Current Affairs

[barney]

I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
Their days are numbered.
It’s time for change.

[david63]

But do you want a rethink or not?

I don't really care what it is called just as long as somebody gets a grip, takes their head out of the sand and sorts the mess out. If nothing else this will have taught the Truss Government a salutary lesson on how not to announce changes to the economy. All, or at least most, of this could have easily been avoided if we were told at the time how it was going to be funded - but for some unfathomable reason we have keep waiting (probably because they don't know how to fund it!)

(Easy funding option would be to stop paying Mrs Krankie seeing as how she wants to go it alone as I read yesterday that the amount we pay Scotland is about the amount of this shortfall)

[Kendhni]

A woman scorned and all that ... if they try to push Truss out she could call a general election ... that would be a disaster for the tories (she would not be the only one losing her job). I have always thought that changing PM mid term should be immediately followed by a general election.

Although I don't think another party will relish the thought of cleaning up a mess created by the tories over the last few years.

PS: David, I suspect that the only way to deal with this is some genuine austerity (unlike the pretend austerity we had a decade ago). Immediate recruitment freeze and get rid of several hundred thousand dead wood paper pushers in the civil service ... not front line workers.

[anniec]

People are demanding a re-think.

If there is one they'll be screaming derisively U-turn.

So let's get ahead of the game. Do we want a re-think or U-turn or whatever we are calling it? And if we get one will we welcome it positively or have the usual outbreak of negativity?

I think the issue is that we shouldn't have got to this point in the first place.

Can't argue with that; surely not getting themselves into this position over and over again would come as a massive relief to most of us, I would have thought. We all make the odd rash judgement, but the last few years have seen almost nothing but.

[Mervyn and Trish]

So when is someone going to come out and say loud and clear "I want Starmer as Prime Minister"? Or is everyone avoiding that so they can moan about it when it happens?

[oldbluefox]

Penny Mordaunt looked pretty brassed off at PMQs.
I don't blame her but the Tory MPs have brought this upon themselves. I have no doubt there was some tactical voting amongst the Sunak supporters to get the favourite Mordaunt out of the equation leaving Sunak with a straight run in to the line. Unfortunately that plan backfired and Calamity Jane was elected as PM when Mordaunt supporters in the Tory party switched their allegiance not to Sunak but to Truss. They brought this upon themselves which leaves me wondering what exactly was going through Penny's mind on Wednesday.

[Gill W]

So when is someone going to come out and say loud and clear "I want Starmer as Prime Minister"? Or is everyone avoiding that so they can moan about it when it happens?

At this point, I just want a competent adult to take charge of the country and stop the descent into the abyss.

I don’t particularly care who this competent adult is, or what party they belong to, we just need the damage to stop.

[Kendhni]

I don't think there is much competence in the tory party .. that has been obvious for nearly a decade now as tory after tory has exuded incompetence. At this point even Corbyn may well have done a better job (although there is zero evidence either way) ... complaining about the labour magic money tree shows no credibility.

Mordaunt looked incredibly uncomfortable during PMQs the other day .. the problem is that she aligned herself with Truss so she may have become tainted goods.

I wonder if Johnson is dusting off his clown outfit and lining himself up again ... just need Ant & Dec to step into the mix to complete the comedy show.

[Onelife]

Hi Foxy…I think she was probably thinking as others within her party are thinking…” where do I position myself if the PM is forced out”

Whatever mechanics played its part in Penny Mordaunt not making the cut is probably not to far removed from what you have suggested. I still feel there is mileage in Truss’s vision for the future, even if in the short term she is forced to make a visit to the options for a slight vision correction.

What I am certain about is that should Liz Truss succumb to the wishes of the power hungry within her party then Penny would be the only one in her party that would have any chance of taking the conservative party into another term of office.

I think she is respected within her party and is seen by the voting public as a clear thinker with plenty up front

[Onelife]

I don't think there is much competence in the tory party .. that has been obvious for nearly a decade now as tory after tory has exuded incompetence. At this point even Corbyn may well have done a better job (although there is zero evidence either way) ... complaining about the labour magic money tree shows no credibility.

Mordaunt looked incredibly uncomfortable during PMQs the other day .. the problem is that she aligned herself with Truss so she may have become tainted goods.

I wonder if Johnson is dusting off his clown outfit and lining himself up again ... just need Ant & Dec to step into the mix to complete the comedy show.

Hi Ken...I have often wondered why a doctor has to train for 5 years in order to gain the experience to take people’s lives into their hands, and yet a politician can come into politics without, in some cases, any qualifications at all.

There are in my opinion far too many politicians who can talk the talk but lack the fundamental understanding of what they are actually talking about.

[towny44]

People are demanding a re-think.

If there is one they'll be screaming derisively U-turn.

So let's get ahead of the game. Do we want a re-think or U-turn or whatever we are calling it? And if we get one will we welcome it positively or have the usual outbreak of negativity?

I think the issue is that we shouldn't have got to this point in the first place.

It's never a clever idea to say I would not have started from here anyway, we are here and we need to know what you would consider the next move we should make. If you dont have one at least be brave enough to admit it.

[Kendhni]

Hi Ken...I have often wondered why a doctor has to train for 5 years in order to gain the experience to take people’s lives into their hands, and yet a politician can come into politics without, in some cases, any qualifications at all.

There are in my opinion far too many politicians who can talk the talk but lack the fundamental understanding of what they are actually talking about.

That is true. Politicians are very much like civil servants, you do not rise through the ranks due to competence, just the ability to kiss the right butt. I often said that Truss was an underachiever that could talk-the-talk but had never shown any real ability to walk-the-walk ... and sadly, yet again, her walking abilities have been found seriously wanting. Like I mean to say, putting Coffey in charge of the NHS??? Nothing to do with ability or track record, just pure nepotism.

I struggled to find logic in her/her chancellor's actions, but like you, I could see what they were gunning for and how it could work (even though a similar strategy failed in the past) ... however at this point I think it was (possibly) the right policies at the wrong time. My main issue has always been this politician's belief that you can borrow your way out of debt ... sadly her/her chancellors incompetence has only ended up adding yet more to the huge pile of tory debt.

[david63]

the right policies at the wrong time

I would tend to agree - although you never know with any policies if they are right or wrong as there is no "control group" to measure against.

There were two fundamental errors - one was where the markets are concerned in that there was no detail of where the money was coming from for another two months, which meant that they did not know where the money was coming from. The second is the public perception where the timing was so way off the scale that it was unbelievable. Most of the changes (except for stamp duty) would not come into effect until April next year so why not wait until the winter is over - that way energy usage will start to fall and, if true, inflation will have peaked.

The problem was that she made the basic schoolboygirl error of trying to stamp her authority on the Government from day one.

[Kendhni]

Agreed David, the problem is that I think her continuous u-turns and indecision mean she has lost any credibility and authority. All this 'we have listened' may work in government but not in the real world were people are ultimately held accountable. I think the tory party has no choice but to replace her.

[Gill W]

It's never a clever idea to say I would not have started from here anyway, we are here and we need to know what you would consider the next move we should make. If you dont have one at least be brave enough to admit it.

Ah, that old fallacy - everyone, apart from the actual government is expected to have suggestions up their sleeves as to how this bin fire should be resolved.

It is true, we are ‘here’ after 8 years of poor decisions, poor governance and weak leadership. So no, I don’t know how 8 years worth of this should be resolved. I am not afraid to say that either, just as I wouldn’t expect anybody on this forum to know how this can be resolved. This is way above our pay grades.

Anyway, I see that there’s a press conference this afternoon, so it looks are if the U turn is nearly here, and there’s suggestions that Kwarteng will be toast by the end of the day.

[barney]

Ching Ching !
All change !

[Bensham33]

There was a bloke on the wireless this morning who has started a petition to bring back Boris Johnson apparently he has thousands of signatures. Surely they won't be so stupid as to bring back that clown.

Sunak must be laughing at all this. He told us what would happen and it has. Get rid of Truss and give him a go.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Still no-one willing to say they want Sir Hindsight?

[barney]

Still no-one willing to say they want Sir Hindsight?

I do
He’s playing a blinder at the moment and has put together a half decent shadow cabinet.

[Bensham33]

Who is Sir Hindsight was he part of King Arthur's round table?

I do however want Sir Keir Starmer to become Prime Minister. He couldn't do any worse than the last 3 or 4 Tory PM's. Time for a complete change and if there was a General Election tomorrow he would be in No 10.l

[Kendhni]

Kwarteng has gone ... will be interesting hear the policy uturns.

[Kendhni]

I do however want Sir Keir Starmer to become Prime Minister. He couldn't do any worse than the last 3 or 4 Tory PM's.

To be fair he could do worse, he is an unknown quantity, and he will be inheriting an economical disaster created by the torys ... not sure why he would even want to do that. I am sure the political ignoramii will be trying to blame him for not fixing it within a couple of years ... this tory economical mess will take more than a single parliamentary term to fix ... possibly even 2 or 3 terms.

However, we need someone competent who can at least move this country back onto a sensible trajectory. Could be the next chancellor or we may have to wait for a general election.

[david63]

Kwarteng has gone ... will be interesting hear the policy uturns.

I did say not so long ago that he was the "sacrificial lamb" and he would be gone by the end of the year

Only yesterday he was saying "I am not going anywhere" - wrong. Another indication of the naivety of these people (it was obvious to everyone that he was on his way out the minute he sat down after the "mini" budget)

Prediction - Truss: This was all Kwarteng's plan which is why I am reversing it

[Gill W]

Looks like I was wrong about Kwarteng being toast by the end of the day. I should have said by the end of lunch!

But he was implementing Truss’s policy, they were in it together. Surely, she should go as well

I do
He’s playing a blinder at the moment and has put together a half decent shadow cabinet.

He’s certainly got some talented people in his shadow cabinet.

[david63]

Could be the next chancellor

Sunak?????