Government Watch - 2

Well said GG.

That is an uninspiring bunch of possible contenders for PM. Boris would be last on my list of preferences.

When?

Rumours that a delegation of 30 MPs will ask her to resign according to the Telegraph and the Evening Standard.

Do we really think that May was hinting at a mixed economy viewpoint? Wasn't she just making empty promises?

Daily politics - lots of chat about the car crash, but hardly anything about the content.

She is definately toast.

I see so much the same with May and Gordon Brown

Boris remains 3/1 for the next Conservative leader.
Then David Davis at 15/2 (hasn't he said he is retiring soon?) then Amber Rudd 8/1
Rees-Mogg and Hammond at 10/1.
Well that's according to Paddy Power.
I've not much confidence in any of those as Prime Minister.
Oh..... Jeremy Corbyn

"Keep your enemies closer" is also sometimes attributed to Machiavelli!

FarNorth that man is representing you, me and everyone else to the rest of the world - and he is an oaf. I do not want to be represented by someone whose opinion of themselves seems to be well above anyone else's opinion of them and who goes abroad for Great Britain and insults people.

The 'keep you friends close, etc.,' is true in some instances but not all. It can just be an easy, trite saying just as 'Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.' can be - particularly if they change their names .

The friend and enemies, close and closer quote is often attributed to Sun Tzu but he said a great deal more than this. For example:

"... but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself."

We can only hope. What Sun Tzu does not do is stop at keeping your enemy closer. If the enemy remains an enemy he talks about how to crush him so the oaf has been kept closer but more now needs to be done before he completely wrecks the opinions held abroad by other countries.

mostly I would agree that in no real times this is a good strategy, but this isn’t normal times-far from it.

But to be honest I Think as far as May is concerned it is immaterial. Nothing she does now will be of any significance.

Am glad that somebody ‘gets it’ mostlyharmless ?

Keep your enemies closer! Theresa May and Boris.

lemongrove said "Boris Johnson is a liability though, and always has been, but probably a good idea to keep an eye on him within the Cabinet."

Keeping a selfish, devious oaf in a government position is a good idea? Why?

Five thousand houses a year is certainly not enough. They need to let the councils build again - but it is a breakthrough.

I don't see them accepting that we need more investment in infrastructure, in education, in housing and in the regions in order to grow the economy because they would just be parroting what the LP are saying. However right they recognise that to be they will not say so.

I am glad you can see it whitewave (you do wonder when you think these things) but I think you are right. If she continues a mixed economy will become more acceptable again but the hard right of the party have got so much control because of Brexit and may not let go. The would drag us back towards the neo-liberalism which has grown since Thatcher.

most 2million+ on the waiting list at the moment. 25k Houses scheduled to be built over next 5years. The maths don’t add up do they?-always supposing it happens.

It's good news that there is to be more money for council housing to be built. Will this make up for the decline in council house building since 2010?

And will they actually be built? Every government promises new targets but house building (of all types) has continued to decline.

I have no faith that this promise will be kept.

gg I get your point. And I think you are right. But I think what will prove that theory more importantly is who replaces May. That will tell us if we are returning to a more mixed economy.

If the next leader comes from the right of the Tory party then no but if they are from the left then yes. But Tories like to think that they are not natural believers in the mixed economy, even though history tells us otherwise.

It could be that there is indeed a sea change going on.

She has had a rough time since becoming leader, the bombings, dealing with brexit . She hasn't the protection of a set up like momentum,

So let me tell you why I think the content of the speech is important.

First we have Corbyn offering to get the economy by the scruff of the neck and dragging it back towards a mixed economy. You may doubt whether re-nationalisation is the best or only way to do this, you may have doubt about a Labour government taking this further in the state direction but there is a big following that says neo-liberal economics is not working.

You then have May suggesting state intervention in the neo-liberal economy because she, and other Conservatives, recognise that neo-liberal capitalism hasn't worked. You may think she does not go far enough and you may worry that a continued Tory government would go backwards on this if they stayed in power but they too have recognised there is a big following that says neo-liberal capitalism is not working.

Without any agreement on the method we seem to have both main parties agreeing that neo-liberal capitalism has not and is not working and that we need some form of mixed economy - both capital and state - again. That is why I think this speech - if we could have heard it - was important. I think voters have a right to know that all the main players are looking in this direction so that they can discuss the detail of which industries would be affected and how the state should intervene rebalancing towards a mixed economy.

Just feeling sorry for someone doesn't mean she is a good leader. I felt sorry for her and know it must be supremely difficult to stand up there in front of all the cameras and read a speech, but she has chosen that position and she just didn't convince. So there might be 25,000 new council homes- maybe- and these are just a drop in the ocean- will these all be sold off as soon as they are built? More questions than answers here.

Organ donation is another labour initiative

There will be an Autumn Budget this year, so we will be hearing more about fiscal policies soon.

I think we can all agree with you there annie but that is not the same thing as saying she is a good and competent leader.

I think May conducted herself with such class yesterday, I admire her,