MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Well to support him or get behind him – I don’t mean vote for him. The commentary was out there at the time.
Was that when the alternative was Liz Truss? If so, yeah, apart from a few "you all underestimate her" head wobblers, yes, the "centre establishement", and everyone else, thought it was an easy choice between two poor options. I'm glad it was Truss... Sunak might have papered over the cracks in government for a few years if it wasn't for her getting her turn to play at being PM... but in the "who'd make the better PM" stakes... Truss... really?
Or do you mean when the alternative was the come back of he who would be "World King"? Again... low threshold.
And that inflation has already elevated prices so when they say half inflation – it’s only slowing current prices. Previous inflation is now baked in.
TBH I had a discussion with my Manager, he tried the same approach on me when I suggested the offered payrise was way under inflation - "but inflation is coming down!"
On top of all the other decisions they’ve made that make most people in the UK poorer over the last decade.
I'll drop my usual comment in, slightly amended, "Brexit isn't the destination, it's one of the vehicles"
Kate Andrews (spectator) on LBC this morning driving me to an early grave with her inflation is driven by monetary policy Friedman-bullshit during COVID.
Completely cock-eyed logic. The Private sector contracts; government spends to help effectively keep the economy alive. Otherwise it was dust.
Basically these right-wingers want you to be poor by blaming government intervention.
Any inflation that is made up of money supply would only ever be the super-wealthy buying up very limited resources. I think maybe 2% of CPI figures (in the States) is attributed to money supply during COVID. Money supply alone doesn't tell you where the money is going so it's a ridiculous metric to use as an inflation driver. If we call kept the money in the bank then there is no net money being spent for an extreme example.
This is all totally counter-intuitive as wages are chasing inflation by every metric.
These people want you to be poorer. Because according to them private wealth never causes inflation.
This is all as consequence of Hunt's Coffee film. And let's face it a decent coffee was already approaching £3 anyway.
Also the government talking up 0.1% growth PMSL - that will get quietly revised down in due course.
How we got such high CPI and such low growth then Kate?
Was that when the alternative was Liz Truss
No that's not my point - the point is centre commentators saw Sunak as some sort of solution to Truss.
All that's happening is that he's no fireball - he's just on the same path of destruction as Truss. In fact worse because the currency issue was totally misunderstood. The real drivers are still all on (austerity,).
He's no safe pair of hands. Dunt had to back track within hours of Sunak appointing his cabinet with his crappy Liberal commentary.
I'm not interested in who is a better option. It's all the same trajectory.
This is all totally counter-intuitive as wages are chasing inflation by every metric.
Absolutely.
Suppressing wages now is just about shifting even more of the burden onto those on lower incomes. There's a bit of "shrinking the state" going on with suppressing public sector pay as well. Ideological.
the point is centre commentators saw Sunak as some sort of solution to Truss
Err... the other options were... considering this was Conservative MPs choosing a Conservative MP?
I’m not interested in who is a better option.
Ok. But that's what "commentators" were talking about when they "got behind" Sunak, as you put it.
TBH I had a discussion with my Manager
I was chatting to one of my directors before xmas about the economy and I was pretty shocked at his lack of knowledge on economic stuff. He was basically parotting the sort of shite you hear on the news (national credit card, inflation fuelled by covid spending, no money left etc). He said he didn't understand how Japan has a massive national debt as a share of GDP without it's economy collapsing, my simple answer of 'that's because they've decided to not worry about it' just didn't compute. He's a very intelligent and insightful bloke so was a bit of a shock.
The lack of basic economic literacy in the population is to be expected, and I'm sure it is welcomed by politicians because it makes their messaging easier. 'National economy is like household economy' is a convenient motif.
The parallels with the economic inputs of the 1970s are so interesting. 'Spend for Growth' plus external energy price shock leading to currency crisis and raging inflation (mid 20s %).
If anything, the inputs seem more severe now - the covid spend to protect the economy was vast, the Ukraine war appears to be a deeper and more prolonged shock, plus we have artificially suppressed growth via Brexit.
I can only assume that the UK economy was generally more febrile in the mid 70s and more vulnerable structurally to this type of inflationary shock.
Contraction in UK manufacturing employment was huge in the 70s. That's the big difference. Lots of people were impacted directly. Yes, things are getting worse in those sectors again this time [ despite higher demand across Europe... thanks Brexit ], but from a lower base.
An interesting stat this morning that the rail strikes have already cost more than it would cost to have just settled the original pay claim
If any further proof were needed that this is purely idealogical and the government actively want a confrontation with the unions for political reasons
If you watched the Channel 4 news NHS debate last night (which was excellent and featured the spectacularly dim Helen Whately as Rishi's human shield) then all the polling shows that support for the striking nurses and ambulance staff isn't dropping with the public at all. Its still about two thirds of people questioned
Contraction in UK manufacturing employment was huge in the 70s.
That makes sense. Fortunately we now have a workforce which enjoys the flexibility of zero hour contracts and reduced pensions to help our economy weather these storms. 🙂
the spectacularly dim Helen Whately as Rishi’s human shield
Anyone know why Whately couldn't get to Leeds? Just added to the "not our problem mate" nature of her contributions.
She probably set off there but got lost
Anyway... Rishi has lowered himself for another flying (no doubt literally) visit to 'The North (there be dragons) to announce his 'levelling up' funds, most of which seems to be going to places that don't really need it, but happen to have Tory MP's
https://twitter.com/Parody_PM/status/1616012905287131136?s=20&t=KQepAxrC04wvQ3-i6QiFBA
The RAF are flying him about apparently, because he's so "busy"... I mean, one day of having to use the train lines deemed good enough for us (when the Conservatives cancelled all the new lines planned for up here) would mean he couldn't get on with... er... not talking to the unions about the 22/23 pay year settlement.
There are no words...
https://twitter.com/BBCFrediani/status/1616053347168968704?s=20&t=KQepAxrC04wvQ3-i6QiFBA
Good news! Rishi's constituency (Richmond (North Yorks)) is getting some funding, but neighbouring Darlington, or indeed County Durham in general, which includes some seriously deprived boroughs, appears to get nowt. Levelling up indeed.
https://twitter.com/JerryHicksUnite/status/1616060046013505539
Watching Rishi on the news doing his ‘Levelling Up’ press conference, he has the air of a CBeebies presenter. It’s like he’s talking to a class of primary school children
The more detail I see the winners and losers of the funding, the more farcical it seems.
Get the deprived areas who’ve had their local council budgets decimated over 12 years to beg for scraps. Then toss a few crumbs to a couple of them and pat yourself on the back for a job well done
At least we (the denizens of Workington) got rewarded for voting in an ex-kipper 🤣
think the Chief Constable of Lancashire is getting the "don't be expecting any gongs any time soon" phone call.
Malvern theatres has received nearly £20 million to become a ‘world class cultural centre’
https://www.malvernhills.gov.uk/news-alerts/malvern-theatres-to-receive-levelling-up-funding
Harriet Baldwin is the local Tory MP.
Some parts of Malvern do have a high deprivation index but will this help reduce this and level up locally? The argument is that it will bring more people and therefore income to the town boosting the economy locally, but is this what people understood the concept of levelling up to mean?
Sunak on film with no seatbelt in the back of a car filming a piece. Apparatly he took his seat belt off just for a minute to film the piece
Sod the seatbelt, where's the booster seat?
It's perfect timing.
Get the red tops frothing about not being buckled up, and there's no sign of any mention of Nadhim Zahawi's extremely dodgy tax and legal antics.
If only there was a way we could see clearly why the NHS is struggling compared with over a decade ago
https://twitter.com/Alewin7/status/1616206875330023426
at 16 she was telling me in some detail that sexuality and gender are not things that they particularly obsess about, and it’s all very fluid. They be who they want to be, and they have relationships with people who they’re attracted to, irrespective of gender or sexuality. It’s really quite radical, and difficult for us old fogies to get our heads around.
Nah,I’m old and it makes a lot more sense,the more you question why you question this stuff,you realise it’s just the same old tripe that you grow up ingrained with and when you shine the light on it none of it makes any real sense other than a set of puriratanical rules that seem to linger around over what’s deemed ‘right’.
Get the deprived areas who’ve had their local council budgets decimated over 12 years to beg for scraps. Then toss a few crumbs to a couple of them and pat yourself on the back for a job well done
The ‘Hunger Games’ quote as a description of the process does seem quite apt.
If only there was a way we could see clearly why the NHS is struggling compared with over a decade ago
Fake news, the BBC would never put out anything to question their Tory overlords.
Sod the seatbelt, where’s the booster seat?
TBH I’d be looking for the ejector seat switch.
Another turd that needs flushing ,Boris had comedic value,Truss had the full on loony tunes vibe but this one’s just got zero.
Get the red tops frothing about not being buckled up, and there’s no sign of any mention of Nadhim Zahawi’s extremely dodgy tax and legal antics.
Oh look, an Otter.
Oldest play in the books again. BoJo used it all the time.
I don't think this is a deliberate ploy. He is not that good a political operator and also it works for the attack line that he lacks competence. Its an easy attack line for labour
Neither do I believe he only took his belt off for the video clip
To me it just reeks of arrogance
Oh look, an Otter.
Overestimating him. Long since got used to being chauffeur driven everywhere with blacked out windows. It's just a glimpse into his life and attitude to little people laws. Forgot that his lounging about in the back with seat belt off reading documents doesn't look right out in the normal world. Thought it would make him look "busy".
Nah,I’m old and it makes a lot more sense
Yep makes sense to me (55) and my wife (58). Who cares about someones gender or sexuality, that is up to them and just let everyone get on with it without having to make a big deal about any of it.
It’s perfect timing.
And in the long established Tory leader tradition of selflessly taking one for the team.
However despite Lancashire police saying they are investigating the incident it doesn't seem to have made any front pages and has received surprisingly little prominence by news providers.
The good news for Rishi Sunak though is neither has Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairs.
"Police looking into Sunak’s failure to wear a seatbelt"
Long since got used to being chauffeur driven everywhere with blacked out windows.
^^^^
100% this!
The zahawi tax farce is way worse
https://twitter.com/DanNeidle/status/1616030741225246720?t=ymxD8RqgybS1mtoZ0HimlA&s=19
The seatbelt thing is just so incompetent. It isn't that he was caught on camera, it was deliberate. How was he allowed to do this? It looks like there are no sensible people around him, or he ignores them. Which is not a good look for a PM.
It looks like there are no sensible people around him
Well as Prime Minister he should be followed everywhere by several coppers, they are generally expected to know the seatbelt law.
He's trying to do the "off the cuff, aren't we direct and transparent" video thing... the problem with that lack of filtering is that the public might just get to see how out of touch with the real world he is. Seatbelts, contactless payments... little people things.
Mrs Sandwich has lapped that up (Twitter link). Has been circulated amongst her team who all have a professional interest.
@MoreCashThanDash your team may appreciate a 5 minute break on CPD!
Apparently he's just been fined for the seatbelt stun...
What a tool sunak is
https://twitter.com/tompeck/status/1616502418409152513?t=F5jy1sSBV8rglaTsNJhVtw&s=19
https://twitter.com/PGMcNamara/status/1616513955945451531?t=4EblicotiaTOLni-nXD3YQ&s=19
Zahawi thing still has more to come out, I think sunak will have to find a new party chairman soon
4mths to the locals
Well be interesting to see what happens if these numbers hold out for that
https://twitter.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1616473287160172545?t=MRMsMBeSL69QNC4NnK5YVg&s=19
Try & ride it out with sunak & hope economy picks up?
2nd coming of Johnson?
Hunt to the rescue?
Badendochism?
Well at least he should know how to pay the Fixed Penalty Notice - it won't be his first one.
for what is Toryism, except organized spivery?
Sunak will be under huge pressure assuming the local elections go as badly as it looks. The tories problems tho are many fold on this. I don't think he will resign easily. He will need to be defenestrated like Johnson was
Its going to look even more chaotic to change PMs again
I very much doubt we will get another "coronation" like when Sunak was appointed. I cannot see a candidate that could command the support of the paliamentary party to do this. I'm sure Johnson will chuck his hat in the ring again
The infighting and backbiting will be spectacular and highly entertaining
The only candidates that have the ability are hated by the membership and some of the MPs
The membership will not elect a brown person unless given no choice they want a hard right white person. The country will not support any hard right person and Johnson is electorally toxic as well as hated by a large part of the party
Oh its going to be fun They really look like a terminal downward spiral now like the conservative party in Canada. This could be the end of them
So the Beeb now have the Zahawi tax story, but it's Sunaks seatbelt as main story.
Which makes you think...
The infighting and backbiting will be spectacular and highly entertaining
It would be utterly hillarious if it wasn't for the fact they are knowingly destroying our country, and millions of peoples lives, some of whom haven't even been born yet, in the process.
Tally ho!
I don't nessesarily have an issue with MPs getting rich(er) and lining thier pockets, as long as they are doing a good job.. these seem to be hell bent on death and destruction.
Which makes you think…
https://www.taxpolicy.org.uk/2023/01/19/zahawi_story/
15 January 2023. Everything changes. An absolute scoop from Ashley Armstrong in The Sun on Sunday. Zahawi paid millions in tax to settle a dispute. There’s a hilarious non-denial denial from Zahawi that he “never had to instruct any lawyers to deal with HMRC on his behalf”. Later that day, that line is dropped – he doesn’t deny the story, he just refuses to comment.
yes but the more time they spend on internal turmoil the less time they have to eff things up. and it will be fun to watch especially as now looks possible they could be heading for a complete wipe out Canada style.
the more time they spend on internal turmoil the less time they have to eff things up.
True, but look at what we have become... there's no accountability and we are hoping they are too busy fighting each other in order to minimise the damage they would otherwise wholeheartedly and proactivley reign upon us all.
I don’t nessesarily have an issue with MPs getting rich(er) and lining thier pockets, as long as they are doing a good job..
I do. its corruption pure and simple and robs the rest of us of money as they act in the interests of their paymasters. this lot have trousered many billions of public money
Yes, thinking about it, I agree 100%.. I just phrased it poorly. I guess what I was saying is that if you are excellent at your job then you should probably enjoy a reletivley good pay package. But that certainly does not apply to anyone on the front bench at the moment, far, far, far from it.
MPs get rich by being MPs. The whole cesspit needs cleaning up from subsidised booze to generous expenses to second jobs to the bribes they take
Yeah, Mp's should be banned from having any outside interests, if you can't get by on 80K a year or whatever the pay is these days, well it speaks for itself.
Labour seem to have set Raynor after Zahawi. Looks like they are going after him big time. My bet he will have to resign in the end as he has been proved to have lied over his tax, been caught out and paid a penalty. There will b plenty of folk looking for dirt on him now. A nice attack line as well - the party that protects tax cheats
BBC had some further info on a crowdfunder company he'd set up offshore as well
And we still have the Raaaaaab bullying inquiry and the Johnson lying inquiry to come
This makes the end of the Major government look like nothing happened
Yet another scandal (re)surfaces
Not only Russians buying influence in the tory party but MI5 refusing to investigate
"Conservative Friends of Russia"
Can you imagine if there was a Labour Friends of Russia what the Tory press reaction would be? I find it surprisingly easy.
Still, according to the current Tory Foreign Secretary the reason the Russian oligarchy pumped so much money into his party is because they hated Jeremy Corbyn so much:
"Russian oligarchs who bankrolled Tories wanted to stop Jeremy Corbyn getting to power, minister claims"
Which is strange as according to the Tories and their press stooges they said the complete opposite when Corbyn was leader.
Yup, some Russian interests wanted the “get Brexit done”, “break up the EU”, “deregulate and ask no questions” Conservatives to win. Suited them for sure.
see he's going with "it was just a few coppers I carelessly overlooked m'lud"
I don’t nessesarily have an issue with MPs getting rich(er) and lining thier pockets, as long as they are doing a good job.. these seem to be hell bent on death and destruction.
You know where this leads to don't you?
Based on places I've worked, Coppers stopping you on the way to work and taking your cash as a 'fine'. If it's good enough for those at the top, it's good enough for the rest of the 'establishment'. And taxes become 'optional', oh...
#BananaRepublic
"Conservative Friends of Russia” predates any referendum, it's based on a shared idealogy.
But it clearly was a device to pump money to the conservatives illegally by the Russian intelligence services and there are plenty of indications that this was used to bolser support for brexit.
Oh FFS we're back to blaming everything on brexit! 🤣
Looks like HMRC has also made a 'careless mistake' in fining poor Nadim so heavily for his error.
https://twitter.com/doedma/status/1616833709415481351
Honestly, every time the Tories drag out the sacking and claim that 'the matter is closed', it just gets worse for them with fresh revelations. You'd think they might be learning by now.
And he then says
“So that I could focus on my life as a public servant, I chose to settle the matter and pay what they said was due, which was the right thing to do,”
How self sacrificing of him. Choosing to settle in order to serve the country.
You’d think they might be learning by now.
There were questions being raised last year but he had gone for the minimal misleading responses (plus a few legal threats) changing each time some new facts came out and the story had petered out. So I assume he was hoping the same would happen again.
Its happened several other times as well. So its not a bad tactic as such (if you lack any semblance of honour and integrity). I think once its in the headlines, across multiple papers, for several days then its normally game over though.
(plus a few legal threats
I find these most telling. Legal threats towards journalists always make me assume the worst. And I have respect for those who ignore them and post anyway, when it comes to probity in politics and and government (less so when it’s the kiss and tell stuff).
Oh FFS we’re back to blaming everything on brexit! 🤣
Its the other way around. One of the significant factors in Brexit was the amount of dirty money pumped into brexiteers by russia
The statement from Zahawi.still containes provable lies
he has admitted some of it but there are still lies in it most notably he is proven to have benefited from the offshore trust
As someone who in the past had a limited company/ self employed I can honestly say a "careless error" in tax affairs is utter bull. It's code for got caught on the fiddle.
But then it's standard practice for the rich
Sunak should be paying the maximum amount of any fine, by the time has has paid it on his phone he will be made way more in interest for those 2 mins it would take.
Looks like HMRC has also made a ‘careless mistake’ in fining poor Nadim so heavily for his error.
Penalties go on a scale. 30% is the high end of careless, which suggests little cooperation from the customer.
His alternative would have been to run it to tribunal, which he decided not to.
pumped into brexiteers by russia
Just to repeat my point, not that it will make any difference mind, Russian oligarchy support for the Conservative Party predates any referendum, it’s based on a shared idealogy :
And to remind you, David Cameron was a staunch Remainer.
yes - thats not the point. The point is the russians pumped money into brexiteer parties and politicians in order to get brexit to destabilise the EU and the UK. Of course it predates the referendum not much point in doing it after once they had got what they wanted
not much point in doing it after once they had got what they wanted
So why did they carry on doing it?
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/23/oligarchs-funding-tories
Even after the start of the Ukraine War?
Because its useful to them to have a UK that is favorable to them. Do you really think they pumped all that money in in return for nothing?
We put sanctions in late allowing the oligarchs to get their money out of the UK. thats a decent return if nothing else.
Do you really think they pumped all that money in in return for nothing?
Eh, no, why would I think that?? Obviously the Russian oligarchy and the Conservative Party share much in common. Mostly based on money. A close relationship benefits them both.
Penalties go on a scale. 30% is the high end of careless, which suggests little cooperation from the customer.
His alternative would have been to run it to tribunal, which he decided not to.
I'd be interested in the timing of the toing-and-froing between HMRC and him over this investigation. Is there a possibility that he was being less than entirely cooperative with the tax authorities during the brief period that he was the man in charge of raising and distributing tax?
Also - FFS
https://twitter.com/Gabriel_Pogrund/status/1616859756387237888
spivs is under selling it we are governed by "the Mob"
His alternative would have been to run it to tribunal, which he decided not to.
Only because he wanted to serve the country and going to tribunal would be a tad awkward given the job he had/was aiming for (not sure how it overlaps with his chancellor role).
Really we should be thanking him for his sacrifice.
Speaking of which I am thinking of a crowdfunder for his horses since he cant claim their heating on expenses now and after the fine money might be a bit tight.
I would agree with MCTD interpretation of the penalty, if being correctly reported as 30% then that is definitely at the heavier end of Careless behaviour. Which implies something less than fully cooperative and tardy in disclosing.
Remember, we are talking about a fine that is likely to be close to £1m and interest still being added up until the package has been paid.
Slimeball.
Just read this article too, if true this is horrifying and another total failure of the government
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/21/revealed-scores-of-child-asylum-seekers-kidnapped-from-home-office-hotel?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other