Starmer's Bane

[Protheroe]

No, I don't admit that at all. He's been telling the nation the home truths that they need to know rather than the comforting lies they're been fed by the government and the opposition for some time now. I know no-one's daft on this board, but to reiterate:

The most comforting lie is that inflation can be defeated without a recession. It can't.

The second most comforting lie is that the truly enormous scale of borrowing since the GFC and Covid is sustainable. It's not.

I've posted on here ad naseum for many many years that the GFC is not over. It hasn't played itself out, not by any stretch of the imagination. You see it in suppressed wages, lagging productivity, corporate debt that can simply never be repaid - the commodity inflationary crisis is compounding the systemic inflationary crisis at a time when economies globally are still vulnerable due to the government and CB response to the GFC.

There's nothing dog eat dog about explaining that never had the recession we really needed to have 14 years ago. There's nothing dog eat dog about explaining that you can't have everything you want on a silver platter from the state AND expect to pay less tax when borrowing costs are going through the roof. In fact it's more than likely that you'll get LESS from the state and pay MORE tax - whichever party is in power if you actually want to save the public finances from ruin.

This is why Steve Baker won't make the final two. He's one of very very few politicians who'd tell you like it is. You wouldn't like the message. You'd hate the remedy. But in the medium term we'd all be better off, as we were increasingly during the 1980s the last time we properly applied monetary theory.

EDIT: Oh, and in case anyone's in any doubt - Brexit would never have even been on the the agenda without the response to the GFC, and I doubt you'd have ended up with Johnson, Trump, Macron, Orban, Erdogan, the entire Arab Spring (including the war in Syria). It all comes down to populations being royally shafted in 2008 with the greatest transfer of wealth from the youngest to the oldest and the poorest to the richest. Do we face up to this truth? Or do we want to be spoonfed comforting lies?

Your choice.

[Derek Hardballs]

No, I don't admit that at all. He's been telling the nation the home truths that they need to know rather than the comforting lies they're been fed by the government and the opposition for some time now. I know no-one's daft on this board, but to reiterate:

The most comforting lie is that inflation can be defeated without a recession. It can't.

The second most comforting lie is that the truly enormous scale of borrowing since the GFC and Covid is sustainable. It's not. 

I've posted on here ad naseum for many many years that the GFC is not over. It hasn't played itself out, not by any stretch of the imagination. You see it in suppressed wages, lagging productivity, corporate debt that can simply never be repaid - the commodity inflationary crisis is compounding the systemic inflationary crisis at a time when economies globally are still vulnerable due to the government and CB response to the GFC.

There's nothing dog eat dog about explaining that never had the recession we really needed to have 14 years ago. There's nothing dog eat dog about explaining that you can't have everything you want on a silver platter from the state AND expect to pay less tax when borrowing costs are going through the roof. In fact it's more than likely that you'll get LESS from the state and pay MORE tax - whichever party is in power if you actually want to save the public finances from ruin.

This is why Steve Baker won't make the final two. He's one of very very few politicians who'd tell you like it is.  You wouldn't like the message. You'd hate the remedy. But in the medium term we'd all be better off, as we were increasingly during the 1980s the last time we properly applied monetary theory.

In short he would throw everyone who wasn’t able to weather the storm, many of which through no fault of their own under big I should call it true blue bus. It’s funny but your politics never seem to stretch as far as the wealthy, shareholders, billionaires etc it’s always the ‘plebs’ that have to suffer at the alter of unregulated, free markets.

[Protheroe]

In short he would throw everyone who wasn’t able to weather the storm, many of which through no fault of their own under big I should call it true blue bus. It’s funny but your politics never seem to stretch as far as the wealthy, shareholders, billionaires etc it’s always the ‘plebs’ that have to suffer at the alter of unregulated, free markets.

I know you're not daft, but you don't actually read a lot of what I post do you?

The recession we needed in 2008 would have taken out the worst aspects of the UK economy. The overleveraged (mainly) and those who could only make a profit by paying terrible wages. As it is, by nationalising debt the world is awash with zombie companies that will never grow - look at any High Street FFS, never pay off their debt and never provide decent employment opportunities. Government debt was already crippling before Covid.

The people hurt most by the global response to the GFC ARE the plebs - the response to the GFC is the least "unregulated free market" response you could make. It protects the wealthy, shareholders, billionaires at the expense of the plebs - FFS Dekka suppressed interest rates have made it worse for 14 years - have you not seen asset price inflation? Have you not seen the increase in wealth for the wealthiest "saved" by Gordon Brown and other global leaders?

You're not blind are you?

It would have been very easy (and much cheaper) to protect US (the Plebs) and the implications of doing so would have been shorter and shallower.

As it is, those you loathe benefitted the most. You seem to believe I'm on their side. Are you mad?

[Derek Hardballs]

Deary me I was joking when I said Braverman and now we hear that Baker is supporting her! Bring it on if that’s the calibre of candidate.

[Ossian]

Personally I'd love Steve Baker for the lolz on here and the unadulterated supply side revolution we so desperately need. The Civil Service would hate him, corporations dependent on corporate welfare would hate him, the NHS would hate him, farmers would hate him, the EU would hate him and throughout he'd be his usual polite reasonable well argued self which would boil the piss of virtually everyone else. So that won't happen.

In order for me to really consider returning to the fold we need a break with those who've held the great offices of state with Johnson and are tarnished by that. 

One of the most quietly effective Parliamentary performers over the last few years is Penny Mordaunt. It's a mark of Johnson's incompetence that she, and Kemi Badenoch (the leader after next IMO) have been serially under-utilised. If Mordaunt made the final two and I had a vote, that's where it would go.

Voted in favour of changing the rules to protect Owen Paterson; both of 'em.

[Derek Hardballs]

Personally I'd love Steve Baker for the lolz on here and the unadulterated supply side revolution we so desperately need. The Civil Service would hate him, corporations dependent on corporate welfare would hate him, the NHS would hate him, farmers would hate him, the EU would hate him and throughout he'd be his usual polite reasonable well argued self which would boil the piss of virtually everyone else. So that won't happen.

In order for me to really consider returning to the fold we need a break with those who've held the great offices of state with Johnson and are tarnished by that. 

One of the most quietly effective Parliamentary performers over the last few years is Penny Mordaunt. It's a mark of Johnson's incompetence that she, and Kemi Badenoch (the leader after next IMO) have been serially under-utilised. If Mordaunt made the final two and I had a vote, that's where it would go.

Voted in favour of changing the rules to protect Owen Paterson; both of 'em.

For the party not the people!

[Protheroe]

Personally I'd love Steve Baker for the lolz on here and the unadulterated supply side revolution we so desperately need. The Civil Service would hate him, corporations dependent on corporate welfare would hate him, the NHS would hate him, farmers would hate him, the EU would hate him and throughout he'd be his usual polite reasonable well argued self which would boil the piss of virtually everyone else. So that won't happen.

In order for me to really consider returning to the fold we need a break with those who've held the great offices of state with Johnson and are tarnished by that. 

One of the most quietly effective Parliamentary performers over the last few years is Penny Mordaunt. It's a mark of Johnson's incompetence that she, and Kemi Badenoch (the leader after next IMO) have been serially under-utilised. If Mordaunt made the final two and I had a vote, that's where it would go.

Voted in favour of changing the rules to protect Owen Paterson; both of 'em.

A whipped vote. Both would've had to resign from their job.

That's the basis of cabinet government and you can point to a multitude of decisions by all parties over the years where this is the case.

[Shabby Russian]

My view is that Sunak represents the best chance for the Conservatives in the next GE.

Comes with risks, but I think he still has credit with the electorate for his cover response.

I know a lot of smart money is on Mordaunt, but that's a he'll of a risk. I'm interested in politics but I would struggle to pick her out in an identity parade and so it's anyone's guess if she has the ability to connect with the wider electorate.

[Ossian]

Personally I'd love Steve Baker for the lolz on here and the unadulterated supply side revolution we so desperately need. The Civil Service would hate him, corporations dependent on corporate welfare would hate him, the NHS would hate him, farmers would hate him, the EU would hate him and throughout he'd be his usual polite reasonable well argued self which would boil the piss of virtually everyone else. So that won't happen.

In order for me to really consider returning to the fold we need a break with those who've held the great offices of state with Johnson and are tarnished by that. 

One of the most quietly effective Parliamentary performers over the last few years is Penny Mordaunt. It's a mark of Johnson's incompetence that she, and Kemi Badenoch (the leader after next IMO) have been serially under-utilised. If Mordaunt made the final two and I had a vote, that's where it would go.

Voted in favour of changing the rules to protect Owen Paterson; both of 'em.

A whipped vote. Both would've had to resign from their job.

That's the basis of cabinet government and you can point to a multitude of decisions by all parties over the years where this is the case.

Sunak abstained, as did Ben Wallace and Tom Tugendhat.

[Protheroe]

Personally I'd love Steve Baker for the lolz on here and the unadulterated supply side revolution we so desperately need. The Civil Service would hate him, corporations dependent on corporate welfare would hate him, the NHS would hate him, farmers would hate him, the EU would hate him and throughout he'd be his usual polite reasonable well argued self which would boil the piss of virtually everyone else. So that won't happen.

In order for me to really consider returning to the fold we need a break with those who've held the great offices of state with Johnson and are tarnished by that. 

One of the most quietly effective Parliamentary performers over the last few years is Penny Mordaunt. It's a mark of Johnson's incompetence that she, and Kemi Badenoch (the leader after next IMO) have been serially under-utilised. If Mordaunt made the final two and I had a vote, that's where it would go.

Voted in favour of changing the rules to protect Owen Paterson; both of 'em.

A whipped vote. Both would've had to resign from their job.

That's the basis of cabinet government and you can point to a multitude of decisions by all parties over the years where this is the case.

Sunak abstained, as did Ben Wallace and Tom Tugendhat.

If you count a "missing a vote" as an abstention then Rebecca Long Bailey, Hilary Benn, Barry Gardiner, Louise Haigh and 23 other Labour MPs "Abstained".

Including Keir Starmer.