In a sane universe, truly, this would be ironic: “poignantly in opposition to expectations.”
In this case, it’s the opposite of ironic: it’s completely expectable and in character.
She’s still there, trying to remove Carrie’s gold wallpaper by vacantly-yet-maniacally smiling at it?
Not ironic at all. She campaigned on helping the upper class with immediate tax cuts, and beggaring the rest of the country to pay for said tax cuts. It’s completely consistent with her ideological views. “I got mine, Jack - pull up the ladder.”
I just noticed this Wikipedia article on the Levelling Up Policy of the British Government, which states:
"Levelling up " is a political policy first articulated in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto that aims to reduce the imbalances, primarily economic, between areas and social groups across the United Kingdom. It seeks to do so without acting to the detriment of prosperous areas, such as much of South East England.
So, basically, nimby. Hey, rich folks, don’t worry, we won’t bother you with these poor people problems.
Peachy.
As part of the ‘Levelling Up’ (pass the sick bag) agenda, my region has been awarded funds for regeneration of a deprived town. The only snag is, they were getting higher amounts in funding from the EU, which of course has ceased. Wonderful stuff.
The Conservatives won a majority of seats in the 2019 General Election. Boris Johnson persuaded voters in areas that traditionally vote Labour, in a band of seats across the north of England called the ‘Red Wall’, to vote for his ‘Get Brexit Done’ agenda. At the time Labour was led by Corbyn who proposed some seriously radical left wing policies and was deeply unpopular. The Conservative victory was impressive and Johnson got the credit.
Part of Johnson’s appeal was an offer to improve the economy of these rust belt areas that had lost out as the economy shifted from the traditional industry belt across the North of England to a service based economy in London and the South East. This was the ‘Leveling Up’ policy. This policy was also intended to replace some of the improvement grants given by the EU that would disappear after Brexit.
The Conservatives are keen to try to ensure they hang onto these northern Red Wall seats at the next election.
But that now seems very doubtful. The Conservatives did not do enough for these ‘left behind’ communities that voted for Brexit as a protest. The Conservative party endless psycho drama and general incompetence impressed no-one, their promises appeared empty. The voters in those areas will probably return to voting Labour, which now has far more centrist policies under its leader Kier Starmer. There was quite a lot of opposition within the Conservative party from MPs in their heartlands that they were being neglected and some started voting Liberal Democrat.
It was a balancing act and they lost balance. The Conservative party is very divided, poorly led and full of competing factions. Unless something improves in the next two years, they will lose mightily at the next General Election.
You have to laugh, or else you’d cry, right?
And have you seen this Sunak speech?
What a piece of shit. I wish my family who are so proud of there being an “Indian” বিলেতি* prime Minister would pay attention to this kind of stuff.
- Bileti = Blighty = English or British
Sounds as if he was telling the party faithful out in the shires, exactly what they wanted to hear. That is how you get to the top in party politics. Local Conservatives are none too happy about money going the poorer Labour areas were the Conservative gained seats, He is calming their fears. Meanwhile in those Labour areas that were so keen on Brexit, they must be feeling very short changed.
When it comes to a General Election, the message will be quite different to a national audience. But I am struggling to think what he will say. Though blaming everything on migrants or the EU seems to be a good standby. The Conservatives have done very well in recruiting politicians from second generation immigrant backgrounds. This was once thought to be natural Labour territory. That assumption no longer holds true. There are plenty of natural conservatives in immigrant communities who would feel right at home in the Conservative party.
The UK is a class based culture. There is some racism, but class trumps race. So come to the UK, work hard, send your kids to top schools and they may one day become a successful Conservative politician. A party hack.
Actually becoming a statesman or stateswoman leading the nation as a whole rather than one group…that is a different thing. I don’t think the Conservatives have any of those and it shows. They need to really decide what they are about and have a vision for the future of the country. Political parties need to do some soul searching from time to time and that is best done when they are out of power.
Labour has been out of power for many years now, hopefully they will be ready by the time of the next General Election. They should do the same as the Conservatives and become more conspicuously diverse at the top of the party. Hopefully the might get some talent in place rather than just a bunch of party hacks.
Politics must emerge from this awful Reality TV phase. It is a serious business, often boring. It should not be a crowd pleasing branch of the entertainment business.
Norfolk ?
Blasphemy! Ipswich Town (in Suffolk) are the ‘Tractor Boys’.
oops !
Something that also translates to this side of the Big Water, in spite of the incredulous protestations of some and the predictions of demographic doom from others.
Except our succesful party hacks don’t even have to have gone to a top school. Or any school.
Quite. Go back to some of the “big beasts” of ths past, and they had some sort of “hinterland” of achievement and status in something other or extra to PR, money manipulation or a few years in the law.
Close!
I honestly didn’t know if anyone on here would know where my username came from haha
I knew the name, but my brain went to Norwich for some reason.
But them’s canaries innit.
I wasn’t totally sure if that was the reference, but it was one I knew.
We used to have a poster by the name of @GorillaMan who was also an Ipswich Town fan (I’m a Robin - of the Bristol City variety - myself) but he hasn’t posted in years, sadly.
Boris, being a right wing populist, did so by lying.
I am curious, what seriously radical left wing policies were proposed?
Strangely, exactly the sort of thing trump promised our Rust Belt. And lied.