreadsheet showing the deficit falling, but with absolutely zero indication of what actual measures they would take if re-elected to achieve this, and fierce opposition to the measures that were actually required.

    On the main point, no, Osborne's judgement on the macro-economics was, as I've remarked before, near-perfect. He achieved the amazing feat of getting the public finances he inherited - the worst in Europe bar Greece - back towards sanity in a mere five years, without provoking a big rise in unemployment or a major recession. It was superb. Even more remarkable, public services weren't too badly affected either, although to be fair there was an awful lot of wasteful expenditure inherited from Brown, especially in local government.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    Sun saying Sunak thinks it is Labour chucking the mud about his wife.

    LOL.

  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    Why the feck would Lab throw mud at a CoE who has just delivered a disaster budget as far as working folk are concerned?

    Jeez. They might get him replaced with someone who understands politics...
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 22,435
    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Gardenwalker said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    bigjohnowls said:

    1979: UK was sitting on a revenue bonanza from North Sea Oil, had a National Debt of just £80bn and owned all it's utilities, transport, infrastructure & millions of social homes.

    2020: UK has £2.2Tn national debt & virtually no assets.

    Capitalism has destroyed our kids' future

    Given the state of the public finances they inherited from Gordon Brown, you have a point - it's just as well that Osborne, Hammond, Javid and Sunak didn't take Labour's advice and increase the borrowing to even more eye-watering levels, eh?
    It seems to be generally agreed in the economics profession - admittedly within hindsight - that austerity went too far.

    From memory there was no difference between Labour’s plans and Osborne’s out-turn anyway.
    There weren't any Labour plans. In the most extraordinarily cynical dereliction of duty, Brown insisted that Darling didn't carry out a spending review. So all we had was a spreadsheet showing the deficit falling, but with absolutely zero indication of what actual measures they would take if re-elected to achieve this, and fierce opposition to the measures that were actually required.

    On the main point, no, Osborne's judgement on the macro-economics was, as I've remarked before, near-perfect. He achieved the amazing feat of getting the public finances he inherited - the worst in Europe bar Greece - back towards sanity in a mere five years, without provoking a big rise in unemployment or a major recession. It was superb. Even more remarkable, public services weren't too badly affected either, although to be fair there was an awful lot of wasteful expenditure inherited from Brown, especially in local government.
    Fair point on Labour’s dereliction.

    Regarding Osborne’s near perfect record, I think public services have turned out to be quite badly affected, tho it took a few years to fully realise.

    He also - like most Chancellors - failed to invest in infra, and relied on house price inflation to maintain animal spirits.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,822
    Farooq said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    bigjohnowls said:

    1979: UK was sitting on a revenue bonanza from North Sea Oil, had a National Debt of just £80bn and owned all it's utilities, transport, infrastructure & millions of social homes.

    2020: UK has £2.2Tn national debt & virtually no assets.

    Capitalism has destroyed our kids' future

    Given the state of the public finances they inherited from Gordon Brown, you have a point - it's just as well that Osborne, Hammond, Javid and Sunak didn't take Labour's advice and increase the borrowing to even more eye-watering levels, eh?
    It's doubled since the Conservatives took over
    Indeed. That's what happens when you inherit an eye-wateringly large deficit, followed by a unprecedented global pandemic requiring massive support.

    Mind you, since 2019 the public finances have also been badly hit by the particularly insane form of Brexit which the current ex-Tory government has chosen, and you won't find me defending that.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 55,508
    edited April 2022
    ..
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 56,314
    Gardenwalker said:

    Ignore the silly tweet.

    The Indian news clip is interesting in that it points to both the Ukrainian war and Brexit as behind inflation and a forthcoming crunch for the British food industry.

    https://twitter.com/savebritishfood/status/1511988428266782722?s=21&t=GgdNd1UL47sg8lQvtul3hA

    A slightly odd report:

    "The British government is likely to raise food prices" - Do they think we have nationalised food production?

    "UK consumers are already facing bigger inflation than other European nations" - Inflation hit 7.6 percent in Germany in March...
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 33,486
    Foxy said:

    rottenborough said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Rishi's hopes of becoming party leader and PM are dead. But I'm not sure that means he's going to be booted out of No 11 anytime soon.

    He might walk knowing the dream is over.

    Very few in modern politics seem to stay much longer than is absolutely necessary to be in with a shout at top jobs.

    Nah, I don't think so. His chance may come again, though I doubt it. He needs to hang onto the job until the autumn budget, and print some surprises.
    Quantative Easing? The last resort of the scoundrel.

    I do feel somewhat sorry for Richy Rich. He was within touching distance of becoming Prime Minister, and man would he have been a vast improvement on his predecessor. Had he resigned on Johnson's Jimmy Savile slur at the height of Partygate, he would be explaining his wife's tax affairs away as PM today.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,822
    Gardenwalker said:



    Fair point on Labour’s dereliction.

    Regarding Osborne’s near perfect record, I think public services have turned out to be quite badly affected, tho it took a few years to fully realise.

    He also - like most Chancellors - failed to invest in infra, and relied on house price inflation to maintain animal spirits.

    I partially agree on the public services point from around 2015 onwards. 'Austerity' (silly word!) probably did go on too long, although you also have to factor in the increasing share of public expenditure on the NHS and social care, which was always bound to hit everything else given finite resources.
  • londonpubmanlondonpubman Posts: 3,704
    Sunil_Prasannan said:

    Devenir Gris
    Devenir Gris

    👍 Visage
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 129,521
    edited April 2022
    rottenborough said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Rishi's hopes of becoming party leader and PM are dead. But I'm not sure that means he's going to be booted out of No 11 anytime soon.

    He might walk knowing the dream is over.

    Very few in modern politics seem to stay much longer than is absolutely necessary to be in with a shout at top jobs.

    Indeed, Portillo, David Miliband, Blair, Osborne, Hague, Cameron, maybe now Sunak, they all seem to walk away from politics once the top job has eluded them or has ended for them.

    In the past however Churchill, Attlee, Heath, Heseltine, Benn, Wilson, Thatcher, Tebbit etc all stayed in the political arena in some form whether as a backbencher or in the Lords so it could benefit from their status as elder statesmen or stateswomen. Theresa May to her credit and Ed Miliband too have stuck around well after their period at the top rank has ended to still give service to Parliament and their party and the public
  • Gary_BurtonGary_Burton Posts: 737
    COTE HEATH BY-ELECTION

    Conservative - 55.5%
    Labour - 39.2%
    Green - 5.3%

    Conservstive GAIN
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    Robert Largan
    @robertlargan
    ·
    10m
    COTE HEATH BY-ELECTION

    Conservative - 55.5% (+8.6%)
    Labour - 39.2% (-14.7%)
    Green - 5.3% (+5.3%)

    Conservstive GAIN - 11.7% swing

    LABOUR LOSE CONTROL OF HIGH PEAK COUNCIL
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 55,508
    rottenborough said:

    Robert Largan
    @robertlargan
    ·
    10m
    COTE HEATH BY-ELECTION

    Conservative - 55.5% (+8.6%)
    Labour - 39.2% (-14.7%)
    Green - 5.3% (+5.3%)

    Conservstive GAIN - 11.7% swing

    LABOUR LOSE CONTROL OF HIGH PEAK COUNCIL

    Didn't they get the memo? Jeez :lol:
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,749
    One thing that strikes me is how toxic it is for the PM to fall out with the Chancellor -Blair and Brown were excellent partners until they weren't, and you can measure the decline in Labour's popularity from when that went wrong. You need a deep level of personal friendship that overrides the temptation to blame the other guy when things get difficult - Cameron and Osborne had it, as in Opposition did Corbyn and McDonnell. Starmer and Reeves seem to get along OK, but the partnership hasn't really been tested yet.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 33,486
    rottenborough said:

    Sun saying Sunak thinks it is Labour chucking the mud about his wife.

    LOL.

    Payback for the unattributed photographer who took the Partygate garden photos?
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    NickPalmer said:

    One thing that strikes me is how toxic it is for the PM to fall out with the Chancellor -Blair and Brown were excellent partners until they weren't, and you can measure the decline in Labour's popularity from when that went wrong. You need a deep level of personal friendship that overrides the temptation to blame the other guy when things get difficult - Cameron and Osborne had it, as in Opposition did Corbyn and McDonnell. Starmer and Reeves seem to get along OK, but the partnership hasn't really been tested yet.

    Lawson - Thatcher.

    Was going well until Thatch started listening to Alan Walters iirc.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    Sunil_Prasannan said:

    rottenborough said:

    Robert Largan
    @robertlargan
    ·
    10m
    COTE HEATH BY-ELECTION

    Conservative - 55.5% (+8.6%)
    Labour - 39.2% (-14.7%)
    Green - 5.3% (+5.3%)

    Conservstive GAIN - 11.7% swing

    LABOUR LOSE CONTROL OF HIGH PEAK COUNCIL

    Didn't they get the memo? Jeez :lol:
    I know. Cost of living etc.

    The Green standing wont have helped.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 64,036
    Bet on Trump


    ⚠️ Graphic ⚠️ Mentally ill homeless man set on fire on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Spider Man tries to put him out. These are the horrors of letting 100k sick and addicted people roam free with no standards or law & order across the city. @ShellenbergerMD @Twolfrecovery


    https://twitter.com/streetpeoplela/status/1499819475817811971?s=21&t=XAFNmqc3-W-QXzdojEwIDQ

    https://twitter.com/streetpeoplela/status/1496516203346796548?s=21&t=XAFNmqc3-W-QXzdojEwIDQ

    https://twitter.com/streetpeoplela/status/1507495218051837953?s=21&t=XAFNmqc3-W-QXzdojEwIDQ
  • Gary_BurtonGary_Burton Posts: 737
    Brookside (Telford and Wrekin) council by-election result:

    LAB: 58.8% (+20.0)
    CON: 35.2% (+11.8)
    LDEM: 6.0% (-11.6)

    No UKIP (-20.2) as prev.

    Votes cast: 903

    Labour HOLD.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    Mexicanpete said:

    Foxy said:

    rottenborough said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Rishi's hopes of becoming party leader and PM are dead. But I'm not sure that means he's going to be booted out of No 11 anytime soon.

    He might walk knowing the dream is over.

    Very few in modern politics seem to stay much longer than is absolutely necessary to be in with a shout at top jobs.

    Nah, I don't think so. His chance may come again, though I doubt it. He needs to hang onto the job until the autumn budget, and print some surprises.
    Quantative Easing? The last resort of the scoundrel.

    I do feel somewhat sorry for Richy Rich. He was within touching distance of becoming Prime Minister, and man would he have been a vast improvement on his predecessor. Had he resigned on Johnson's Jimmy Savile slur at the height of Partygate, he would be explaining his wife's tax affairs away as PM today.
    I said at the time, he had to seize the moment or he was the David Miliband of Tories.

    He kept his powder dry and now will never be PM.

  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 86,791
    edited April 2022
    After events in Bucha, I am launching the #russianlooters column. Our technology will find all of them..
    Shchebenkov Vadym stole more than 100 kg of clothes from UA families and sent them from Mozyr, Belarus, to his hometown of Chita.
    https://twitter.com/FedorovMykhailo/status/1512101359411154953?s=20&t=DOKRX5hxWUWqXG3Knk2YVg
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 33,486
    Farooq said:

    NickPalmer said:

    One thing that strikes me is how toxic it is for the PM to fall out with the Chancellor -Blair and Brown were excellent partners until they weren't, and you can measure the decline in Labour's popularity from when that went wrong. You need a deep level of personal friendship that overrides the temptation to blame the other guy when things get difficult - Cameron and Osborne had it, as in Opposition did Corbyn and McDonnell. Starmer and Reeves seem to get along OK, but the partnership hasn't really been tested yet.

    Does Boris even have friends? At a distance, everything looks a bit transactional with him.
    He knows plenty of people who will sub him when he's short of a grand or fifty.

    I wish I had friends like that.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,822
    Farooq said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Farooq said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    bigjohnowls said:

    1979: UK was sitting on a revenue bonanza from North Sea Oil, had a National Debt of just £80bn and owned all it's utilities, transport, infrastructure & millions of social homes.

    2020: UK has £2.2Tn national debt & virtually no assets.

    Capitalism has destroyed our kids' future

    Given the state of the public finances they inherited from Gordon Brown, you have a point - it's just as well that Osborne, Hammond, Javid and Sunak didn't take Labour's advice and increase the borrowing to even more eye-watering levels, eh?
    It's doubled since the Conservatives took over
    Indeed. That's what happens when you inherit an eye-wateringly large deficit, followed by a unprecedented global pandemic requiring massive support.

    Mind you, since 2019 the public finances have also been badly hit by the particularly insane form of Brexit which the current ex-Tory government has chosen, and you won't find me defending that.
    That's one of those irregular verbs, isn't it?
    You run up an eye-watering deficit, I was required to offer support for an unprecedented situation.
    Possibly, but the question is what you do next. You can make out a case to justify the eye-watering deficit of 2009/10 (although I think it's a pretty weak one, given how wasteful much of the expenditure was and had been for years), and no-one sane is going to argue that the Covid crisis didn't require huge intervention, but you still need to do something to get things back on track afterwards.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 99,258
    NickPalmer said:

    One thing that strikes me is how toxic it is for the PM to fall out with the Chancellor -Blair and Brown were excellent partners until they weren't, and you can measure the decline in Labour's popularity from when that went wrong. You need a deep level of personal friendship that overrides the temptation to blame the other guy when things get difficult - Cameron and Osborne had it, as in Opposition did Corbyn and McDonnell. Starmer and Reeves seem to get along OK, but the partnership hasn't really been tested yet.

    Hopefully we will be spared the insulting years of denial that Blair and Brown were at each other's throats.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 33,486
    Farooq said:

    Mexicanpete said:

    Farooq said:

    NickPalmer said:

    One thing that strikes me is how toxic it is for the PM to fall out with the Chancellor -Blair and Brown were excellent partners until they weren't, and you can measure the decline in Labour's popularity from when that went wrong. You need a deep level of personal friendship that overrides the temptation to blame the other guy when things get difficult - Cameron and Osborne had it, as in Opposition did Corbyn and McDonnell. Starmer and Reeves seem to get along OK, but the partnership hasn't really been tested yet.

    Does Boris even have friends? At a distance, everything looks a bit transactional with him.
    He knows plenty of people who will sub him when he's short of a grand or fifty.

    I wish I had friends like that.
    Will they be around to chuck money to him after he's out of power?
    You mean his benefactors expect something in return? Wash your mouth out!
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    Robert Reich
    @RBReich
    ·
    2h
    A Black woman will now serve on the same court that once upheld segregation.
  • another_richardanother_richard Posts: 28,066
    Farooq said:

    rottenborough said:

    Sunil_Prasannan said:

    rottenborough said:

    Robert Largan
    @robertlargan
    ·
    10m
    COTE HEATH BY-ELECTION

    Conservative - 55.5% (+8.6%)
    Labour - 39.2% (-14.7%)
    Green - 5.3% (+5.3%)

    Conservstive GAIN - 11.7% swing

    LABOUR LOSE CONTROL OF HIGH PEAK COUNCIL

    Didn't they get the memo? Jeez :lol:
    I know. Cost of living etc.

    The Green standing wont have helped.
    wasn't that the ward that had a radical boundary change? I think someone predicted this would be an easy gain for Conservative earlier today?
    I've never heard of a byelection on new boundaries.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 33,486
    rottenborough said:

    Mexicanpete said:

    Foxy said:

    rottenborough said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Rishi's hopes of becoming party leader and PM are dead. But I'm not sure that means he's going to be booted out of No 11 anytime soon.

    He might walk knowing the dream is over.

    Very few in modern politics seem to stay much longer than is absolutely necessary to be in with a shout at top jobs.

    Nah, I don't think so. His chance may come again, though I doubt it. He needs to hang onto the job until the autumn budget, and print some surprises.
    Quantative Easing? The last resort of the scoundrel.

    I do feel somewhat sorry for Richy Rich. He was within touching distance of becoming Prime Minister, and man would he have been a vast improvement on his predecessor. Had he resigned on Johnson's Jimmy Savile slur at the height of Partygate, he would be explaining his wife's tax affairs away as PM today.
    I said at the time, he had to seize the moment or he was the David Miliband of Tories.

    He kept his powder dry and now will never be PM.

    He can't be as clever as he claims if he couldn't see his window of opportunity closing as economic Armageddon loomed large on the horizon.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,822
    Awkward. if true...

    Sam Coates Sky @SamCoatesSky

    My analysis on Rishi Sunak’s woes - and whether things might get worse

    Did he have a US Green Card - declaring himself “permanent US resident” - during his first year as Chancellor?

    No denial tonight from Treasury, who only say he doesn’t have one now

    https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-is-in-his-most-difficult-period-as-chancellor-and-it-could-be-about-to-get-worse-12584829
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 36,860
    edited April 2022
    rottenborough said:

    Robert Largan
    @robertlargan
    ·
    10m
    COTE HEATH BY-ELECTION

    Conservative - 55.5% (+8.6%)
    Labour - 39.2% (-14.7%)
    Green - 5.3% (+5.3%)

    Conservstive GAIN - 11.7% swing

    LABOUR LOSE CONTROL OF HIGH PEAK COUNCIL

    Labour were defending a 2 vote majority in this ward according to someone on the VoteUK forum.
  • Wulfrun_PhilWulfrun_Phil Posts: 4,784
    edited April 2022
    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Gardenwalker said:



    It seems to be generally agreed in the economics profession - admittedly within hindsight - that austerity went too far.

    From memory there was no difference between Labour’s plans and Osborne’s out-turn anyway.

    There weren't any Labour plans. In the most extraordinarily cynical dereliction of duty, Brown insisted that Darling didn't carry out a spending review. So all we had was a spreadsheet showing the deficit falling, but with absolutely zero indication of what actual measures they would take if re-elected to achieve this, and fierce opposition to the measures that were actually required.

    On the main point, no, Osborne's judgement on the macro-economics was, as I've remarked before, near-perfect. He achieved the amazing feat of getting the public finances he inherited - the worst in Europe bar Greece - back towards sanity in a mere five years, without provoking a big rise in unemployment or a major recession. It was superb. Even more remarkable, public services weren't too badly affected either, although to be fair there was an awful lot of wasteful expenditure inherited from Brown, especially in local government.
    That's a Trumpian rewriting of economic history.

    Osborne achieved the amazing feat of killing the nascent GDP recovery in Q2 and Q3 2010 stone dead by exaggerating the parlous state of the UK economy and killing confidence stone dead with the scale of his spending cuts. Because the economy tanked for the next two years, income coming into the public finances also tanked and GDP flatlined for two years. The level of the PSBR had hardly narrowed after five years when his initial plan was to have eliminated it. With the exception of the austerity focused Eurozone, growth in other economies recovered in those initial years after 2010 in contrast to the UK. As he failed to meet his targets, Osborne just doubled down with further public spending cuts as did Hammond in his wake. Public services and the social security safety net were actually decimated and haven't recovered. And private sector debt - that is the level of indebtedness of the general public - has soared.

    And yet, before he risibly tried to blame the 2008 financial crisis on Labour's public spending record, the irony was that Osborne had accepted Labour's public spending plans as late as the Autumn of 2007.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6975536.stm

    BBC News, 3rd September 2007 "Tories 'to match Labour spending'"
  • Gary_BurtonGary_Burton Posts: 737
    Farooq said:

    rottenborough said:

    Sunil_Prasannan said:

    rottenborough said:

    Robert Largan
    @robertlargan
    ·
    10m
    COTE HEATH BY-ELECTION

    Conservative - 55.5% (+8.6%)
    Labour - 39.2% (-14.7%)
    Green - 5.3% (+5.3%)

    Conservstive GAIN - 11.7% swing

    LABOUR LOSE CONTROL OF HIGH PEAK COUNCIL

    Didn't they get the memo? Jeez :lol:
    I know. Cost of living etc.

    The Green standing wont have helped.
    wasn't that the ward that had a radical boundary change? I think someone predicted this would be an easy gain for Conservative earlier today?
    No boundary changes. It was a split ward in 2019 with only two votes between the top Tory and Labour candidates so a Tory win wasn't a surprise. The % drop figure for Labour is wrong/exaggerated though.

    Just over 1000 votes cast so turnout was about the same as 2019 (~31%) I think.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 33,486
    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Awkward. if true...

    Sam Coates Sky @SamCoatesSky

    My analysis on Rishi Sunak’s woes - and whether things might get worse

    Did he have a US Green Card - declaring himself “permanent US resident” - during his first year as Chancellor?

    No denial tonight from Treasury, who only say he doesn’t have one now

    https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-is-in-his-most-difficult-period-as-chancellor-and-it-could-be-about-to-get-worse-12584829

    What I really can't understand is were these revelations about Johnson he would easily and happily survive. Poor old Sunak will probably fall on his sword sooner rather than later.

    Nadine for Cof E anyone?
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 36,860
    Leon said:

    Bet on Trump


    ⚠️ Graphic ⚠️ Mentally ill homeless man set on fire on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Spider Man tries to put him out. These are the horrors of letting 100k sick and addicted people roam free with no standards or law & order across the city. @ShellenbergerMD @Twolfrecovery


    https://twitter.com/streetpeoplela/status/1499819475817811971?s=21&t=XAFNmqc3-W-QXzdojEwIDQ

    https://twitter.com/streetpeoplela/status/1496516203346796548?s=21&t=XAFNmqc3-W-QXzdojEwIDQ

    https://twitter.com/streetpeoplela/status/1507495218051837953?s=21&t=XAFNmqc3-W-QXzdojEwIDQ

    People used to say California in the 1990s was one of the best places in the world to live.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,822
    Mexicanpete said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Awkward. if true...

    Sam Coates Sky @SamCoatesSky

    My analysis on Rishi Sunak’s woes - and whether things might get worse

    Did he have a US Green Card - declaring himself “permanent US resident” - during his first year as Chancellor?

    No denial tonight from Treasury, who only say he doesn’t have one now

    https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-is-in-his-most-difficult-period-as-chancellor-and-it-could-be-about-to-get-worse-12584829

    What I really can't understand is were these revelations about Johnson he would easily and happily survive. Poor old Sunak will probably fall on his sword sooner rather than later.

    Nadine for Cof E anyone?
    Aaagh! I'm off to bed and I'm going to have nightmares now!
  • mwadamsmwadams Posts: 3,776
    https://twitter.com/BritainElects/status/1512199010026766337?t=mcOCqEWzSTO1AaojgNDTjA&s=19

    What happened here?
  • another_richardanother_richard Posts: 28,066
    Andy_JS said:

    Leon said:

    Bet on Trump


    ⚠️ Graphic ⚠️ Mentally ill homeless man set on fire on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Spider Man tries to put him out. These are the horrors of letting 100k sick and addicted people roam free with no standards or law & order across the city. @ShellenbergerMD @Twolfrecovery


    https://twitter.com/streetpeoplela/status/1499819475817811971?s=21&t=XAFNmqc3-W-QXzdojEwIDQ

    https://twitter.com/streetpeoplela/status/1496516203346796548?s=21&t=XAFNmqc3-W-QXzdojEwIDQ

    https://twitter.com/streetpeoplela/status/1507495218051837953?s=21&t=XAFNmqc3-W-QXzdojEwIDQ

    People used to say California in the 1990s was one of the best places in the world to live.
    It would depend upon how much money you had.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 86,791
    “It’s all coming from No 10,” one ally of Mr Sunak told The Telegraph. “Rishi's the only credible show in town.

    “Ever since he sat down from the Spring Statement, it’s been one thing after the other. I don’t think it’s in anyone's interest other than the Prime Minister’s.”

    The source added of the tensions over spending: “The Prime Minister loves to be loved. He really doesn’t have any principles at all. It is just about trying to maintain his popularity.”

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/04/07/rishi-sunaks-bad-press-could-conspiracy-coincidence/
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 19,393
    rottenborough said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Awkward. if true...

    Sam Coates Sky @SamCoatesSky

    My analysis on Rishi Sunak’s woes - and whether things might get worse

    Did he have a US Green Card - declaring himself “permanent US resident” - during his first year as Chancellor?

    No denial tonight from Treasury, who only say he doesn’t have one now

    https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-is-in-his-most-difficult-period-as-chancellor-and-it-could-be-about-to-get-worse-12584829

    "The chancellor has decided not to go to his Californian bolthole over this parliamentary recess, despite the speculation he might. Yorkshire beckons again for him, having failed to get to the US over Christmas and complaints he desperately needs a holiday."

    Jeez.

    There's so much tin in the ear he may as well move to Cornwall.
    At some point, we have to consider the possibility that this is all a cry for help; his subconcious doesn't want to be in politics any more, but he can't say it out loud.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 86,791
    edited April 2022
    Former police chiefs claim shoplifting has been effectively decriminalised for goods below £200 after Government changed the law in 2020

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/04/07/shoplifting-prosecutions-all-time-low-amid-warnings-thefts-will/

    This kind of policy has caused major problems in US.
  • Jim_MillerJim_Miller Posts: 3,452
    As a non-dom, can Mrs. Rishi vote for Mr. Rishi?
  • RogerRoger Posts: 20,842
    rottenborough said:

    Sun saying Sunak thinks it is Labour chucking the mud about his wife.

    LOL.

    LOL! Indeed!

    A clue.

    He's blond.
    He likes dressing up.
    And he's been smiling like a Cheshire cat all day!

  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 36,860
    FrancisUrquhart said:

    Former police chiefs claim shoplifting has been effectively decriminalised for goods below £200 after Government changed the law in 2020

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/04/07/shoplifting-prosecutions-all-time-low-amid-warnings-thefts-will/

    This kind of policy has caused major problems in US.

    They need to change it back again then.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    Stuartinromford said:

    rottenborough said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Awkward. if true...

    Sam Coates Sky @SamCoatesSky

    My analysis on Rishi Sunak’s woes - and whether things might get worse

    Did he have a US Green Card - declaring himself “permanent US resident” - during his first year as Chancellor?

    No denial tonight from Treasury, who only say he doesn’t have one now

    https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-is-in-his-most-difficult-period-as-chancellor-and-it-could-be-about-to-get-worse-12584829

    "The chancellor has decided not to go to his Californian bolthole over this parliamentary recess, despite the speculation he might. Yorkshire beckons again for him, having failed to get to the US over Christmas and complaints he desperately needs a holiday."

    Jeez.

    There's so much tin in the ear he may as well move to Cornwall.
    At some point, we have to consider the possibility that this is all a cry for help; his subconcious doesn't want to be in politics any more, but he can't say it out loud.
    When I was growing up we regularly had holidays in Richmondshire. Wonderful times. Beautiful scenery. Stunning walks. Tumbling rivers. Open moors. Wide skies. Purple heather.

    If it is not good enough for him then he can just go feck himself in Santa Monica.


  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    Roger said:

    rottenborough said:

    Sun saying Sunak thinks it is Labour chucking the mud about his wife.

    LOL.

    LOL! Indeed!

    A clue.

    He's blond.
    He likes dressing up.
    And he's been smiling like a Cheshire cat all day!

    And iirc the Australian team are back in No 10 managing the removal of barnacles before 2024.

    Pure coincidence.



  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 86,791
    edited April 2022
    rottenborough said:

    Roger said:

    rottenborough said:

    Sun saying Sunak thinks it is Labour chucking the mud about his wife.

    LOL.

    LOL! Indeed!

    A clue.

    He's blond.
    He likes dressing up.
    And he's been smiling like a Cheshire cat all day!

    And iirc the Australian team are back in No 10 managing the removal of barnacles before 2024.

    Pure coincidence.



    They also hired a former Murdoch man to do digital comms, and Guto Harri if I remember correctly.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 19,393
    mwadams said:

    https://twitter.com/BritainElects/status/1512199010026766337?t=mcOCqEWzSTO1AaojgNDTjA&s=19

    What happened here?

    What hasn't happened here? The Britain Elects preview is a masterpiece;

    https://medium.com/britainelects/andrew-teales-council-by-election-previews-for-7th-april-2022-4e3460f4788a

    (Serious point: many local by-elections are much more to do with the madness of local people than the rosettes they happen to wear.)
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 6,779
    rottenborough said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Awkward. if true...

    Sam Coates Sky @SamCoatesSky

    My analysis on Rishi Sunak’s woes - and whether things might get worse

    Did he have a US Green Card - declaring himself “permanent US resident” - during his first year as Chancellor?

    No denial tonight from Treasury, who only say he doesn’t have one now

    https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-is-in-his-most-difficult-period-as-chancellor-and-it-could-be-about-to-get-worse-12584829

    "The chancellor has decided not to go to his Californian bolthole over this parliamentary recess, despite the speculation he might. Yorkshire beckons again for him, having failed to get to the US over Christmas and complaints he desperately needs a holiday."

    Jeez.

    There's so much tin in the ear he may as well move to Cornwall.
    Santa Monica has some nice restaurants and hotels, but it’s not exactly Xanadu once you leave the flat. Can’t go for a walk on the front after breakfast without falling over victims of America’s homelessness crisis.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    edited April 2022
    Jim_Miller said:

    As a non-dom, can Mrs. Rishi vote for Mr. Rishi?

    His wife has been added to wikipedia's list of non-doms already.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_people_with_non-domiciled_status_in_the_UK&action=history

  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 22,435
    rottenborough said:

    Roger said:

    rottenborough said:

    Sun saying Sunak thinks it is Labour chucking the mud about his wife.

    LOL.

    LOL! Indeed!

    A clue.

    He's blond.
    He likes dressing up.
    And he's been smiling like a Cheshire cat all day!

    And iirc the Australian team are back in No 10 managing the removal of barnacles before 2024.

    Pure coincidence.



    That doesn’t mesh with weird distractions like Ch 4 privatisation though, or voting “reform” or Raab’s “Bill of Rights”.

    No one is calling for any of these things, they emerge from some weird, cultish Britannia Unchained Id.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 33,486
    Roger said:

    rottenborough said:

    Sun saying Sunak thinks it is Labour chucking the mud about his wife.

    LOL.

    LOL! Indeed!

    A clue.

    He's blond.
    He likes dressing up.
    And he's been smiling like a Cheshire cat all day!

    Yes he was dressed up in his hi viz and very animated on having just invented mini nukes.

    Although I wasn't sure whether the enthusiastic gurning wasn't simply wind.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    carnforth said:

    rottenborough said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Awkward. if true...

    Sam Coates Sky @SamCoatesSky

    My analysis on Rishi Sunak’s woes - and whether things might get worse

    Did he have a US Green Card - declaring himself “permanent US resident” - during his first year as Chancellor?

    No denial tonight from Treasury, who only say he doesn’t have one now

    https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-is-in-his-most-difficult-period-as-chancellor-and-it-could-be-about-to-get-worse-12584829

    "The chancellor has decided not to go to his Californian bolthole over this parliamentary recess, despite the speculation he might. Yorkshire beckons again for him, having failed to get to the US over Christmas and complaints he desperately needs a holiday."

    Jeez.

    There's so much tin in the ear he may as well move to Cornwall.
    Santa Monica has some nice restaurants and hotels, but it’s not exactly Xanadu once you leave the flat. Can’t go for a walk on the front after breakfast without falling over victims of America’s homelessness crisis.
    I'd rather stay up in Richmond myself.

  • kle4kle4 Posts: 99,258
    Stuartinromford said:

    mwadams said:

    https://twitter.com/BritainElects/status/1512199010026766337?t=mcOCqEWzSTO1AaojgNDTjA&s=19

    What happened here?

    What hasn't happened here? The Britain Elects preview is a masterpiece;

    https://medium.com/britainelects/andrew-teales-council-by-election-previews-for-7th-april-2022-4e3460f4788a

    (Serious point: many local by-elections are much more to do with the madness of local people than the rosettes they happen to wear.)
    Absolutely. Often low turnouts and small wards make for a potent mix when personalities and parties fall out, or some local issue barges its way onto the scene. That's why they can be so fun.

    I also love this.

    Daryl Turner has now left the scene and relocated to Wales, leaving behind a blistering resignation letter from February attacking the Dorset council leadership for (among other things) raising council tax. Spencer Flower’s response to the loss of a colleague was graceless enough that the cattiest bit is worth quoting: “I am aware of his deep-rooted disappointment when he was not offered a position on the Cabinet following the May 2019 elections and it was equally disappointing for all his colleagues that Daryl found being a team player such a challenge
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 6,779
    Can Sunak take advantage of things like Married couples allowance if his wife is a non dom?
  • theProletheProle Posts: 1,438
    Farooq said:

    rottenborough said:

    Sunil_Prasannan said:

    rottenborough said:

    Robert Largan
    @robertlargan
    ·
    10m
    COTE HEATH BY-ELECTION

    Conservative - 55.5% (+8.6%)
    Labour - 39.2% (-14.7%)
    Green - 5.3% (+5.3%)

    Conservstive GAIN - 11.7% swing

    LABOUR LOSE CONTROL OF HIGH PEAK COUNCIL

    Didn't they get the memo? Jeez :lol:
    I know. Cost of living etc.

    The Green standing wont have helped.
    wasn't that the ward that had a radical boundary change? I think someone predicted this would be an easy gain for Conservative earlier today?
    The Tory candidate is a decent bloke and fairly well known in the area - I'm not sure what who he works for now, but when I first ran into him he was an MOT tester, which is a job where you meet a lot of people - I wouldn't be shocked if 10% of in the ward know him by sight (it's not exactly a big place).

    Also loads of new housing going up in the ward, no idea what it's doing to the demographics (they aren't cheap - a new house there the same as mine is £300k+, mine in the cheap bit of town cost me £90k ten years ago, and is now worth about £130k...
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 129,521
    rottenborough said:

    Stuartinromford said:

    rottenborough said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Awkward. if true...

    Sam Coates Sky @SamCoatesSky

    My analysis on Rishi Sunak’s woes - and whether things might get worse

    Did he have a US Green Card - declaring himself “permanent US resident” - during his first year as Chancellor?

    No denial tonight from Treasury, who only say he doesn’t have one now

    https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-is-in-his-most-difficult-period-as-chancellor-and-it-could-be-about-to-get-worse-12584829

    "The chancellor has decided not to go to his Californian bolthole over this parliamentary recess, despite the speculation he might. Yorkshire beckons again for him, having failed to get to the US over Christmas and complaints he desperately needs a holiday."

    Jeez.

    There's so much tin in the ear he may as well move to Cornwall.
    At some point, we have to consider the possibility that this is all a cry for help; his subconcious doesn't want to be in politics any more, but he can't say it out loud.
    When I was growing up we regularly had holidays in Richmondshire. Wonderful times. Beautiful scenery. Stunning walks. Tumbling rivers. Open moors. Wide skies. Purple heather.

    If it is not good enough for him then he can just go feck himself in Santa Monica.


    Both are good enough for him, hence he and his wife have a country mansion in Richmondshire, a beach side apartment in Santa Monica and a town mansion in Kensington as well as Dorneywood and No 11
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    The Floyd are back. One off single for Ukr:



    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saEpkcVi1d4
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 67,272
    Gardenwalker said:

    rottenborough said:

    Roger said:

    rottenborough said:

    Sun saying Sunak thinks it is Labour chucking the mud about his wife.

    LOL.

    LOL! Indeed!

    A clue.

    He's blond.
    He likes dressing up.
    And he's been smiling like a Cheshire cat all day!

    And iirc the Australian team are back in No 10 managing the removal of barnacles before 2024.

    Pure coincidence.



    That doesn’t mesh with weird distractions like Ch 4 privatisation though, or voting “reform” or Raab’s “Bill of Rights”.

    No one is calling for any of these things, they emerge from some weird, cultish Britannia Unchained Id.
    Maybe the aussies have only just gotten started on the removal of all bollx.

    Summer reshuffle will tell us a lot more about priorities.

    Nad is gone I think.

    Patel gone.

    Gove moved from levelling at his own request.

    Promotion for Wallace. Possibly means Truss gets the good bye tears.

  • mwadamsmwadams Posts: 3,776
    Stuartinromford said:

    mwadams said:

    https://twitter.com/BritainElects/status/1512199010026766337?t=mcOCqEWzSTO1AaojgNDTjA&s=19

    What happened here?

    What hasn't happened here? The Britain Elects preview is a masterpiece;

    https://medium.com/britainelects/andrew-teales-council-by-election-previews-for-7th-april-2022-4e3460f4788a

    (Serious point: many local by-elections are much more to do with the madness of local people than the rosettes they happen to wear.)
    That is simply magnificent.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 55,508
    HYUFD said:

    rottenborough said:

    Stuartinromford said:

    rottenborough said:

    Richard_Nabavi said:

    Awkward. if true...

    Sam Coates Sky @SamCoatesSky

    My analysis on Rishi Sunak’s woes - and whether things might get worse

    Did he have a US Green Card - declaring himself “permanent US resident” - during his first year as Chancellor?

    No denial tonight from Treasury, who only say he doesn’t have one now

    https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-is-in-his-most-difficult-period-as-chancellor-and-it-could-be-about-to-get-worse-12584829

    "The chancellor has decided not to go to his Californian bolthole over this parliamentary recess, despite the speculation he might. Yorkshire beckons again for him, having failed to get to the US over Christmas and complaints he desperately needs a holiday."

    Jeez.

    There's so much tin in the ear he may as well move to Cornwall.
    At some point, we have to consider the possibility that this is all a cry for help; his subconcious doesn't want to be in politics any more, but he can't say it out loud.
    When I was growing up we regularly had holidays in Richmondshire. Wonderful times. Beautiful scenery. Stunning walks. Tumbling rivers. Open moors. Wide skies. Purple heather.

    If it is not good enough for him then he can just go feck himself in Santa Monica.


    Both are good enough for him, hence he and his wife have a country mansion in Richmondshire, a beach side apartment in Santa Monica and a town mansion in Kensington as well as Dorneywood and No 11
    Greed is good?
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 36,860
    Rishi Sunak is close to slipping from 1st to 3rd place in the next Tory leader stakes with BE.

    https://www.betfair.com/exchange/plus/politics/market/1.160663234
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 86,791
    Prices have jumped more than 20%, pushing the average home in Canada to nearly C$817,000 ($650,000; £495,000) - more than nine times household income.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61027374
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 86,791
    edited April 2022
    This is a Russian soldier, but Moscow calls Ukrainians Nazis

    black becomes white, and vice versa.

    https://twitter.com/DylanMalyasov/status/1512030991732326401?s=20&t=nJQ_ld6Jx_Xjkk7ZwPbLMA
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,795
    Gardenwalker said:

    rottenborough said:

    Roger said:

    rottenborough said:

    Sun saying Sunak thinks it is Labour chucking the mud about his wife.

    LOL.

    LOL! Indeed!

    A clue.

    He's blond.
    He likes dressing up.
    And he's been smiling like a Cheshire cat all day!

    And iirc the Australian team are back in No 10 managing the removal of barnacles before 2024.

    Pure coincidence.



    That doesn’t mesh with weird distractions like Ch 4 privatisation though, or voting “reform” or Raab’s “Bill of Rights”.

    No one is calling for any of these things, they emerge from some weird, cultish Britannia Unchained Id.
    Adhering the barnacles to the boat.
  • HeathenerHeathener Posts: 7,085
    It is indeed as Milke says an extraordinary story.

    The Sun claims it to be a Labour smear but all the others reckon it is a No.10 hatchet job. It bears all the hallmarks of Johnson's revenge. Oppose him and he will shaft you.

    There is a problem of course with this. And that is that someone like Sunak, or his family and allies, will expose some more of Johnson's many skeletons.

    Regardless of the origins of the story, I suggest that Sunak is now finished as a potential political leader. The idea of a non-dom tax avoiding spouse of a multi-millionaire Chancellor at a time of such huge financial squeeze is just absurd.

    Even one of my most loyal tory friends thinks Sunak is totally unsuitable for the job.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    Heathener said:

    It is indeed as Milke says an extraordinary story.

    The Sun claims it to be a Labour smear but all the others reckon it is a No.10 hatchet job. It bears all the hallmarks of Johnson's revenge. Oppose him and he will shaft you.

    There is a problem of course with this. And that is that someone like Sunak, or his family and allies, will expose some more of Johnson's many skeletons.

    Regardless of the origins of the story, I suggest that Sunak is now finished as a potential political leader. The idea of a non-dom tax avoiding spouse of a multi-millionaire Chancellor at a time of such huge financial squeeze is just absurd.

    Even one of my most loyal tory friends thinks Sunak is totally unsuitable for the job.

    It makes Sunak look such a beta male apart from anything: he's just a phase she is going through and her true centre of gravity is mummy and daddy back home.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    IshmaelZ said:

    Heathener said:

    It is indeed as Milke says an extraordinary story.

    The Sun claims it to be a Labour smear but all the others reckon it is a No.10 hatchet job. It bears all the hallmarks of Johnson's revenge. Oppose him and he will shaft you.

    There is a problem of course with this. And that is that someone like Sunak, or his family and allies, will expose some more of Johnson's many skeletons.

    Regardless of the origins of the story, I suggest that Sunak is now finished as a potential political leader. The idea of a non-dom tax avoiding spouse of a multi-millionaire Chancellor at a time of such huge financial squeeze is just absurd.

    Even one of my most loyal tory friends thinks Sunak is totally unsuitable for the job.

    It makes Sunak look such a beta male apart from anything: he's just a phase she is going through and her true centre of gravity is mummy and daddy back home.
    And of course the ultimate boss of the tax bod who has to decide on the validity of Mrs Sunak’s claim to non dom status is Mr Sunak. No problem with that.

    Toasty McToastface.
  • HeathenerHeathener Posts: 7,085
    IshmaelZ said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    Heathener said:

    It is indeed as Milke says an extraordinary story.

    The Sun claims it to be a Labour smear but all the others reckon it is a No.10 hatchet job. It bears all the hallmarks of Johnson's revenge. Oppose him and he will shaft you.

    There is a problem of course with this. And that is that someone like Sunak, or his family and allies, will expose some more of Johnson's many skeletons.

    Regardless of the origins of the story, I suggest that Sunak is now finished as a potential political leader. The idea of a non-dom tax avoiding spouse of a multi-millionaire Chancellor at a time of such huge financial squeeze is just absurd.

    Even one of my most loyal tory friends thinks Sunak is totally unsuitable for the job.

    It makes Sunak look such a beta male apart from anything: he's just a phase she is going through and her true centre of gravity is mummy and daddy back home.
    And of course the ultimate boss of the tax bod who has to decide on the validity of Mrs Sunak’s claim to non dom status is Mr Sunak. No problem with that.

    Toasty McToastface.
    Yep you don't come back from this. Especially not at a time like this in the country.
  • HeathenerHeathener Posts: 7,085
    Let's just take it as read that Sunak is finished as a leader. Wrong man for these times.

    As I mentioned below, the more enemies Boris Johnson makes the more his own position is exposed. He has a habit of generating plenty of enemies, partly because of his failings and particularly because of his serial disloyalty.

    Some of those are not ones to fall foul of: Dom Cummings is one of course but I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of Akshata Murthy's family either.

    Expect more exposure of Johnson over the next two years.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 74,828
    edited April 2022
    Heathener said:

    Let's just take it as read that Sunak is finished as a leader. Wrong man for these times.

    As I mentioned below, the more enemies Boris Johnson makes the more his own position is exposed. He has a habit of generating plenty of enemies, partly because of his failings and particularly because of his serial disloyalty.

    Some of those are not ones to fall foul of: Dom Cummings is one of course but I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of Akshata Murthy's family either.

    Expect more exposure of Johnson over the next two years.

    Are we talking marital infidelity again? :wink:

    This does however raise a more serious question. While I agree Sunak’s chances of toppling A Johnson have been damaged, probably irretrievably, that is pretty bad news for the country. Poor though he is, he would have been a tremendous improvement on the current encumbrance and as for Truss, Dorries or Mogg…

    And that goes for both the country and the treasury. It’s poorly led, as befits an organisation led by somebody appointed because he was believed to be less intelligent than Cummings, but his replacement is likely to be much worse. The only possible upgrades would be Hunt or May and the odds of Johnson appointing them are zero.

    It’s thoroughly depressing to see what politics in this country has been reduced to. Corbyn turned out not to be the aberration of a bunch of self-indulgent dinosaurs with nostalgia for a mythical version of the 1950s, but a harbinger of awfulness.
  • FishingFishing Posts: 5,788
    Heathener said:

    It is indeed as Milke says an extraordinary story.

    The Sun claims it to be a Labour smear but all the others reckon it is a No.10 hatchet job. It bears all the hallmarks of Johnson's revenge. Oppose him and he will shaft you.

    There is a problem of course with this. And that is that someone like Sunak, or his family and allies, will expose some more of Johnson's many skeletons.

    Regardless of the origins of the story, I suggest that Sunak is now finished as a potential political leader. The idea of a non-dom tax avoiding spouse of a multi-millionaire Chancellor at a time of such huge financial squeeze is just absurd.

    Even one of my most loyal tory friends thinks Sunak is totally unsuitable for the job.

    He is indeed unsuitable for the job, but not because of his wife's tax status. It's his poor management of the economy and pubilc finances and lack of any solution to Britain's long-term economic problems (in particular chronically low productivity outside a few industries and regions and a disastrously over-regulated and volatile housing market) that are the issue.
  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 6,000
    Boris has his flaws but was astute enough to pay full whack tax for a long period before even running as Mayor. Sunak must be a thicko in extremis not to have realised this would undo him. His rise was fast but he’s had plenty of time to undo this since his ascent to Chancellor.
  • MalcolmDunnMalcolmDunn Posts: 139
    I would have thought it would be obvious by now that Johnson never sacks people because of negative press reports. It is in my opinion an admirable quality of his. Sunak will stay unless he falls out with the PM. I know the press are also speculating about that too but I suspect that speculation is all it is.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    edited April 2022
    MalcolmDunn said:

    I would have thought it would be obvious by now that Johnson never sacks people because of negative press reports. It is in my opinion an admirable quality of his. Sunak will stay unless he falls out with the PM. I know the press are also speculating about that too but I suspect that speculation is all it is.

    He doesn't have to sack him, he just wants him to be a busted flush when a leadership challenge comes back on the cards as it will in the next fortnight when he gets FPNed. He's probably less of a threat as an emasculated chancellor than a disgruntled backbencher anyway.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 36,860
    The chancellor is now 7.4 / 12 with Betfair Exchange.

    https://www.betfair.com/exchange/plus/politics/market/1.160663234
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    moonshine said:

    Boris has his flaws but was astute enough to pay full whack tax for a long period before even running as Mayor. Sunak must be a thicko in extremis not to have realised this would undo him. His rise was fast but he’s had plenty of time to undo this since his ascent to Chancellor.

    Correct. She didn't even have to pay any arrears, she could ve said my intentions have evolved and the Yookay is my new spiritual home.
  • mwadamsmwadams Posts: 3,776
    IshmaelZ said:

    MalcolmDunn said:

    I would have thought it would be obvious by now that Johnson never sacks people because of negative press reports. It is in my opinion an admirable quality of his. Sunak will stay unless he falls out with the PM. I know the press are also speculating about that too but I suspect that speculation is all it is.

    He doesn't have to sack him, he just wants him to be a busted flush when a leadership challenge comes back on the cards as it will in the next fortnight when he gets FPNed. He's probably less of a threat as an emasculated chancellor than a disgruntled backbencher anyway.
    And he can be fired when public opinion swings firmly against the Government's handling of economic policy in coming months as part of a "fresh start".
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    ydoethur said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    MalcolmDunn said:

    I would have thought it would be obvious by now that Johnson never sacks people because of negative press reports. It is in my opinion an admirable quality of his. Sunak will stay unless he falls out with the PM. I know the press are also speculating about that too but I suspect that speculation is all it is.

    He doesn't have to sack him, he just wants him to be a busted flush when a leadership chasllenge comes back on the cards as it will in the next fortnight when he gets FPNed.
    Arguably if Sunak's a busted flush Johnson won't WANT to sack him. The last thing he needs is a Chancellor who's more popular than him, and a bit of moss might meet that criteria never mind Liz Truss.
    Yeah that as well, and see my edit.
  • HeathenerHeathener Posts: 7,085
    edited April 2022
    Fishing said:

    Heathener said:

    It is indeed as Milke says an extraordinary story.

    The Sun claims it to be a Labour smear but all the others reckon it is a No.10 hatchet job. It bears all the hallmarks of Johnson's revenge. Oppose him and he will shaft you.

    There is a problem of course with this. And that is that someone like Sunak, or his family and allies, will expose some more of Johnson's many skeletons.

    Regardless of the origins of the story, I suggest that Sunak is now finished as a potential political leader. The idea of a non-dom tax avoiding spouse of a multi-millionaire Chancellor at a time of such huge financial squeeze is just absurd.

    Even one of my most loyal tory friends thinks Sunak is totally unsuitable for the job.

    He is indeed unsuitable for the job, but not because of his wife's tax status. It's his poor management of the economy and pubilc finances and lack of any solution to Britain's long-term economic problems (in particular chronically low productivity outside a few industries and regions and a disastrously over-regulated and volatile housing market) that are the issue.
    I don't disagree with any of those points but I don't think they contradict the personal unsuitability? It's both together imho. This might be a Left-Right point of difference, and some might accuse of me of the politics of envy, but the idea that in the midst of all this incredible squeeze on our finances you should have as Chancellor, or PM, a multi-millionaire ex-banker hedge fund manager with a mega rich non-dom tax avoiding spouse just takes the mick.

    It simply won't wash with the voters. Not at this time. A few on here might say it doesn't matter but all that means is that it doesn't matter to them. I believe that for a significant majority of people this does matter. As I say, a lifelong ultra-loyal tory friend of mine has been telling me for months that Sunak is completely unsuitable.
  • HeathenerHeathener Posts: 7,085
    ydoethur said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    MalcolmDunn said:

    I would have thought it would be obvious by now that Johnson never sacks people because of negative press reports. It is in my opinion an admirable quality of his. Sunak will stay unless he falls out with the PM. I know the press are also speculating about that too but I suspect that speculation is all it is.

    He doesn't have to sack him, he just wants him to be a busted flush when a leadership chasllenge comes back on the cards as it will in the next fortnight when he gets FPNed.
    Arguably if Sunak's a busted flush Johnson won't WANT to sack him. The last thing he needs is a Chancellor who's more popular than him, and a bit of moss might meet that criteria never mind Liz Truss.
    Very good point
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 52,589
    MalcolmDunn said:

    I would have thought it would be obvious by now that Johnson never sacks people because of negative press reports. It is in my opinion an admirable quality of his. Sunak will stay unless he falls out with the PM. I know the press are also speculating about that too but I suspect that speculation is all it is.

    Yes, now that Sunak is discredited, he can stay in post. Johnson would prefer a wounded CoE than to give a platform to fresh ambition.
  • HeathenerHeathener Posts: 7,085
    By the way, interesting political situation in Pakistan. Looks like Imran Khan will indeed face the No Confidence vote.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-60978798

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/imran-khan-must-face-vote-of-confidence-judges-rule-gzxtzg7c6


  • kjhkjh Posts: 13,031
    FPT @HYUFD You responded to a post of mine with a typical 'so what ' and 'sneering liberal elite'.

    Sometimes some of us make posts that have no political point at all. I posted something just to show the humour of the British soldiers that I was aware of because of my contacts that might entertain others here and you read something completely different into it.

    You really don't understand others posts and completely miss the point often. It was just a bit of humour.

    If you remember from posts a week or so ago it was me who took the defence of the Falklands more seriously than you, probably because I lived through it and knew soldiers that went there and had previous contact with it unlike you who just trivialised the defence of the islands.
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