So is Hunt the Prime minister in all but name?

I have been watching info on tv about the big links that Hunt has with china. Very scary

Happy to see a practice nurse, doctor or pharmacist depending on what's wrong with me. If i think I'd need a referral it would be a Dr to save time. Only thing is I remember many years ago in the days of handwritten prescriptions, a Dr prescribed the wrong dosage and the pharmacist noticed so is an important second line of safety. In my Dr's, you cannot often speak to a pharmacist as they aren't available.
They are dispensers with no knowledge of what they are dispensing. You need to speak to the Dr they say, which would be fine but I saw a health professional who said I mayneed medication and she would speak to a doctor. I was texted weeks later saying I had still to collect medication (which I knew nothing about). Never saw a Dr in any of it for BP tablets. A Dr I saw down South was actually Googling my symptoms....I knew what it was but he disagreed till we found a photo on Google images .

Theoddbird

Armchair politicians....rife on here. If any of you were in charge the country would be on its knees...hahaha. I actually like Hunt. He is what I would call 'a sensible chap'. I was impressed with his interview with Laura Kuenssberg yesterday.

Armchair politicians....rife on here.

Do you think we shouldn't have a view on the state of the economy brought about by this current government - something that will affect us all one way or another? Or that we are all so politically naive and uneducated that we cannot discuss recent events because we don't understand them?

And the country is already on its knees - or just about getting up from them because an incompetent woman who embraces the free-market economy didn't understand the basics of it - who announced an astonishing range of tax cuts without any indication of how they would be paid for. A woman who forced the BoE into a £60 billion + intervention and pushed the UK to the brink of a recession...

... and you're "hahaha" laughing at us?

Some posting on here have more economic reasoning, rationality and logic in their little fingers than Truss has in her whole blundering inexpert rigid brain.

I think the biggest worry is the level of poverty in Britain today. After six years of extraordinary financial turmoil wrought by Brexit, then covid, now supporting Ukraine as Russia rages war and inflicts financial damage on the energy supply, and we are now faced with strikes. The strikes will have to be settled and welfare will have to rise. Can the Tories borrow for this? If they think they can cut services and not borrow just to appease the market they are asking for trouble. It is time for a socialist budget can the tories hack that? Like in war time, call it what they may, to get us through the winter. These are tough times with the potential for real suffering of many if they don’t.

And no maybe70 I haven’t read said book nor do I have any sympathy for that ideology. All pie in the sky. I was just sick of one woman getting the blame for the whole shit show.

Saetana

I am not a fan of Jeremy Hunt but was reluctantly impressed with his performance at the dispatch box this afternoon. He was clear and concise about his plans, and the markets have rallied in response. Bankers bonuses cost the public purse nothing - apparently what has been happening is banks have had to pay higher basic salaries to compensate for the bonus cap, said salaries not being performance related, unlike bonuses. It is expected that removing the cap will increase the tax take - as high earners those bonuses will be taxed at the top rate and it should help attract more talent to the UK financial sector. Even the EU (which is where the bonus cap came from) is relaxing its bonus cap - we need to keep London as the premier financial market in Europe as it contributes a huge amount to the treasury and the economy in general.

Don't forger, Saetena, that almost anyone would seem impressive when compared to Truss/Kwarteng, and Johnson before them.

That in itself doesn't make the latest pretender a good person to lead the country. In fact, the exact opposite could be true.

Saetana

I am not a fan of Jeremy Hunt but was reluctantly impressed with his performance at the dispatch box this afternoon. He was clear and concise about his plans, and the markets have rallied in response. Bankers bonuses cost the public purse nothing - apparently what has been happening is banks have had to pay higher basic salaries to compensate for the bonus cap, said salaries not being performance related, unlike bonuses. It is expected that removing the cap will increase the tax take - as high earners those bonuses will be taxed at the top rate and it should help attract more talent to the UK financial sector. Even the EU (which is where the bonus cap came from) is relaxing its bonus cap - we need to keep London as the premier financial market in Europe as it contributes a huge amount to the treasury and the economy in general.

But ask yourself, who is going to pay for the almighty cock up they inflicted on the country?

From Wikipedia. ‘Britannia Unchained: Global Lessons for Growth and Prosperity is a political book written by several British Conservative Party MPs and released on 13 September 2012. Its authors present a treatise, arguing that Britain should adopt a different and radical approach to business and economics or risk "an inevitable slide into mediocrity".[1]

The book is written by Kwasi Kwarteng, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab, Chris Skidmore and Liz Truss, five Conservative MPs who were elected in May 2010 and belong to the party's Thatcherite-leaning Free Enterprise Group. The text sets out their vision for the United Kingdom's future as a leading player in the global economy, arguing that Britain needs to adopt a far-reaching form of free market economics, with fewer employment laws and suggesting the United Kingdom should learn lessons from the business and economic practices of other countries, including Canada, Australia and the tiger economies of East Asia like Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.[1][2] Four of the five co-authors became part of the cabinet of Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2019,[3] with co-author Liz Truss becoming Prime Minister on 6 September 2022; she appointed Kwarteng as her Chancellor the same day. 38 days into his tenure, Kwarteng was removed from his post following the turbulent market reaction to his disastrous mini-budget.[4][5][6]’
Isn’t that exactly what was in the catastrophic mini budget that has now been scrapped? No, I haven’t read it but Rory Stewart in his excellent podcast pretty much spelled out the direction that Truss and Kwarteng planned to take us in and I he’s a politician ( ex) whose analysis I do respect.

I am not a fan of Jeremy Hunt but was reluctantly impressed with his performance at the dispatch box this afternoon. He was clear and concise about his plans, and the markets have rallied in response. Bankers bonuses cost the public purse nothing - apparently what has been happening is banks have had to pay higher basic salaries to compensate for the bonus cap, said salaries not being performance related, unlike bonuses. It is expected that removing the cap will increase the tax take - as high earners those bonuses will be taxed at the top rate and it should help attract more talent to the UK financial sector. Even the EU (which is where the bonus cap came from) is relaxing its bonus cap - we need to keep London as the premier financial market in Europe as it contributes a huge amount to the treasury and the economy in general.

Maybe it says more for Jeremy Hunt that he was shunned by Boris Johnston and Liz Truss, as stated by a poster earlier.

*I think the knee jerk anti-Truss fever has a lot to do with sexism and classism, an excuse for rampant misogyny to come out of the closet.
The country obviously feels more comfortable when there is an upper-middle-class male in charge.*

WHAT!!!!! I have never heard such nonsense in my life.

The anti-Truss feeling is about her being incompetent, unable to listen to professional advice and a danger to the economy. Her gender or class is irrelevant.

She trashed the economy on the blink of an eye - of course people are not warmly disposed towards her.

Treelover

this Maybe70 ? Britannia Unchained: Global Lessons for Growth and Prosperity – Illustrated, 13 Sept. 2012 by Kwasi Kwarteng, Priti. Patel, Dominic Raab, Chris Skidmore, Elizabeth Truss.
they all five wrote it 12 years ago, she the last listed and yet you call it her book.... which kind of makes my point..and no I haven't! Have you read it recently, or twelve years ago? or just the hoo ha about it in the press?

So what difference does it make. She co wrote it along with the person that she immediately installed as her chancellor and then implemented the ideas in the book without, it appears, even putting it before her own government. Isn’t 2012 10 years ago?

Mouse

I can’t help noticing that although they have reversed all those tax cuts, the cap on bankers bonuses has still been lifted.

Yes indeed. How can that possiby be justified?

I can’t help noticing that although they have reversed all those tax cuts, the cap on bankers bonuses has still been lifted.

I think any Prime Minister who trashes the economy in less than a month and is too scared to turn up to be questioned about it deserves any piling on they get.

She's meant to be the leader of the UK, not a wee lassie who's got things a bit wrong.

I have no truk with that Ayn Rand kind of globalism. nor do I feel forced to defend her. I just dislike the enthusiastic piling on

this Maybe70 ? Britannia Unchained: Global Lessons for Growth and Prosperity – Illustrated, 13 Sept. 2012 by Kwasi Kwarteng, Priti. Patel, Dominic Raab, Chris Skidmore, Elizabeth Truss.
they all five wrote it 12 years ago, she the last listed and yet you call it her book.... which kind of makes my point..and no I haven't! Have you read it recently, or twelve years ago? or just the hoo ha about it in the press?

We reap what we sow grannygranby. Truss has been a government minister for 10 years, she’s not a novice who didn’t know exactly what she was letting herself in for. I have to say that I think there has been racial prejudice against Sunak, so I don’t agree with your point about him being feted above her - I think fellow MPs could see he had a greater level of competence, but the party members didn’t/couldn’t/wouldn’t see that.
I don’t like to see the public humiliation of anybody, but she’s making it worse for herself by hanging on, she needs to hand in her resignation now, because it will be worse for her if she doesn’t.

grannygranby

I think the knee jerk anti-Truss fever has a lot to do with sexism and classism, an excuse for rampant misogyny to come out of the closet.
The country obviously feels more comfortable when there is an upper-
middle-class male in charge.
So we all know Truss’s faults, what were her strengths? : well she had more experience than anyone else, having served on front bench with four prime ministers over ten years. Her co-workers trusted her. She was hard working. She got things done. She worked well with the civil service. This was attractive after Boris, but people quickly tired of her non -performative behaviour. Wooden, flat, boring. They remembered how Boris amused and could charm the leg off a donkey…
I’m not a Tory but I had rather hoped they’d have voted for Ben Wallace but he quickly stepped down from the race and backed Truss with whom, as minister of defence, he had worked under when she was foreign secretary. So don’t all go blaming the membership for being unrepresentative and stupid. Sunak was arrogant and patronising , had dual passport, tax dodging wife and was overly privileged. One thing you can certainly say about public schools they teach public speaking which comprehensives rarely do. And it is true that a leader is a performance role.
So I’m irritated how every mistake is now laid at Truss’s feet. Ludicrous. Her mistake was not just giving money to everyone with the energy cap for two years but giving tax cuts to the rich. (Which I agree was stupid politically as there are a lot more poor than rich) The market, who really run the game, were most bothered though by her cap on energy prices across the board for two years. Well that’s been scrapped. Now just six months.
Hunt was hated as minister of health. We’ll see how he goes.
It’s as though people have been brainwashed into accepting ANYTHING as long as it isn’t Liz Truss. Many many women don’t like a woman leader. The times I heard on vox pops uneducated women saying how brainy Sunak was and how stupid she was. I remember one saying she should be a back room girl in a shop. Truss and Sunak both went to Oxford, same degree. Gobsmackingly sexist.
The last two female PM’s left in tears. I hope it doesn’t happen to a third.
PS She was also the first minister to say sex matters in regard to separate facilities for safety and fairness and to defend the rights of women being called mothers. She gets a lot of kudos from me for that.
PPS Apparently Truss hatred is so great that more people believe that the moon landing was a fake than those that support her. Shameful. She doesn’t deserve that. It’s a witch hunt.

Can I suggest that you read her book Britannia Unchained? Because therein lies the reason for the financial mess this country is in.

Lilyflower

“There is now a suggestion that there will be an increase in cost cutting, but Just how much more austerity is the country willing to accept. Their reputation for good economic management is completely blown. “

This series of sentences seems confusing. Is the OP suggesting that spending is more prudent than “cost cutting”? The UK national debt is £2,427.5 billion after Covid , furlough and other unprecedented Covid measures. With Putin’s Ukrainian invasion causing fuel prices to rocket, the US economy also pushing up inflation and world interest prices also rising, is a spendathon “good economic management “? The more cash pumped into the economy the more inflation will be fuelled. This is how “boom and bust” happens.

A sound and prudent hand on the tiller is needed now.

In answer to your question it is

Yes

Sorry, should read ?”, not “?

“There is now a suggestion that there will be an increase in cost cutting, but Just how much more austerity is the country willing to accept. Their reputation for good economic management is completely blown. “

This series of sentences seems confusing. Is the OP suggesting that spending is more prudent than “cost cutting”? The UK national debt is £2,427.5 billion after Covid , furlough and other unprecedented Covid measures. With Putin’s Ukrainian invasion causing fuel prices to rocket, the US economy also pushing up inflation and world interest prices also rising, is a spendathon “good economic management “? The more cash pumped into the economy the more inflation will be fuelled. This is how “boom and bust” happens.

A sound and prudent hand on the tiller is needed now.

So , we have had the lying, cheating arrogant pm
then we have the incompetent pm ( think she has done so many u turns she must be on the M25 and will shortly arrive back at the point she started.)
So no doubt they will be looking for someone who is arrogant, ncompetent, robs from the poor to give to the rich, and of course a deliberate liar, or alternatively makes statements that may only apply for a week or less., whilst ruining what is left of the economy! Now where on earth can they look for someone to fill this slot? Oh yes, just look on the Tory benches!!
Oh for heavens sake dont waste any more money and time. Lets get a general election done before christmas and hopefully next year there might be the faintest hope of a government who might think of the whole country and remember there are other places besides London.

Whitewavemark2

It seems that he is Truss’s watchdog, or the CEO as a Tory described him. He will almost certainly become he main spokesperson, given Truss’s abysmal performance.

But it is clear that the Tories are completely split, and one wonders if they can ever form a United party.

The issue with Hunt imo is that he is closely associated with austerity - close to Cameron. Very distrusted by the doctors and nurses.

There is now a suggestion that there will be an increase in cost cutting, but Just how much more austerity is the country willing to accept. Their reputation for good economic management is completely blown.

The last period 2010 -2015 appeared to have achieved nothing except to put enormous pressure on the NHS, and forced so many cuts on LAs and public services etc.

I suspect that Truss turned to Hunt because of his rhetoric when running for party leadership, which if you look at it is very Truss in tone.

It isn’t going to work and that will become obvious very quickly indeed.

Truss will go and Sunak will be crowned.

Something has to happen, we can't go on like this, we all need a "decent normal" government. Living alone on a basic pension is miserable - no government does anything about it, we just exist. I wouldn't mind moving into one of the illegal immigrant hotels for a week, 3 meals a day and the heating on.

What is frightening though volver and what we have to remember, is that some people do think along the lines of grannygranby's post.

But she's an idiot.