UK General Discussion: Rishecession

[oldtimer]

I'm very confused why Conservative MPs wanted to talk about Sue Gray in Parliament today. It seemed to be made up largely of the Boris Brigade with some of the serious concerns crew.

Because she is an easy target.

The head of the civil service who helped oust a Conservative PM officially joining the Labour opposition ?
A political gift for the Boris fans, who now can credibly say that she made it up to help Labour.

[Torrain]

I'm very confused why Conservative MPs wanted to talk about Sue Gray in Parliament today. It seemed to be made up largely of the Boris Brigade with some of the serious concerns crew.

Aye - it was an odd session. The backbenchers in attendence where clearly trying to make it a very serious matter. But when the group involved mostly consists of luminaries like Lee Anderon, Jonathan Gullis, Bill Cash and John Redwood - well, they're not fooling anyone.

However. Peter Bone declaring that it was (direct quote) "a constitutional crisis", that "the civil service may never recover from", was such an iconic bit of parliamentary pantomine that it was almost worth the waste of parliamentary time.

[Blair]

I'm very confused why Conservative MPs wanted to talk about Sue Gray in Parliament today. It seemed to be made up largely of the Boris Brigade with some of the serious concerns crew.

Because she is an easy target.

The head of the civil service who helped oust a Conservative PM officially joining the Labour opposition ?
A political gift for the Boris fans, who now can credibly say that she made it up to help Labour.

She is not head of the civil service.

[oldtimer]

I'm very confused why Conservative MPs wanted to talk about Sue Gray in Parliament today. It seemed to be made up largely of the Boris Brigade with some of the serious concerns crew.

Because she is an easy target.

The head of the civil service who helped oust a Conservative PM officially joining the Labour opposition ?
A political gift for the Boris fans, who now can credibly say that she made it up to help Labour.

She is not head of the civil service.

Ok she's the No2.

Her official title is : Cabinet Office Second Permanent Secretary

[MABA 2020]

I'm very confused why Conservative MPs wanted to talk about Sue Gray in Parliament today. It seemed to be made up largely of the Boris Brigade with some of the serious concerns crew.

Because she is an easy target.

The head of the civil service who helped oust a Conservative PM officially joining the Labour opposition ?
A political gift for the Boris fans, who now can credibly say that she made it up to help Labour.

They can say that but not credibly, anyone with any recollection of what happened with party gate should be able to see straight through that.

[Pericles]

It's not in the interests of the Conservative Party for its MPs to be droning on about how Boris was framed.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Ok she's the No2.

Her official title is : Cabinet Office Second Permanent Secretary

Job titles can be misleading: she wasn't even the second most senior civil servant at the Cabinet Office.

[Silent Hunter]

I have no idea what "Eat Out to Help Out" is supposed to mean in this context but I really hope people somewhere are making all the jokes that came to my mind when I read this phrase.

It was a scheme where the government paid for restaurants to offer discounts on meals to encourage people to eat out and boost the ailing sector. It was questioned at the time - being nicknamed to "scoff to cough" and likely had a significant role in the second wave.

[Torrain]

Dipped into this Sunak press conference on immigration in a break at work (I know, I'm such a cool guy).



Not sure which part of this is odder. The fact they built the podium in a way that makes the PM look tiny? The fact they're so confident about their immigration policy that they built a custom "STOP THE BOATS" lectern? The list of Sunak's 5 Priorities, which is small enough that it's only of use to an optician? All just feels a little surreal.

Not much new detail from the presser on the policy itself. The most notable thing was probably that Sunak refused to commit to keeping Simon Case in place as Cabinet Secretary until the next election.

[Torrain]

On a slightly more substantive note, Sunak has apparently held a number of meetings about Lords reform, behind closed doors, according to the Times.

Some decent proposals in there, including converting the remaining hereditary peers to life peers, so that when the current batch reach the end of their natural lives, the hereditary aspect of the Lords comes to a natural end.

There's also a proposal to reduce the size of the Lords on a one-time basis by asking each party to retire a set portion of their peers - which seems like a surefire way to get bogged down in political fights, even if most are broadly in favour of a smaller chamber.

Definitely sounds like there's some pressure on Sunak to fix some of the worst excesses of the upper chamber, and try to take the wind out of Labour's sails (especially after Johnson's resignation inevitably honours trigger a round of Lords discourse).

Have to say, Lords reform has been such a slow process historically (recommend this documentary on Blair's travails during his attempt at reform), I'd take any steps in the right direction.

Removing the hereditaries is such a non-brainer (you just offer any hereditaries of value life-peerages on a one-time basis), that I'm still surprised no one has made a move on it in the past few years.

[Sestak]

https://twitter.com/rishisunak/status/1633158789103747072

Wonderful optics, great tweet.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I have no idea what "Eat Out to Help Out" is supposed to mean in this context but I really hope people somewhere are making all the jokes that came to my mind when I read this phrase.

It was a scheme where the government paid for restaurants to offer discounts on meals to encourage people to eat out and boost the ailing sector. It was questioned at the time - being nicknamed to "scoff to cough" and likely had a significant role in the second wave.

Well, that's a lot less fun than what I had in mind, but somehow even dumber. Classic BoJo, I guess.

[Biden 2024]

https://twitter.com/rishisunak/status/1633158789103747072

Wonderful optics, great tweet.

...what on Earth?

[Хahar 🤔]

I figured when Liz Truss became prime minister that it would mean a combination of extreme right-wing economic policy and lowest-common-denominator social policy. I guess she was turfed before she got to the second part of it, so we're getting it now.

The constant with this government, now that it has gotten Brexit done, is that it thinks that voters are morons. I guess the "STOP THE BOATS" iconography worked for Scott Morrison? I can't think of any other explanation.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The first people we need to deport are these moronic Australian political advisors.

[Silent Hunter]

https://twitter.com/rishisunak/status/1633158789103747072

Wonderful optics, great tweet.

That's badly worded, for sure. It implies we run the modern slavery system!

[CumbrianLefty]

Almost on a level with *that* "Rubbish" tweet from Yvette Cooper's leadership team in 2015.

[morgieb]

lmao this is like when the worst excesses of the Australian right try to make dumb American culture wars a thing

We're through the looking glass here, people.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

lmao this is like when the worst excesses of the Australian right try to make dumb American culture wars a thing

We're through the looking glass here, people.

Some random cabinet minister is going to start bleating about 'battlers' and 'the Mortgage Belt' next.

[kyc0705]

Aside from the obvious, there was something distinctly off about that post I couldn't quite put my finger on, but that's it: just bewildering levels of Australian Right energy.

[Хahar 🤔]

lmao this is like when the worst excesses of the Australian right try to make dumb American culture wars a thing

We're through the looking glass here, people.

I think that the concept of "cultural cringe" can now safely be retired by Australians.

[JimJamUK]

Some random cabinet minister is going to start bleating about 'battlers' and 'the Mortgage Belt' next.

It’s only fair given the Aussie press were referring to a ‘Red Wall’ at the Victorian election last year.

[Darthpi – Anti-Florida Activist]

https://twitter.com/rishisunak/status/1633158789103747072

Wonderful optics, great tweet.

...what on Earth?

It's an absolute marvel that this tweet is still up

[TheTide]

Aside from the obvious, there was something distinctly off about that post I couldn't quite put my finger on, but that's it: just bewildering levels of Australian Right energy.

I have suspected for a while that they would try a John Howard tactic regarding this particular issue. I thought, however, that it would occur closer to the election.

[morgieb]

Aside from the obvious, there was something distinctly off about that post I couldn't quite put my finger on, but that's it: just bewildering levels of Australian Right energy.

I have suspected for a while that they would try a John Howard tactic regarding this particular issue. I thought, however, that it would occur closer to the election.

It seems like this came out of nowhere as well. At least Howard used a lie about asylum seekers throwing children overboard to get his way on wedging Labor on immigration.