UK General Discussion: Rishecession

[YL]

This is a petty point. But Truss is making a big deal about how she was the first PM to go to a comprehensive school, and made it into big applause line.

As someone who grew up very near Gordon Brown, I can assure you that his alma mater, Kirkcaldy High School, is a mid-level performing state school, and definitely a comprehensive, not a grammar school, as there are none up here.

The Wikipedia article on the school (not, I suspect, the most reliable source) says it had entrance exams (whatever that meant) until 1970, and Brown himself was part of some strange fast stream experiment which he disliked.  So that's not entirely clear-cut.

May's school was a grammar when she started, and became a comprehensive while she was there.

Of course in most of the UK it was basically impossible to have attended a comprehensive in the modern sense from the start of secondary education if you were born before about 1958, which as far as UK PMs goes means either Truss or someone who went to Eton.  Previous PMs such as MacDonald, Lloyd George and Callaghan seem to have had something roughly equivalent to a comprehensive for their time, as well.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Of course in most of the UK it was basically impossible to have attended a comprehensive in the modern sense from the start of secondary education if you were born before about 1958, which as far as UK PMs goes means either Truss or someone who went to Eton.

Not quite impossible, as you could have gone to comprehensive in the modern sense if you lived in a remote rural area, some of which moved away from selective education in the 1950s on purely pragmatic grounds: Anglesey went fully comprehensive in 1953, for instance. But British politicians who grew up in the deep countryside are not particularly thick on the ground. As you say it's an extremely (deliberately) misleading 'fact'; a rather pathetic attempt to pretend that Truss's privileged background was other than what it was.

[EastAnglianLefty]

Of course in most of the UK it was basically impossible to have attended a comprehensive in the modern sense from the start of secondary education if you were born before about 1958, which as far as UK PMs goes means either Truss or someone who went to Eton.

Not quite impossible, as you could have gone to comprehensive in the modern sense if you lived in a remote rural area, some of which moved away from selective education in the 1950s on purely pragmatic grounds: Anglesey went fully comprehensive in 1953, for instance. But British politicians who grew up in the deep countryside are not particularly thick on the ground. As you say it's an extremely (deliberately) misleading 'fact'; a rather pathetic attempt to pretend that Truss's privileged background was other than what it was.

But you see she saw how low growth caused poverty in Paisley and Leeds (what is the posh bit of Paisley anyway?) In the 1980s, though she wasn't eager to dwell on why that might have been...

[DINGO Joe]

Amazing lack of content, so much so that she kept repeating herself endlessly, even though it was not a long speech.

Please tell me we got an update on those Beijing Pork markets.

https://twitter.com/mrjamesob/status/1577616497484222466

[brucejoel99]

https://twitter.com/SoozUK/status/1577626722136199168

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

As an aside, I don't think there's ever been a Conference of a major British political party quite like this. Even the really bad Labour Conferences - even 2019, even more in the 1970s and 80s than I'd care to mention; yes, even the one where Trade Union General Secretaries accused each other of being JACKELS from the podium, live on on national television - were not this bad. This is a shitshow for All Time.

I guess the difference is that terrible Labour conventions are normally done from opposition, when nothing really matters anyway. Far more of a spectacle if we see this display from the actual governing party - nobody can look at this and not see a party totally going off the rails.

[Blair]

Her backstory point is just weird as she’s from the background that imho dominates a decent chunk of middle management/professional life in the U.K- born to two professional middle class parents in a middle class suburb before going to Oxbridge/Russel Group uni.

Made no sense too as she had nothing to say on education or social mobility!

[Blair]

Also all things considered it might be okay she didn’t self combust but they usually have at least one policy or rabbit to pull from the hat- there was nothing interesting and even the ‘anti-growth’ point makes no sense as people associate her and this Government with crashing the economy.

[If my soul was made of stone]

Made no sense too as she had nothing to say on education or social mobility!

"Leveling up is important. Our markets are full of pork. You cannot have freedom without kleptocracy. Our future lies ahead."

[Cassius]

Amazing lack of content, so much so that she kept repeating herself endlessly, even though it was not a long speech.

Please tell me we got an update on those Beijing Pork markets.

https://twitter.com/mrjamesob/status/1577616497484222466

Cassius (LAB - UK)

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

As an aside, I don't think there's ever been a Conference of a major British political party quite like this. Even the really bad Labour Conferences - even 2019, even more in the 1970s and 80s than I'd care to mention; yes, even the one where Trade Union General Secretaries accused each other of being JACKELS from the podium, live on on national television - were not this bad. This is a shitshow for All Time.

I guess the difference is that terrible Labour conventions are normally done from opposition, when nothing really matters anyway. Far more of a spectacle if we see this display from the actual governing party - nobody can look at this and not see a party totally going off the rails.

The way the Tories have suddenly turned into a complete gaggle of everyone seeking their five minutes by trying to pose as Independent Common Sense Champions as the media whoops and cheers the second they stopped having a leader they respected honestly really reminds me of the PLP in 2019.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Her backstory point is just weird as she’s from the background that imho dominates a decent chunk of middle management/professional life in the U.K- born to two professional middle class parents in a middle class suburb before going to Oxbridge/Russel Group uni.

Made no sense too as she had nothing to say on education or social mobility!

It's one of the most frustrating thing politicians do: would it be so hard to say "I want every child in this country to have the same opportunities I did" (yes, I know she doesn't think this is her priority, but most politicians have the ability to at least pretend to support vague egalitarianism)

[Cassius]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/shortcuts/2022/oct/05/dictator-chic-why-did-liz-truss-wear-the-same-outfit-as-a-fictional-fascist

I think the Duargian is trying a bit too hard given the wealth of actual anti-Tory material that this conference has produced.

[WD]

https://twitter.com/ShippersUnbound/status/1577717427269419010?s=20&t=b-85Vl...

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

Lord...

https://twitter.com/electpoliticsuk/status/1577733517513220096?s=20&t=SFcXcl...

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Lord...

https://twitter.com/electpoliticsuk/status/1577733517513220096?s=20&t=SFcXcl...

With the LibDem surge it seems like Truss was a sleeper agent the whole time!

[Darthpi – Anti-Florida Activist]

Lord...

https://twitter.com/electpoliticsuk/status/1577733517513220096?s=20&t=SFcXcl...

Yeah, the Tories might lose all of their Scotland seats at this rate.

[afleitch]

As expected (and seen in subsamples) direct Tory to Labour switching, which based on historic voting patterns is probably an easier thing to expect of 2019 Scottish Tory voters. Tory fall marginally bigger than I would have expected. SNP effectively unchanged. Independence support at 49% in both published polls today.

But yeah, a few Labour gains from the SNP probable as well as SNP gaining all seats from the Tories to compensate. I wouldn't expect much 'muh union' tactical voting to save them if they have tanked that strongly.

[JimJamUK]

Even people who backed Truss are starting to publicly slag her off (of course caveated by the fact Nadine Dorries is a loose cannon and attacked Cameron/Osborne from the left as well).

https://twitter.com/danbloom1/status/1577786846553276416?s=61&t=dvF_43oSqV_r...

[Wiswylfen]

Did not expect to end up discussing anime and giving manga recs when I started campaigning for Labour.

[JimJamUK]

Did not expect to end up discussing anime and giving manga recs when I started campaigning for Labour.

Pokémon or I’m sticking you on ignore.

[NewYorkExpress]

Truss's walk-on music, Moving on Up by the M People, has  apparently pissed the group off.

The use of Moving On Up as introductory music for the prime minister has left its creators "livid" and frustrated.

Liz Truss walked on to M People's 1993 hit before addressing the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham earlier.

The Manchester group's founder Mike Pickering said he hoped Ms Truss took note of the lyrics, as it was "about, 'go and pack your bags and get out'".

[Pulaski]

It always confuses me that political parties are allowed to play songs when they obviously haven't cleared it with the artists first. I know in some cases the artists no longer have the rights, but when they do, and the conferences function as a massive fundraising opportunity (which they inevitably do), does that not violate copyright?

[ibagli]

It always confuses me that political parties are allowed to play songs when they obviously haven't cleared it with the artists first. I know in some cases the artists no longer have the rights, but when they do, and the conferences function as a massive fundraising opportunity (which they inevitably do), does that not violate copyright?

In the USA, this story is written several times every four years, and every single time, what happened is that the party/campaign/venue had a license to use the music through whatever organization the artist(s) use. (It sounds like that's what happened here since they said they "checked with legal" and couldn't do anything.)

[CumbrianLefty]

Yeah, the Tories might lose all of their Scotland seats at this rate.

Minus 70 is almost impressive, I think that is below the very worst that Clegg got.