Truss was going round yesterday telling everyone that under her energy support package no household would pay more than £2,500 per annum. This is wrong of course - it's the price per unit that's been capped, not total bills. The £2,500 is an average.
I know she's not flavour of the week, but I can't believe she would make that mistake or deceive on something so obvious. Has it been reported on the MSM?
If true, it's another nail in her coffin and she has to face the Party at conference this weekend. Tory MP's wanted Sunak. Tory faithful wanted Truss. Somehow, I think Tory leadership rules will be changed shortly.
I think that there is a strong chance that she doesn’t actually understand the policy. She certainly has a tin ear, or possibly no actual empathy at all. Her response to people yesterday who were terrified about keeping their houses warm, feeding their kids and keeping their homes was silence and then sound bites about higher paid jobs. She either hadn’t been briefed, didn’t understand the brief, or the people around her have no idea what’s going on. I don’t think she will last long, she looks exhausted and bewildered already, and I’m sure you are right, Tory MPs will not trust the membership with this choice again. The usually saccharine and cringey stage managed Tory conference could actually be interesting this time. A couple more polls showing a yawning gap to the vacuum which is Labour, the blue rinse and country set having a tough time getting to Brum because of the train strikes……blue rebellion! £ up a bit.
Here you go... Truss urged to clarify ‘false’ claim ‘nobody is paying fuel bills of more than £2,500’ (msn.com)
As I understand it, there can't be a vote of no confidence against her because there has to be 12 months between each, and they had one against Boris Johnson. They may be able to force a resignation, as they did with BJ, but it is early days so she'll resist and there are still Tory members that have faith in her. Is the Tory Party ready to sack two PM's and have digruntled supporters of both at its throat? I think it possible the Party may give her an ultimatum that she has to govern by Cabal, for the time being anyway. That will help with her tunnel vision, but she's stubborn and factional (as shown when she didn't shake Sunak's hand when her leadership win announcement was made) and may not agree to this.
I thought her performance in the interviews with the local radio stations were hesitant and unconvincing. To make this simple error is really strange, particularly as she was comparitively cogent during the leadership election. She's not stupid, and neither is Kwartang. There'll have to be a lot of explanations to the party faithful this weekend.
Out of interest, what is the shortest reign of any PM. Didn’t want to be lazy, so looked it up… Bonar Law - 211 days (Conservative) 1922 The Viscount Goderich - 144 days (Tory) 1827 George Canning - 119 days (Tory) 1827 Liz Truss 24 days and counting 2022 Saw her interviewed on the news last night and she looked very nervous and not what you would expect of a leader of a G7 member. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see her out of #10 before she’s got her feet nicely warmed under the table.
Totally agree from what I heard of some of her interviews Goldie. As I said above her interview on last nights news she looked very nervous - constantly blinking unnaturally as she talked (I amusingly tried to replicate her blinking pattern and it was disturbing ). She does have a reputation for blunders in interviews which kept coming up during the leadership contest. As a country we have lacked a good leader on the domestic and world stage for some good time. Liz certainly isn’t changing that form!
Having considered things awhile, I think the best thing for the country is to hold a snap GE now. Whatever the result it’s the only way to restore some credibility to government and confidence to the markets. Johnson must be creaming his jockeys having got out just before the really dark brown stuff hit the rotary air conditioning podulator.
I think they can force her out by a whole variety of non formal means. The calculation they will be making as MPs is how many of them are likely to lose their seats at the next election, is Truss capable of limiting the damage? I think that any PM would struggle in current circumstances, the level of inflation related suffering (which is essentially beyond their control) will count against them, plus there is the typical tiredness after the same party in charge for over a decade, running out of steam and talent after presiding over years of austerity, a divisive referendum which has bought no tangible benefit to the winners, a plague, and a war which has lead to inflation levels we are now not used to. Truss and Kwarteng seeming to make things worse, if the impression sticks and especially if it has a negative impact on private pensions, could lead to a generational defeat, a big wipe out which will take another decade to get over. Although of course Starmer could do them a favour by being equally incompetent, and I see no reason to be optimistic on this.
Even though I won’t vote, this sounds attractive. The miserable downside is that it would create even more uncertainty which the ****ing ‘markets’ which hold us hostage, would play havoc with in current circumstances. And imagine the carnage if there is no overall majority for anyone as a result…… ….still, yeah, let’s do it.
...and if the interest keeps rising, house prices could drop a way too. For me, either Truss corrects things immediately and there appears to be some stability in the market, or she'll be gone by Christmas and Sunak will be crowned. That way, the Tories at least have a chance to regain some of their former reputation (deserved or not) for economic competence. It's an easy one to lose and hard to regain, ask Labour. Sunak might just pull things around in the 20 months or so he will have. If Labour come in, they will have a clean slate and it's up to Starmer and Reeves to show what they can do.
