The King~ or Queen~maker: Sir Graham brady
The first news item: Truss is still in No 10. The second: she may be made to go this week. That’s the theme of this morning’s papers (link). It all depends on the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, who must change the rules regarding challenging the PM. Those rules state that a PM cannot be challenged before 12 months are gone. The alternative of course is a vote of no confidence which would mean a GE.
Sir Graham Brady allegedly thinks everybody ought to give the Truss&Hunt show a chance, waiting for that budget to be presented on the 31st of October, implying that ‘teh market’ might calm down. Well, that’s a nice excuse for fence-sitting. My interpretation is that he probably wants to give the ‘replacement’ a chance to consolidate their standing with the MPs. The Tory grassroots won’t be asked should he change the rules. After all, according to the vociferous MPs now demanding this rule change, it was ‘teh grassroots’ who gave us Truss.
All these Tory plotters are clearly more interested in surviving the next two years to the statutory GE rather than care for the fate of us plebs. Instead of trying to calm down said markets which after all influence the drift of the economy, they’re into mudslinging and back-knifing, for example (my emphasis):
“Defence Secretary Ben Wallace warned the PM he could withdraw his support if she ditches her pledge to increase defence spending; […] Downing Street triggered fury after briefing that Sajid Javid had been rejected for the Chancellor’s job because of his ‘s**t’ record in government; A former senior Cabinet minister told the Mail that the Conservative Party would ‘split’ if Miss Truss is forced out and replaced by Rishi Sunak; Cabinet allies of the PM warned plotters that triggering a contest could result in Home Secretary Suella Braverman winning and pursuing a more Right-wing agenda.” (link)
Oh dear – those ‘cabinet allies of the PM’ must be racist! Meanwhile, why not add another chunk to the government debt and increase defence spending to pacify Ben Wallace. After all, he knows how much replacing all those armament ‘gifts’ to the Ukraine will cost us.
There’s also the Sacred Cow. According to The Times “One million NHS staff may strike this winter – Unison to ballot members this month over real-terms pay cuts” (link, paywalled). The whole report is a regurgitation of the arguments of Unison. I couldn’t find any proper demand, except for crying ‘it’s not enough’:
“[Unison] joins other unions for nurses, midwives, ambulance crews and physiotherapists which are also holding ballots, driven by a government proposal for a below-inflation pay rise. In the summer the government announced that most staff on non-doctor contracts could expect a £1,400 pay increase.” (link, paywalled)
£1,400p.a. means an increase of £100 per month. I’d have thought this ain’t to be sneezed at, especially not when it comes out of our pockets. But then again, trade unions seem to believe that ‘The State’ has inexhaustible supplies of money which the government is only too mean to hand over. I’ll only mention in passing the quip by one wag in the comments, that he thought the NHS was on strike already anyway.
It’s no surprise that The Times gave so much space to this demand. It has become the high-brow place for Labour propaganda. Under the title “Three lessons for Tories from this debacle – Accept the limits of sovereignty, our need for migrants and the iniquities of the property ladder and the party can recover” (link, paywalled) James Kirkup tries to give helpful suggestions to Tory Party policy makers which can be summarised as ‘become more like Labour’. After observing that “Starmer’s party is now deadly serious about getting, and keeping, power, with a refreshing preference for competence over ideology.” (link, paywalled) he writes:
“Truss’s downfall was ultimately caused not by voters or colleagues but by the markets — likewise the economic policies that the acting prime minister Jeremy Hunt is now putting in place. APM Hunt is having to raise taxes more and cut spending more than would otherwise have been needed in order to restore market credibility.” (link, paywalled)
There’s not even a glimmer of a hint of how Starmer and his now ‘competent’ Party would deal with the markets. There is however a hint of what may be in store under Labour, with a look at immigration and housing. Sit tight and don’t throw stuff at walls:
“Because on immigration and housing wealth, Conservatives are currently on the wrong side of historic trends. On immigration, Britain’s economy, supporting an ageing population, is only going to need more labour. Business knows it. At the Tory conference I heard the chief executive of one of Britain’s biggest companies tell Truss evangelists: “You don’t have a plan for growth because you don’t have a plan for immigration. So I’m moving work to the countries where I can find the workers I need to do that work.” (link, paywalled)
I’m sure Labour will be delighted to pacify big business with ‘moar immigrants’! Why would they care about ever lower salaries for workers. ‘Teh State’ will add bennies to those low salaries – from the inexhaustible money supply we have, right? Then there’s housing. See this (my emphasis):
“Until Conservatives realise that eternally rising house prices are a problem, not a blessing, they will lose. This doesn’t just mean bulldozing planning restrictions to build more at the expense of owner-occupiers’ objections. It means addressing the imbalance of wealth caused by a generation of loose monetary policy that threatens to make those owner-occupiers a hereditary caste. That could mean the “mansion tax” that George Osborne wanted. It could mean taxing the value of land. It could mean reforming council tax, still based, ludicrously, on 1993 prices. It should also mean higher taxes on inherited property. No one earns their parents’ home and such unearned gains should be taxed more, not less, than earned income.” (link, paywalled)
Why, in fact, should anyone own anything – not just their house but also the contents therein? Why not hand over everything to a ‘Labour state’ so that there won’t be ‘austeritee’, so that the NHS can be paid properly, so that the public sector can live in comfort while cutting ‘unaffordable’ services for the ‘hereditary caste of home owners’?
Is the solution for all our ills in taxing this ‘caste’ out of existence? Does the Westminster ‘caste of owners’ believe they’ll be exempt? What would all those uber-rich celebs say who are now propagating a Labour government? Oh – I forgot: they believe that their virtue signalling will make them exempt, don’t they.
All we can do is watch how our ruling classes, Tories, Labour: no difference, are destroying our country one way or the other. Who cares about the economy and inflation, never mind energy prices, when the one lot has taken their eyes off the ball for internecine warfare and the other ‘prepares for office’, with willing helpers in the MSM, pushing an agenda that is nought but daylight robbery.
We better enjoy what we still have for as long as we can. As the days get shorter so does the outlook for our poor country. But then again, as long as their smartphones work people will be happy and not cause trouble …
Meanwhile, in Sweden, the newly appointed ministers (today) have just lined up for their photograph to be taken as Sweden’s new government. Missing from the line-up was any member of the Swedish Democrats who happen to be the largest party of the now centre-right coalition. Think this is odd, it is, and it’s what conventional PR gets you. More on this in a forthcoming article.
This is more of an admin question. My recent emails to Viv do not seem to be getting any response. I’m wondering if my email address is going to the spam folder
“It all depends on the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, who must change the rules regarding challenging the PM. Those rules state that a PM cannot be challenged before 12 months are gone.”
As Groucho Marx said: Those are my principles and if you don’t like them, well, I have others.
They will keep changing the rules until they get what they want.
In the EU referendum turnout was over 72% and was a straight winner takes all, but the losers, who would have taken a ONE vote win as decisive, whined that a margin of over 1m was not a clear cut majority. And they still have not accepted it.
Yet in the Welsh devolution vote, turnout was just 50.2% and of those the votes split 50.3/49.7.
So only 25% of registered voters wanted it.
It was won by a handful, a mere 6721 people (yep, no misprint) and yet claimed as a resounding win for democracy.
If 3,000-odd voters had voted the other way and a few of the other 50% who did not care (more fool them) had bothered to turn out, the risible and disastrous Drakeford era would never have been.
By the way, Sir Graham Brady was given a presentation, at Westminster, by a delegation of top scientists, virologists, and other informed and knowledgeable dissenters on the horrendous damage being caused by the jabs and the likely disastrous outcome over the next few years. This was a while back and he did precisely nothing. Would I trust him an inch? No.
I have just finished listening to Nigel Farage’ programme on GB News, and a good show it was as well. The main topic of conversation was whether the Conservative Party was fit for purpose. Well, we all know the answer to that particular question apart from Harryagain of course, and the answer is no its not fit for purpose, and most of the sane and rational posters on this site have known this for some time, if not years. However, why is Farage planning to travel around the country starting with Deal this coming on Thursday to discuss whether the Conservative Party is finished. We already know that it is Conservative in name only and has no true conservative ideals or principles under its belt at all, and it is a party stuffed full to the rafters with members of parliament who are career politicians who are in it for their own interests and have zero political conviction. Instead, what we want of Farage is to cut the crap and return to frontline politics and lead a right of centre political party which will offer the long suffering electorate of this country a true conservative alternative to vote for. I cannot believe that he doesn’t recognise this, as one of his guests whose name I think is Tony Kavanagh of the Sun newspaper, quite rightly pointed out that the current situation with the Conservative Party opens up electoral possibilities for politicians like Farage. So, my advice would to Nigel Farage would be millions of voters from either side of the political divide would flock to a party led by you, so get on with it.
In 2019, with the disastrous Corbyn in position, Labour got over 10 million votes, and that was 2 million down on 2017, still Corbyn, but less well known then. An election in the near future would see a Labour government with a landslide as smaller parties compete with Conservatives to ensure Labour candidates win in seats they shouldn’t. If only there was another way?
On what mandate is J Hunt running the Govt. and the country. Truss has gone AWOL. Perhaps he has the support of the mandarins that is probably it, and of course Joe Biden.
Thought this was a joke at first but it’s rapidly becoming more like a factual documentary. 🙂
https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/a9qPYpW_460svvp9.webm
The real Muppets are those who vote for establishment parties.
Very clever Ken P.
Akismet’s anti-spam settings remove “harmful’ posts, They may need adjusting. I deny being harmful.
The reason house prices are rising is simple supply and demand. The more immigrants you get the more house prices rise. They’re all living somewhere, displacing the native Brits from their traditional homes.
Off topic – ‘the War’
Take a look at the very short video just above the comment
” Belarussian officials are downplaying the buildup: ”
https://sonar21.com/what-is-russia-planning-to-do-next/#comment-92400
As one poster said:
‘More tanks on one train than the entire British Army has’.
Love the comment, and how true that really is.
Makes you feel exposed though, doesn’t it?
Just a reminder’
After the war all these british weaponry etc will be invoiced together as loans made to Ukraine and we will get a very profitable percentage of the reperations and loans. This is how america got such a boost for 1942 to 45.. This is serious money and could save our bacon. And why they instigate wars since independence. And why there is always close market and industrial and even legal and market ties with America afterwards.
TG- You just hit a nerve. I dont remember the Jermans paying back Britain for all the bombing, doodlebugging, killing destruction and so on. Perhaps it was a couple of years ago and we all missed it?
Did the Jermans pay compensation for six million Jews? Don’t know, but doubt it.
The Bosch were given krupps, simens, junkers and so on Gratis – they who had supplied all the damage, in compensation for losing. We picked up our bombed out cities costs and carried on. Our reward was debt. We are still paying money hand over fist into the common market. No wonder once Great Britain never gets off its knees.
Biscotte……….I think the German government have paid some sort of reparations to Israel in recent years.
I was only 12/13 when the war finished. My Gran was German and had been sent to England for safety with sisters, and had a deep hatred of all politics and Hitler but particularly the young element and every week we beggared the family to send cash to Mr Churchill.
She frequently said to me ” It can happen here ” . Look out for it Glen..
Now, reparations. AS a family every Sunday lunch this was discussed with outlying members and friends of the family..I remember the negotiations with France and America being discussed about Canada. I also remember a deal with America regarding Islands and international war loans and reparations But what it was I no longer remember.
I remember the fury of one of my uncles who joined the Navy the day after war was declared. was torpedoed at least twice and was returned from Russia via America and spent 6 months in wartime america trying to get back. I agree entirely with his views. of nice people and generous but their politicians stink. Another of the uncles who got himself shot in Africa and was sent to the South America command where they looked after all the embassies small bases and sailors left there and forgotten in what were often unfriendly countries
The point of all this stuff, is that we ended the war in poverty with friends all over the world. with some respect and small authority but immense understanding of the world. I remember the tone and fury about the repayment of loans, amost entirely to american banks andthe disposal of thousands of assets around the world and finally capped with a huge loan to the people, War loans, and the transfer of ownership of all our merchant shipping,t( Nearly 2000 ships liners etc. Basically all done by Churchill in order to pay to rebuild european countries who were far worse off than us. All over Europe you can find evidence of his efforts and benevolence in rebuilding europe.
Remember I was 12., passed the !!+ and basically a sponge full of odd memories. and the desire to be a proffessional footballer.
TG Spokes……..and what would have Henry II made of it I wonder. Have you visited him lately in you know what?
Does anyone know why the ‘post comment’ button vanishes no matter which browser I try if I write more than two lines?
No idea, Stout – sorry. And no idea about what to suggest either. I’m waiting with trepidation for the bill for renewal of the server contact. Once I know that I might be able to ask that outfit for some technical advice.
Hope so Viv. I am still struggling with only the top half of 1 line of script as I type.
firkup in the Times sounds ready to submit. Mass immigration, globalism and world government as destiny. It ain’t working so double down?!?! He gets published, he runs a think tank and he advises MPs. Who does he think he is? Tony Blair?
My GP does still see people. But it’s better if you could have your three most visible and ghastly ready first.
TG- didn’t quite get that 9No doubt predictive text).
I have not SEEN a gp in donks. Phone up – receptionist: and what is wrong? Syphilis (= none of you business lady). Oh, how about a doctor’s phone call . . . ? Is it similar to my hospital eye appointments, exam down telephone wires?
I speak a foreign language, and bits of many other tongues – now if I could only find a rubber dingy.
Yup !
I no longer have secretaries to correct or retype my letters . So I rely on the readers personal translation. Their facility in Spot the ball competitions, and understand my spelling and punctuation. Then we can start. You would not believe what I can do to foreign languages. I learned Esperanto ( a bit ) in 6th form Maths in 1948.( I’m lucky to remember the name )
Mary You can buy Pay as You Go SIM cards from any high street store without giving your name thus there is no link as to who owns the phone. There is no need to give up the considerable advantages of a smart phone. I have used lots of cheap ‘burner phones’ sims on this basis. Yes, we shouldn’t have to do this and our privacy should be sacrosanct but We have to learn to learn new tricks to foil the snoopers. I always give burner phone numbers for any on-line purchase, whether it be everyday items, insurance, energy company or government body. I just have a small circle of friends/family who I keep on one personal SIM card.
Jake B I have a landline phone only, so much of what you say is unfamiliar to me. Are you sure these are not pay -as -you- go “dumbphones” you are referring to? (These are OK from privacy point of view) .Can you really own a smartphone- as opposed to a dumbphone- without TPTB knowing who owns it? How can you stop TPTB downloading snooping software onto a smartphone like they did during the “pandemic” to track you etc?
TPTB are bullying people into having smartphones by making it increasingly difficult to do various transactions without one, and I am trying to figure out how to stay outside the digital trap, eg I don’t like the sound of 3 -way authentication of your ID which banks etc are adopting: at present you can use a landline to authenticate your ID but what if TPTB phase out landlines and dumbphones? (I’ve heard they plan to).
Mary- the uSA hacked into Angie Merkle’s phone – so no-one is immune. But, mere mortals (even you and me!) will need a big reason to mobilise that sort of clout against you.
For tracking, make yourself a ‘Faraday cage’ (look it up). Tin foil and thin material layers. I crocheted an open mesh stitch with thin artist wire for one layer (use a plastic hook – the wire rips off the enamel on the metal ones). Finally, cotton cover design and lanyard. Job done.
As you can see, I finally got myself a spawn of the devil. It’s usually in the car (off) for breakdowns, apptmts, and such, e.g. to say I’m gonna be late. Hope that helps.
Oh, and if you get a burner beware. The provider will cut you off with no way of getting your prepaid money back, if you don’t use it for three months.
Biscotte. Many thanks for the tips. Will follow up and arm myself with this info for when I might need it.
Yes, you can purchase a sim card at any high street retailer for a ‘dumbphone’ or smart phone. You can buy a second hand smart phone on ebay and away you go. Only buy an ‘unlocked’ phone or a pay as you go sim won’t work.
Mary, you are now using your laptop on a monthly data contract presumably – how is that different regarding snooping to somebody using a smartphone on contract? Google electronically reads all emails for example. They are the biggest snoopers of all.
A huge proportion of young people and middle aged talk to each other on What’s App and many of those are on pay as you go smartphones which is encrypted messaging I believe. I use What’s App all the time to speak to people.
Jake B; Amazing Polly says that a smartphone is not at all like a laptop privacy- wise. I think TPTB intend that all our personal data, our entire identity, will all be in one place, on our smartphone. Banking, all purchases, health, criminal records, everything, all controllable by them. The subject is quite involved and
I’ll dig out some articles etc about it.
mary. I have a landline and a non smart, mobile phone.
My computer man also said land line phones would be phased out.
I do not understand what you say about doing transactions without a smart phone. What transactions are those? I buy stuff from amazon uk using this laptop computer. They keep asking for more information but so far I have managed not to give it.
I have told one or twao people that I no longer have a mobile phone because I got fed up with them assuming it was smart and wanting me to go to computer codes which I did not want to do because I wanted to keep my laptop details secret from them.
Pauline B ; “what you say about doing transactions without a smart phone. What transactions are those? ”
It’s the way I sense things are going. I’d love t be wrong but I’m certain I’m not and we’ll soon see.
Here is a link re what’s coming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa4-aDvb4A0
With NSI account (National Savings and Investments) , to log in you need to do 3 way authentication involving a phone. At present a landline or dumbphone will do but what will happen when they phase them out.
At present indeed you can transact with Amazon and others without a smartphone, but how long for?
Best let them get on with it Mary, watching them and the millenials thrashing around would be hysterical if it were not so serious, This is all designed to keep the up to their credit limit middle classes in the manner in which they have become accustomed.One comment i noticed in the ‘quality press’ said there is no sign of socialism creeping or otherwise and another said that Blair left an econmy stronger than any that most had seen in their lifetime.
What can I say except that I utterly totally despair. The media are indeed a total menace. I am tearing my hair out having had my latest “discussion” with a Times reader who says that their point of view (which is nothing but regurgitated Times propaganda) is just as valid as mine. I hope future generations never forget that the Media aided and abetted the creation of the vile Communist tyranny they’ll be living in. That person can’t be persuaded that stinging the middle classes won’t benefit the worse -off but will merely increase State control over us.
Bread and circuses. People clamour to have smartphones even when they don’t really need them, and don’t seem to care that they’re a digital handcuff. I understand and can well believe, that once people are well and truly caught inside the digital trap, the fun bits of smartphones will be stripped away leaving nothing but a device for TPTB to completely control us with.
I fully agree with you Mary.
Me too Lisa. It’s got now that at 78 yrs. old and various serious health probs. I’ll not have to live long in the coming ‘vile communist tyranny’.
PB Maybe I was being a bit defeatist re “coming tyranny”. . The coming fiscal meltdown is I understand inevitable, but tyranny to follow is not inevitable unless people let it happen. It’s up to tough old birds like us, and tough young birds too, to push against it. But it will be very difficult since people have gone so far down the digital road and don’t see the dangers
Nothing will change political direction until tough old birds and geezers join centre Right challenger parties that is a dead cert.
Trusses downfall was not caused by any of the newspapers Econoncs experts or anything else worth noting, But Vast misplaced ignorant superstition. gamblers lucky rabbits feet and normal human reactions of back stabbing and searching for an answer
Making trillions on markets is susceptable to a hundred and one strategies. Rarely is it reality. or even simple logic, but it excites many, and even mentioning to the foolish brings admiration and even envy.
What is the purpose of my earth shaking disclosure?
Well in this case , nobody seems to have noticed that the present mess is caused by events that occured between two years ago and yesterday, and our reaction was what previous governments ignorance had perpetuated into ” Never cut Taxes “. In other words the civil service , from centuries of tradition, ” Don’t want to do it “. But that itself is a lie driven by personal desires. We have often cut taxes in the past with desired result , long enough delayed to allow somebody totally unconnected to reap rewards later. totally undeserved albeit accepted instantly. Major and Peter Lilley’s work funding Blair and Brown. ( One a snake oil salesman and the other a backwoods preacher.) Lilley nd others before and after have done similarel, just for their country. has been done without reward for centuries. And Blair made a major career out of it. My barber could have done what Blair did distructively at less cost to us all.