Prime Minister Cummings flexes his muscles

[BillyStubbsTears]

Sajid Javid sacked as Chancellor.

Cummings has had it in for Javid for a while.

[SydneyRover]

Laura Kuenssberg appointed Minister for the Media, Arts and Balanced reporting 

[SydneyRover]

''Sajid Javid now joins the long list of people who have been let down by Boris Johnson. During the general election, in a Q&A after a speech to the CBI, Johnson committed to keeping Javid as his chancellor after the election. Javid was doing an excellent job, he said. No other cabinet minister received a job security guarantee of this kind during the campaign''

Anyone who believes anything johnson says is a chump, look at his record.

[Dr Fundlekrotch]

Not sacked, though...just backed into an untenable position in the corner

Always saw Javid as a 'yes' man, so I'm impressed that there is (now was) someone in the government with a modicum of integrity.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Javid has never impressed me in terms of his understanding of macroeconomics. But he's going to look like John Maynard Keynes himself at the side of his successor. A truly scary right-wing free-market maniac.

[Filo]

It seems we have got a nodding dog in 10a Downing street now, The Chancellor has nothing to do now but take instructions from number 10

[SydneyRover]

''Sunak’s rise up the ranks has been extraordinary. He has been chief secretary to the Treasury since last summer, but technically he was not even a member of the cabinet; he was just a minister with the right to attend. Being chancellor is his first full cabinet job''

A very brave decision.

[BillyStubbsTears]

It seems we have got a nodding dog in 10a Downing street now, The Chancellor has nothing to do now but take instructions from number 10

Actually, you're right there Filo.

Sunak's own political.beliefs are irrelevant. He is by a million miles the most inexperienced politician to become CoE, certainly since Victorian times. I suspect, ever.

Cummings will make the decisions. Sunak will announce them. Sunak doesn't have the authority or the party backing to stand up to Cummings and say "No". Javid did and that's why he had to go. Not because he was shit at the economics (he was). Because he was a challenge.

[albie]

President Cummings wants to enjoy complete control, unhindered by either disagreement or rules.

This comes shortly after the go-ahead for the London phase of HS2, a scheme which is way outside the rules in the Treasury Green Book. Basically, all proposals put forward in future will no longer face a hurdle to show their viability in cost benefit terms.

This is the green light to vanity project central. Cummings (and circus ringmaster Johnson) will be able to enjoy free rein over spending priorities which will only be subject to financial appraisal after the event.

The centre of gravity in public spending commitment has moved in favour of an assumption that a project is worthwhile, without an evidence base.

A very disturbing move from a very disturbed individual.

[wilts rover]

The really strange one is Julian Smith - the bloke who managed to get the NI Assembly back up and running. Sacked for doing too good a job?

[River Don]

Johnson is turning out to be an unusual tory PM though. Rather than out and out austerity his instinct seems to be to turn the taps on.

Analysts on the BBC seem to think this change of chancellor is in order to allow a big splurge of spending on infrastructure projects like HS2 and Northern rail.

This might actually be no bad thing for the economy right now.

[Swifty62]

How comes it's ok for bojo to spend,spend,spend, but Jeremy Corbyn was classed as reckless??

[BillyStubbsTears]

Johnson is turning out to be an unusual tory PM though. Rather than out and out austerity his instinct seems to be to turn the taps on.

Analysts on the BBC seem to think this change of chancellor is in order to allow a big splurge of spending on infrastructure projects like HS2 and Northern rail.

This might actually be no bad thing for the economy right now.

I don't necessarily disagree with that argument RD.

My problem is that Cummings is determined to steamroller his way through the usual checks and balances. As I've said here recently, I know from bitter personal experience what it's like being close to someone like that. And if you're going to let a megalomaniac off the leash, you'd better be damn f**king sure that they are going to get EVERY decision right.

[River Don]

Swiftly,

I expect there will be a fair few Tories who are feeling a little bit uncomfortable about Boris spending.

The difference is, as far as I can see it, Johnson is targeting his spending chiefly at infrastructure. Railway lines and bridges. Things that will have a lasting impact and give Boris a legacy.

The worry with Corbyn is that he would placate the unions and spend a lot on raising the wages of public servants and generally spend a lot more altogether.

Johnson is looking to make savings in order to offset the cost of his pet projects.

[BillyStubbsTears]

RD.

Labour has had policies to strongly increase spending on infrastructure since the global crash. It's THE textbook way to get an economy firing on all cylinders after a bad recession. And our Government has been able to borrow at effectively zero interest to fund this. The tragedy of this last decade is that we've had a Govt that didn't understand this basic economics.

If Johnson Cummings is going to invest in infrastructure, that's good. But it's a decade late.

[drfchound]

Is it ever too late to put something right?

[River Don]

BST

Yep. I know Labour had big plans for infrastructure, rail, broadband, low carbon steel, electric vehicle factories even. Much greater in scope than Boris is planning.

I suspect the unions would be expecting to see wage rises in the public services too. Not so much under this government though.

[idler]

Is it ever too late to put something right?
[/quote
It is if you execute an innocent man. 😉

[BillyStubbsTears]

Given that we've had a decade of below- inflation pay rises for most, while the top few percent have been let off the leash, I don't think that would have been unreasonable.

[River Don]

BTW I should say I don't vote Tory.

In this last election, I voted Lib Dem knowing they had no chance of unseating the Tory MP. They are best placed to take this seat from him in future.

I didn't feel as though I could vote for Corbyn anyway.

[wilts rover]

Apparently Robert Buckland was offered the same deal as Javid - you can keep your job if you sack your advisor.

When he got back to his office after the meeting with Cummings/Johnson his advisor congratulated him on staying in his post: Thank you very much but I have some bad news for you!

Honour among Tories ehh. https://twitter.com/BenKentish/status/1228036904576307200

[SydneyRover]

That's one of the biggest problems with zero hours contracts Wilts

[Not Now Kato]

BTW I should say I don't vote Tory.

In this last election, I voted Lib Dem knowing they had no chance of unseating the Tory MP. They are best placed to take this seat from him in future.

I didn't feel as though I could vote for Corbyn anyway.

You weren't doing.  You were voting for your local MP and the Party who would best serve the country as a whole.
 
An easy mistake to make - especially as that view, (you were voting for either Corbyn or Johnson), was being heavily pushed by the media!  If only people would take a minute to think about that...................
 
A read of Orwell's Animal Farm might be in order.

[BillyStubbsTears]

RD.

We've had enough interactions for me to have been pretty sure you'd not have voted for Johnson. And I do understand your lack of support for Corbyn. I voted for him through gritted teeth.

[drfchound]

Well BST, according to NNK, you didn’t vote for Corbyn.

[Not Now Kato]

Well BST, according to NNK, you didn’t vote for Corbyn.

Apart from voters in Islington North, no one in the country had a box to tick with the name Jeremy Corbyn at the side of it.  For some strange reason, that's how the system works!

[drfchound]

Well BST, according to NNK, you didn’t vote for Corbyn.

Apart from voters in Islington North, no one in the country had a box to tick with the name Jeremy Corbyn at the side of it.  For some strange reason, that's how the system works!

And here was me thinking that BST knew quite a bit about this here political system of ours.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Of course NNK is right in the strictest of terms.

But clearly, a vote for a Labour candidate was a vote that aimed at putting Corbyn in No 10.

Was Corbyn my preferred choice for PM among the ones on offer in December? Yes.

Was he my preferred choice of all the politicians who might have been available? Not by a million miles.

I voted Labour despite Corbyn. What you really want in a political party is a leader who makes people vote BECAUSE of them.

[Not Now Kato]

Back on topic
 
First they came for those with minds of their own; but I have no mind of my own, so I said nothing.
Then they came for those with human empathy; but I have no human empathy, so I said nothing.
Then they came for the competent; but I am not competent, so I said nothing.
Then they came for me - and now I'm a Government Minister.

 

[drfchound]

Of course NNK is right in the strictest of terms.

But clearly, a vote for a Labour candidate was a vote that aimed at putting Corbyn in No 10.

Was Corbyn my preferred choice for PM among the ones on offer in December? Yes.

Was he my preferred choice of all the politicians who might have been available? Not by a million miles.

I voted Labour despite Corbyn. What you really want in a political party is a leader who makes people vote BECAUSE of them.

Of course I know that NNK is right in the strictest of terms.
However a few months ago I was shot down in flames for daring to write something similar to what you wrote (about voting for Corbyn).