Whoever said that British politics were dull
and boring is surely eating his words today after 6 months or so of lurid
melodrama. Remember the decline and fall of “Neronian” Boris Johnson, when
scandal followed scandal and heedless Boris uttered porkie after porkie pie
until the supply ran out? Perhaps Nero is not an apt analogy, we might prefer
Heliogabalus, a rather later Roman Emperor, (218-222), who passed his time among
the rose petals, feasting with his glamorous ladies and neglecting his urgent
duties, ignoring both the plague and the people (cf. Bojo).
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The Roses of Heliogabalus (1888) by Lawrence Alma-Tadema
Anyhow Boris was deposed and then an
excruciating Tory leadership election ruined our summer. There were at the
start 11 candidates and they were whittled down at an agonizingly slow pace to
two, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. Broadly speaking, Rishi was a favourite among
the well-heeled and cautious but Liz was favoured by the poorer but more adventurous
Tory Party members. They both toured the country, exhausting their audiences
with their well-crafted, but naturally self-serving pitches. Liz won. She made
a complete Horlicks of the job. Although her direction of travel was quite
sound in the medium term, her Dash for Growth took place in the midst of an
inflationary cost-of-living crisis and spooked the all-important gilts market,
which had been inadequately buttered-up prior to launch. Rishi, an erstwhile
Goldman Sachs and hedge-fund professional, had warned that disaster would
derail her programme and, alas, he was right.
Kwazi Kwarteng and Liz
Truss got it all wrong
Events then moved quickly. Kwazi was fired and
experienced Jeremy Hunt drafted in. Liz Truss was soon handed her red card and
resigned and, to universal groans, another Tory leadership election was called.
A high bar was set of 100 sponsoring MPs to get on the ballot. Quite inappropriately,
given his record, Boris rushed back from a lavish holiday in the Dominican
Republic, to throw his hat into the electoral ring to join Rishi Sunak and
Penny Mordaunt. Mercifully Boris took the hint he was not wanted after a few
days and dropped out and on 24 October underpowered Penny realized she could
not muster her 100 sponsors and, at the very last minute, withdrew. Rishi was
the last man standing and was rapturously crowned by hordes of sweaty
flatterers as Leader of the Conservative Party.
Rishi was asked to form a government the next day by the King, with all due dignity and protocol, and spoke as Prime Minister in front of No. 10, vowing to rectify Liz’s mistakes and get the nation’s finances on an even keel
He spoke well, but he knows it is action not
words, that will butter his parsnips and he had better get on the buttering job
pronto. He is believed to be clever and energetic but the wider public does not
know him well and needs to be convinced. His in-tray is overflowing with
difficult decisions:
-
Are
there significant economies possible in departmental budgets like Transport or
overseas Aid?
-
Can
hitherto sacrosanct Defence or NHS budgets be cut sharply?
-
Can
the triple lock on pensions be dropped again and only rise with average
earnings?
-
Is
the welfare budget affordable?
-
Should
a windfall tax on energy companies be imposed?
-
Can
a deal be done with the EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol?
-
Should
the net zero pledge be delayed to ease the energy crisis?
-
How
far can we go in defending brave Ukraine?
Rishi will need top-notch advice on these
matters and dozens of other less urgent ones. But the buck stops with him.
There may be some cheery tune he can whistle, but perhaps he should try instead
the solemn Victorian song The Lost Chord by Sir Arthur Sullivan!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToBxsZKrUQU&ab_channel=BigTezza12
No, enough gloom! We are behind you, dishy
Rishi!
Rishi, your big chance is now
SMD
25.10.22
Text copyright © Sidney Donald 2022
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