This afternoon in the Commons

It's one thing to feel sorry on a human level for someone who has been humiliated, but don't forget that she didn't feel sorry for the people who have to suffer the humiliation of going to foodbanks, or of telling their children that there will be no presents at Christmas.

She prioritised tax cuts for bankers over an increase in benefits, would happily have got rid of paid leave and a cap on the number of hours in a working week, and wouldn't have cared about the family lives that were ruined as a result. Remember that when you give her your sympathy. I don't take pleasure in it, but my sympathies lie elsewhere, I'm afraid.

Forsythia

That’s nice isn’t it. A nice bit of humanity there.

I'm sure Truss is weeping buckets for the people whose mortgages have increased and are struggling to pay their bills.

She looked like she had overdone the medication. She just came in, sat there looking blank, walked out after 20 minutes. Bizarre.

I wish she would go, for her sake as much as for others. I pity the women. No one should have to go through this.

When Penny Mordant spoke about the need for Liz Truss to be away from the commons I began to think perhaps someone had died. Katy Balls tells us in the Spectator evening email that, Truss had been in a long-planned meeting with 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady, which doesn't quite sound like the very serious reason Mordaunt cited for missing the UQ, unless Brady was telling her that she had to quit.

I don’t know who it was but a Conservative MP who’s standing down at the next election said we can’t have an election now because it’s bad for the country to have a weak opposition numbers wise and the Conservatives would be wiped out. But isn’t that precisely what the problem is now?

I agree with you entirely Doodledog, her policies were appalling, inhumane and deserved to fail.

Her policies may be devoid of empathy but we aren't.

I never thought she was up to it intellectually - the new economic stuff, how much she REALLY UNDERSTOOD. Lulled into over confidence by the closed votes and enthusiasm within the Party

but really....She did walk in eyes wide open as very experienced politician.

So I agree with Joseanne

"Send her packing but leave the nasty personal comments out."

Its appropriate to have reflective commentary - goodness knows, lessons to be learnt given the parlous state of economics/inflation at levels caused by those disastrous weeks - till things settle - but thats different.

There was a "conspiracy" theory though wasn't there that the party would select someone so inadequate that the country would be begging Boris to come back and "save the day". And there are mutterings of "bring Boris back" aren't there?
Be careful what you wish for.

MawtheMerrier

There was a "conspiracy" theory though wasn't there that the party would select someone so inadequate that the country would be begging Boris to come back and "save the day". And there are mutterings of "bring Boris back" aren't there?
Be careful what you wish for.

Mutterings of Boris Johnson returning are being heard only from the deranged though Monica, I haven’t seen or heard anybody sensible saying that as they all consider he’s the architect of our current problems, including the majority of MPs. Even his one woman fan club said it wouldn’t happen.

Whoops sorry MawtheMerrier, not Monica.

Given the two disasters the Conservative Party membership has inflicted on us I regret to say I think a General Election is the only solution however bad the timing is when the country faces such enormous problems. The CP won’t unite behind any of the current mediocre potential leaders and we need clear leadership and some talented problem solvers. Not sure the Labour Party has them either but then what sane person would want to be in frontline politics just now?

Truss has massive self belief and zero empathy. To her this is a hiccup on the path to the sunny uplands of her skewed ideology. She chucked the chancellor under the bus when just last week she said they were 'lockstepped'. I can't see any reason to feel sorry for her.

I do not feel any sympathy for her. I doubt she had any for the many people who were going to suffer hardship from her nasty right wing ideology.

I can't say I have sympathy for her. She is a professional MP, has been doing this job for years, knows exactly what is involved and most importantly fought very hard to get the job. She wanted to be PM and should have had all her policies ready to go, checked and scrutinised by professionals who understood how the economy works. So while I would never say anything nasty about Ms Truss I cannot say I have sympathy for her. If you can't stand the heat stay out of the kitchen.

She achieved the highest office in the land then forgot every principle of government, politics and economics and threw the country under a bus. Never mind Kwarteng he was the architect of the disaster, Truss was too stupid to intervene.

I do use the stupid word knowing it’s the worst description of a political figure possible.

Going back to the Alastair Campbell interview I listened to yesterday he said that the minute you become PM everyone around you changes how they treat you and they no longer criticise you or give you sensible advise. I’m hoping that he will give a good analysis of what’s happened to Truss in the next podcast.

MaizieD

I feel desperately sorry for her, too. I felt sorry for May, too, much as I disliked her.

If I were her I'd want to be gone before PMQs on Wednesday.

... glad I'm not alone in feeling sorry for May also. In fact - and I'm going to regret saying this I know - I also felt sorry for Thatcher... that photo' of her shedding a few tears as she was driven away for the last time.

May, Truss and Thatcher I think all believed in their policies and ideology, it was not some huge joke they were indulging in for the LOLS. Unlike Johnson who I don't think gives a stuff one way or the other and is just in the game for whatever glory he thinks he can get out of it.

Wyllow3 Mon 17-Oct-22 21:31:43

I never thought she was up to it intellectually - the new economic stuff, how much she REALLY UNDERSTOOD. Lulled into over confidence by the closed votes and enthusiasm within the Party

... Lulled into over confidence by the closed votes and enthusiasm within the Party

This - I think - says it all. It explains her heady belief in herself, her rigid refusal to accept that she was, simply, wrong.

What puzzles me greatly is that she unveiled £45bn of tax cuts funded by borrowing - but gave no economic assessment of the plans. How could she not know that the markets would react to that?

Party activists rarely reflect the views of the general membership, or the general public who usually vote for that party.
Truss was elected by activists and wasn’t someone MP’s or the general public wanted. Very similar to Jeremy Corbyn.

RichmondPark1

Whilst I feel sorry for Mrs Truss in her position today, her humiliation was not caused by Rachel Reeves and her colleagues but is the result of her own poor judgement, errors and failures and those of her colleagues.

Rather than looking forward to the failure of others I hope for a future when good politicians are successful to the benefit of the country.

A very good comment.

But why on earth was she allowed to do what she did? How did the party that prides itself on it’s fiscal responsibility let two loose cannons like Truss and Kwarteng trash the economy in one foul swoop and damage their reputation.

MayBee70

But why on earth was she allowed to do what she did? How did the party that prides itself on it’s fiscal responsibility let two loose cannons like Truss and Kwarteng trash the economy in one foul swoop and damage their reputation.

Perhaps because Johnson got rid of all those who had a modicum of integrity, intelligence and experience and replaced them with 'yes' men and women with little experience and huge personal ambition?

In other words, those like himself.

Dickens

MayBee70

But why on earth was she allowed to do what she did? How did the party that prides itself on it’s fiscal responsibility let two loose cannons like Truss and Kwarteng trash the economy in one foul swoop and damage their reputation.

Perhaps because Johnson got rid of all those who had a modicum of integrity, intelligence and experience and replaced them with 'yes' men and women with little experience and huge personal ambition?

In other words, those like himself.

Exactly!
It is a sign of weak leadership to surround oneself with people weaker than one’s self in an attempt to “shine”
Boris did exactly that and Truss tried to do the same with Kwarteng and Braverman.
She might have seriously underestimated Mordaunt though and now has to accept an experienced politician ie Hunt.

The big shock for me is that a few people with intent are free to visit havoc on us. In the back of my mind I believed that there were checks and balances in place to keep a steady rudder and smooth the worst excesses of fools/malicious people.

This clearly isn't the case and now who knows what can happen.

Does it also prove wrong all the allegations of 'The Blob' restricting the progress and freedoms of leaders? Nobody stopped the PM and Chancellor quickly dropping chaos on the country sadly.

If there were a repeat contest today, members would vote for Rishi Sunak over Liz Truss - by a margin of 60% to 40%.

More than half of Tory members think the PM is doing a bad job.

telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/10/17/tory-members-would-vote-rishi-sunak-liz-truss-leadership-election/
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