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Post by number13 on Feb 13, 2020 12:17:37 GMT
Sajid Javid has resigned. Very unexpected. That's a pity, I liked him from the interviews I've seen & read over the last few years.
Boris: wins like Blair, reshuffles like Blair...
EDIT: Oh so maybe this wasn't a reshuffle accident/mess-up? Falls out with Number 11 like Blair! (Except that dragged on for a decade.) Thanks sherlock for the insight. Still think it's a pity.
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lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
Likes: 5,811
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Post by lidar2 on Feb 13, 2020 12:24:29 GMT
Sajid Javid has resigned. Going to be an awful lot of ex ministers on backbenches with knives out for Boris ... Huge majority keeps them at bay. It sounds like the Javid Incident was a set-up. He got an ultimatum to remove his advisors, he refused and resigned. Rishi Sunak has now been installed, an ultra-loyalist who will accept the merging of No 10 and No 11 advisors and effectively capitulate to No 10’s demands. It’s a power play which, whilst it may seem messy, has actually worked out in Johnson/Cummings’ favour. I dunno, Cummings' style seems to be bullying and intimidation in the expectation his opponents will cave. He probably assumed Javid would cave.
More than anything else, it makes me think of Trump's revolving door of appointees.
EDIT A pity Javid couldn't have found a backbone and resigned before the election and joined Ken Clarke, Philip Hammond et al on the rebel benches. Maybe things would have turned out differently
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lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
Likes: 5,811
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Post by lidar2 on Feb 13, 2020 13:55:44 GMT
In so far as there is a policy issue, as opposed to personality and ego, between Cummings and Javid it seems to be that Cummings wants to open the spending taps whereas Javid was more keen to balance the books. I think the nearest historical precedents are Anthony Barber, a weak Chancellor who did what Ted Heath told him and let spending get out of control, and Harold Macmillan losing 2 Chancellors (Thorneycroft and Lloyd) who wanted to spend less than he did. I think we are most definitely heading back to the days of pre-Thatcher Tory economics under Johnston.
Why would Cummings want a spending splurge? Well, as he has pointed out himself, he is not a Conservative so don't expect Thatcherite economics. Secondly, if we have a hard brexit and are heading for a recession then he could be hoping to spend his way out of it with a weak Chancellor doing as he is told
EDIT: From Tom Clark's twitter thread:
Politically, it's best understood as one more check and balance which Dom and Bo Jo want out of the way
First, they came for the Tory moderates
Then they came for the BBC
Then they came for the judges
And now they come for, err, the Treasury
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2020 18:58:21 GMT
So Dominic Cummings is now in control of the Tory party? A unelected 'special advisor'. It just gets worse & worse.
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Post by number13 on Feb 13, 2020 22:22:18 GMT
In so far as there is a policy issue, as opposed to personality and ego, between Cummings and Javid it seems to be that Cummings wants to open the spending taps whereas Javid was more keen to balance the books. I think the nearest historical precedents are Anthony Barber, a weak Chancellor who did what Ted Heath told him and let spending get out of control, and Harold Macmillan losing 2 Chancellors (Thorneycroft and Lloyd) who wanted to spend less than he did. I think we are most definitely heading back to the days of pre-Thatcher Tory economics under Johnston.
Why would Cummings want a spending splurge? Well, as he has pointed out himself, he is not a Conservative so don't expect Thatcherite economics. Secondly, if we have a hard brexit and are heading for a recession then he could be hoping to spend his way out of it with a weak Chancellor doing as he is told
EDIT: From Tom Clark's twitter thread:
Politically, it's best understood as one more check and balance which Dom and Bo Jo want out of the way
First, they came for the Tory moderates
Then they came for the BBC
Then they came for the judges
And now they come for, err, the Treasury Noone is going to convince anyone of anything they don't already think on a thread like this but as I said, while I think it's a pity he's gone and for that matter I agree about the probable Macmillanite direction (but surely many of the usual critics of the Tories will quietly think that's a good thing, won't they?), however...
To get things in perspective and to recall something that is often forgotten (including by some politicians and 'commentators'), what does the brass plaque on the door of Number 10 say? That's right: {Spoiler} First Lord of the Treasury. It's only in quite recent times that we've started to think of two almost equal 'powers' inhabiting Downing St.
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Post by doctorkernow on Feb 13, 2020 22:54:30 GMT
Hello again. It was a classic case of Home Office inefficiency. The computer thought he was born in 2019 and not 1919. In the 1970s when my Mum applied for a driving licence she was rather surprised to receive in the post a full HGV licence!
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Mar 12, 2020 18:20:17 GMT
"Wash your hands & we'll get through this." That's the message from Boris Johnson.
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Post by doctorkernow on Mar 12, 2020 22:28:52 GMT
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Mar 12, 2020 22:36:42 GMT
What experts though? It appears he & his little cohorts are trying to use Herd Immunity as a method of defeating the virus, something other countries have not done. We should be following the examples of countries like Denmark which are focusing on curtailing freedom of movement, shutting schools, stopping large gatherings. We seem to be doing the opposite with this dangerous Herd Immunity method! I hope I am wrong, I hope it works but do not trust this government at all.
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Post by doctorkernow on Mar 12, 2020 22:58:10 GMT
Hello again.
You are not alone, Johnhurtdoctor. I do not trust this government either. They are taking a risk and relying on the general public to do the right thing. This may well be too big an ask, the question then will be whether the government have enough ready-made contingency plans if the peak is worse and over a longer period than they are predicting.
Time will tell. I think their overriding concern is not the well-being of the general population but the damage prolonged shutdowns could do to the economy. I don't know whether you saw the briefing but he was asked whether he was taking necessary precautions to avoid catching the virus and who wouldbe in charge if he succumbed to the virus. He completely ignored the question and did not answer it.
Business as usual even during a crisis.
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lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
Likes: 5,811
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Post by lidar2 on Mar 12, 2020 22:59:28 GMT
The fact that we are noticing this and saying it is a good thing shows just how low the bar has been set for our leaders.
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Post by doctorkernow on Mar 12, 2020 23:07:40 GMT
Hello again.
Given the behaviour of Mr Johnson last year autumn with his disain for Parliament, any sign of actually taking advice and listening to people who know what their talking about is surely an improvement. I have no time for Mr Johnson at all, but at present he is PM and seems to be taking things seriously.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2020 23:17:43 GMT
Hello again. Given the behaviour of Mr Johnson last year autumn with his disain for Parliament, any sign of actually taking advice and listening to people who know what their talking about is surely an improvement. I have no time for Mr Johnson at all, but at present he is PM and seems to be taking things seriously. It is indeed good to see the government taking a science based response. I do think they're not being proactive enough in what they're telling employers and large businesses to do, or indeed cancel large gatherings. There was a football match tonight in Glasgow with 50,000 in attendance. That's idiocy allowing that to happen. And even more idiotic for the fans to go. Then again they are Rangers fans so not the brightest bunch! It's only 2 weeks ago we had more than one poster here say this was all media hyperbole and blown out of all proportion. I don't see those people saying so now. Funny that.
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Mar 12, 2020 23:20:21 GMT
Hello again. You are not alone, Johnhurtdoctor. I do not trust this government either. They are taking a risk and relying on the general public to do the right thing. This may well be too big an ask, the question then will be whether the government have enough ready-made contingency plans if the peak is worse and over a longer period than they are predicting. Time will tell. I think their overriding concern is not the well-being of the general population but the damage prolonged shutdowns could do to the economy. I don't know whether you saw the briefing but he was asked whether he was taking necessary precautions to avoid catching the virus and who wouldbe in charge if he succumbed to the virus. He completely ignored the question and did not answer it. Business as usual even during a crisis. Yes I did see it. Disgraceful behaviour. All he cares about is the economy. I'm sorry but the recent behaviour of the public, panic buying toilet rolls etc, shows how we need harder enforcements from the government about large gatherings etc. & why are the government not sharing simple information like this about hand washing? They tell the public to wash their hands but don't say how amazing washing with soap is!
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Post by doctorkernow on Mar 12, 2020 23:24:35 GMT
Hello again.
I saw this. Its brilliant. They should put this information out there in the wider community. You are quite right, the public need simple information that says why washing with soap works. The panic-buying really annoys me too, so selfish.
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lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
Likes: 5,811
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Post by lidar2 on Mar 13, 2020 8:45:28 GMT
Hello again. Given the behaviour of Mr Johnson last year autumn with his disain for Parliament, any sign of actually taking advice and listening to people who know what their talking about is surely an improvement. I have no time for Mr Johnson at all, but at present he is PM and seems to be taking things seriously. It is indeed good to see the government taking a science based response. I do think they're not being proactive enough in what they're telling employers and large businesses to do, or indeed cancel large gatherings. There was a football match tonight in Glasgow with 50,000 in attendance. That's idiocy allowing that to happen. And even more idiotic for the fans to go. Then again they are Rangers fans so not the brightest bunch! It's only 2 weeks ago we had more than one poster here say this was all media hyperbole and blown out of all proportion. I don't see those people saying so now. Funny that. Aren't sectarian jokes against forum rules?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2020 10:05:02 GMT
It is indeed good to see the government taking a science based response. I do think they're not being proactive enough in what they're telling employers and large businesses to do, or indeed cancel large gatherings. There was a football match tonight in Glasgow with 50,000 in attendance. That's idiocy allowing that to happen. And even more idiotic for the fans to go. Then again they are Rangers fans so not the brightest bunch! It's only 2 weeks ago we had more than one poster here say this was all media hyperbole and blown out of all proportion. I don't see those people saying so now. Funny that. Aren't sectarian jokes against forum rules? If you're silly enough to think supporting a sports team makes you part of an ethnic group or religion then I suppose so. Or if you're smarter than that....no.
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Post by number13 on Mar 13, 2020 12:16:11 GMT
Aren't sectarian jokes against forum rules? If you're silly enough to think supporting a sports team makes you part of an ethnic group or religion then I suppose so. Or if you're smarter than that....no. You mean football isn't a religion? I must say that's a big relief, from the coverage it gets I thought it was just me who didn't believe...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2020 12:49:35 GMT
If you're silly enough to think supporting a sports team makes you part of an ethnic group or religion then I suppose so. Or if you're smarter than that....no. You mean football isn't a religion? I must say that's a big relief, from the coverage it gets I thought it was just me who didn't believe... I guess if football itself is a religion..cricket would have to be a cult. We've got a cricket team round here and I think it's the only sporting team I've seen with more players than spectators!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2020 14:57:04 GMT
You mean football isn't a religion? I must say that's a big relief, from the coverage It ain't going to get much coverage now !
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