Scrutable

Reports of his sacking coming through. Inevitable really.
Raab next?

https://news.sky.com/story/nadhim-zahaw ... w-12793431

Opti wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 29, 2023 9:13 am

Reports of his sacking coming through. Inevitable really.
Raab next?

https://news.sky.com/story/nadhim-zahaw ... w-12793431

Yes, the old guard Tories who are worried about a repeat of 1997, I think they are mistaken.

From what I remember, Major himself wasn't so tarnished and I felt they were tired and needed to go but not that they were actively vandalising the country.

Also they were still true to their key constituency of business - it was just that Blair didn't scare businesses and indeed might have had a slight advantage.

This time, Johnson trashed that in chasing the Red Wall, which they have also betrayed.

Opti wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 29, 2023 9:13 am

Reports of his sacking coming through. Inevitable really.
Raab next?

https://news.sky.com/story/nadhim-zahaw ... w-12793431

Sunak's really not good at this politics malarky.

Zahawi's days were numbered from the minute the story broke, Sunak could have got rid of him there and then, containing the damage. Instead he's had this continually hanging over him with a corrosive effect on both his reputation and the wider party; just to get rid of him eventually anyway which throws into highlight all the criticisms of his leadership and his government and the fact they really haven't moved on from the Johnsonian stench of corruption.

The alternative is Sunak's position was too weak to move on Zahawi without inflicting serious damage on his administration in which case get the popcorn ready as Zahawi et al. now take their revenge

Little waster wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 29, 2023 10:50 am

Opti wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 29, 2023 9:13 am

Reports of his sacking coming through. Inevitable really.
Raab next?

https://news.sky.com/story/nadhim-zahaw ... w-12793431

Sunak's really not good at this politics malarky.

Zahawi's days were numbered from the minute the story broke, Sunak could have got rid of him there and then, containing the damage. Instead he's had this continually hanging over him with a corrosive effect on both his reputation and the wider party; just to get rid of him eventually anyway which throws into highlight all the criticisms of his leadership and his government and the fact they really haven't moved on from the Johnsonian stench of corruption.

The alternative is Sunak's position was too weak to move on Zahawi without inflicting serious damage on his administration in which case get the popcorn ready as Zahawi et al. now take their revenge

How bad at politics do you have to be to have been outmanoeuvred by Liz Truss?

Little waster wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 29, 2023 10:50 am

Opti wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 29, 2023 9:13 am

Reports of his sacking coming through. Inevitable really.
Raab next?

https://news.sky.com/story/nadhim-zahaw ... w-12793431

Sunak's really not good at this politics malarky.

Zahawi's days were numbered from the minute the story broke, Sunak could have got rid of him there and then, containing the damage. Instead he's had this continually hanging over him with a corrosive effect on both his reputation and the wider party; just to get rid of him eventually anyway which throws into highlight all the criticisms of his leadership and his government and the fact they really haven't moved on from the Johnsonian stench of corruption.

The alternative is Sunak's position was too weak to move on Zahawi without inflicting serious damage on his administration in which case get the popcorn ready as Zahawi et al. now take their revenge

Exactly, he could easily have said that he was a new broom and would not tolerate even the appearance of financial irregularities (of course making himself a hostage to fortune given his affairs but he could have found some formula that enabled him to act)

Three things this isn't about, by Dan Neidle
https://www.taxpolicy.org.uk/2023/01/29 ... wi-affair/

Also worth reading the earlier Neidle piece, if you haven't already, to discover what Zahawi was actually careless about. Neidle would seem to suggest he was mainly careless in trying setting up a tax avoidance method that rather too obviously didn't work, and resulted in him having to pay the tax he tried to avoid. He was also careless in not covering his tracks as thoroughly as he might, by accidentally publishing things he didn't need to publish, and making it easier than it might have been for Neidle to find out what had happened.

In his resignation letter, he repeats various things he has claimed previously. But the facts exposed by Neidle put a very different spin on those claims. Like the reasons Zahawi gives for "selling" shares to his father. His father did pay for them - but only 2 years later and a rather small sum of money given what by then they would have been worth. The income off them was very large in comparison. He claims he did that because needed his father's help. But there is no evidence his father gave any help.

Little waster wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 29, 2023 10:50 am

Opti wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 29, 2023 9:13 am

Reports of his sacking coming through. Inevitable really.
Raab next?

https://news.sky.com/story/nadhim-zahaw ... w-12793431

Sunak's really not good at this politics malarky.

Zahawi's days were numbered from the minute the story broke, Sunak could have got rid of him there and then, containing the damage. Instead he's had this continually hanging over him with a corrosive effect on both his reputation and the wider party; just to get rid of him eventually anyway which throws into highlight all the criticisms of his leadership and his government and the fact they really haven't moved on from the Johnsonian stench of corruption.

The alternative is Sunak's position was too weak to move on Zahawi without inflicting serious damage on his administration in which case get the popcorn ready as Zahawi et al. now take their revenge

It is somewhat reminiscent of the Major days, when this repeatedly happened. Minister caught up to no good, Major giving them his unconditional support. Press going on and on, finding out more, making minister's position ever less tenable. And eventually they have to go, when it would have been much better to sack them as soon as the story came out.

I tend to believe Sunak has to some extent had the make-up of his cabinet dictated to him by the right wing of the party, who still to a degree act as monarch-makers. I doubt these dubious characters are all entirely his choice. Maybe he has had to negotiate Zahawi's sacking with the power behind the scenes.

Has nobody thought of the poor cold horses

Stranger Mouse wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 29, 2023 7:54 pm

Has nobody thought of the poor cold horses

Neigh lad; no-one ever thinks of the poor cold hosses.

Stranger Mouse wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 29, 2023 7:54 pm

Has nobody thought of the poor cold horses

Very clever - took me longer than I would care to admit to get this.

PMQ's on Wednesday will be interesting.

TopBadger wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:36 am

Stranger Mouse wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 29, 2023 7:54 pm

Has nobody thought of the poor cold horses

Very clever - took me longer than I would care to admit to get this.

PMQ's on Wednesday will be interesting.

They're fine.

Prepare to hug yourself in delight, Simon Jenkins deigns to wade in.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... estminster

It goes as about as well as you would expect.

Little waster wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 30, 2023 5:50 pm

Prepare to hug yourself in delight, Simon Jenkins deigns to wade in.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... estminster

It goes as about as well as you would expect.

BTL comments didn't last long.

Little waster wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 30, 2023 5:50 pm

Prepare to hug yourself in delight, Simon Jenkins deigns to wade in.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... estminster

It goes as about as well as you would expect.

I mean, what?

If I were a tax inspector, I might pay Simon Jenkins a visit…

Jenkins is surely amongst the worst columnists in the UK. My favourite was that time he complained about being stuck in roadworks traffic and then said we need to invest more in roads.

El Pollo Diablo wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 31, 2023 8:11 am

Jenkins is surely amongst the worst columnists in the UK. My favourite was that time he complained about being stuck in roadworks traffic and then said we need to invest more in roads.

Yes but this is even more obviously utterly dim. At least a very simplistic idea might think that if there are lots of cars on the road, increasing capacity might help.