# Rishi Sunak tries to lead the UK **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 24, 2022, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706 "2022-10-24T13:07:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/402 "2023-04-21T17:51:01Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > Sunk seems to have announced a major policy (childcare) Was this an intentional typo? If so, good work! ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/403 "2023-04-22T08:19:37Z")
Marina Hyde on form again: > **[For all his hardman mantras, Raab forgot rule one: don’t be a massive arse |...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/21/dominic-raab-hardman-rishi-sunak-scandal)** > > Where does Raab’s resignation leave Rishi Sunak? The PM’s pledge to leave scandal behind is wearing thin, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde (_Sunak: the hardest man in the luxury knitwear aisle_) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/404 "2023-05-05T19:58:11Z")
> **[Local elections 2023 live: Labour becomes largest party in local government,...](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2023/may/04/local-elections-2023-latest-results-reactions-polls-close-england-conservatives-labour-rishi-sunak-keir-starmer-lib-dems-greens-live-updates)** > > Conservatives continue to suffer heavy defeats as Labour, Lib Dems and Greens make gains > **[What do the disastrous Tory local election results mean for Rishi Sunak?](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/may/05/what-do-disastrous-tory-local-election-results-mean-for-rishi-sunak)** > > Despite attempts at positive spin, with Labour now in ascendancy the PM will be looking over his shoulder > **[Rishi Sunak's party just took a pounding in UK local elections. The road to...](https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/05/uk/rishi-sunak-local-elections-results-intl-gbr-cmd/index.html)** > > Many Britons will enjoy the long weekend while celebrating the coronation of King Charles III. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is unlikely to be one of them. Bring back Boris? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/405 "2023-05-05T20:09:03Z")
Hush your mouth! ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/406 "2023-05-05T20:46:49Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Bring back Boris? Nonsense! Larry the Cat! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/407 "2023-05-05T23:55:52Z")
He was the most recent resident of 10 Downing whom I respected. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/408 "2023-05-06T00:55:12Z")
Larry my pale pink butt. Heck, it sounds like maybe the UK is ready for either > **[Bill the Cat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_the_Cat)** > > Bill the Cat, or Bill D. Cat, is a fictional cat appearing in the works of cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, beginning with the comic strip Bloom County in the 1980s and continuing in Outland and Opus in the following decades. Bill also appeared in some of Breathed's illustrated children's books, including A Wish for Wings That Work, which was also made into an animated Christmas television special, and also on greeting cards and other sundry merchandise. Bill was originally capable of speaking E Th... or > **[Fritz the Cat (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_the_Cat_(film))** > > Fritz the Cat is a 1972 American independent adult animated black comedy film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi in his feature film debut. Based on the comic strip by R. Crumb and starring Skip Hinnant, the film focuses on Fritz (Hinnant), a glib, womanizing and fraudulent cat in an anthropomorphic animal version of New York City during the mid-to-late 1960s. Fritz decides on a whim to drop out of college, interacts with inner city African American crows, unintentionally starts a race riot, ... ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/409 "2023-05-06T06:27:41Z")
It doesn’t mean it’s a done deal for Labour to win the next General Election. They’ve recovered a lot of support, even in the strongest pro -Brexit areas and it looks as though their traditional “[red wall](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_wall_(British_politics))” is re-assembling itself. But this was also a very good set of results for the LibDems and the Greens, which might still point towards a hung parliament or only a small Labour majority, as in 1964. As to [whether the Tories will start tearing themselves apart again](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-65496536), we’ll have to wait and see what happens with [Johnson’s “partygate” issue](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commons_Privileges_Committee_investigation_into_Boris_Johnson), which may or may not ruin his supporters’ chances to make trouble. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/410 "2023-05-06T06:59:47Z")
And, in other news, UKIP have more or less disappeared and Farage’s new fanclubparty has only a handful of councillors. Hardly surprising with the amount of effort the Tories have put in to converting themselves into Faragistes-without-Farage. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/411 "2023-07-04T20:40:05Z")
> **[Revealed: UK plans to drop flagship £11.6bn climate pledge](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/04/revealed-uk-plans-to-drop-flagship-climate-pledge-rishi-sunak)** > > Exclusive: Disclosure provokes fury as Rishi Sunak accused of betraying populations vulnerable to global heating So many of these climate pledges are just PR (public relations gimmicks). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/412 "2023-07-04T22:49:09Z")
Sorta like “Wogs live near sea level?” ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/413 "2023-07-05T08:40:52Z")
So 1. You know how it’s bad to use the n-word even if we’re putting it in the mouths of obvious Bad Folk with an intent to show how bad they are? So much so that you just wouldn’t ever do it? I’m not saying the word you used is exactly equivalent, but it’s sufficiently mired in a history of both colonial violence and domestic white supremacism that seeing it’s really best avoided. It definitely passes the “has it been written in dogshit on people’s doors” test, as well as the “has it been chanted while stamping on people’s head” test. A word you want to be very careful with. 2. Taking your broad point that racism might affect the British state’s willingness to spend money on climate change, I wouldn’t be too quick to advance this - particularly in the terms you used - as a reason for \*Rishi Sunak’\*s policy choices. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/414 "2023-07-05T11:23:20Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Taking your broad point that racism might affect the British state’s willingness to spend money on climate change, I wouldn’t be too quick to advance this - particularly in the terms you used - as a reason for \*Rishi Sunak’\*s policy choices. Britain doesn’t have a “Leopards Eating Peoples Faces” party? The extremely wealthy often think they are particular immune (although one wonder’s if Sunak had to sign a pre-nup). ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/415 "2023-07-05T11:33:06Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Britain doesn’t have a “Leopards Eating Peoples Faces” party? Yes we do ! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/416 "2023-07-05T11:42:34Z")
Yeah, the most shockingly racist Home Office in recent memory is currently overseen by a decidedly non-white Secretary. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/417 "2023-07-05T12:38:37Z")
Sadly, that could apply to two different recent Home Secretaries. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/418 "2023-07-05T17:25:41Z")
Thank you for the correction. There’s “quaint”, and then there’s “massively offensive anachronism”. I was aiming for the former, but stumbled into the latter. Won’t happen again. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/419 "2023-07-05T21:14:48Z")
My reading of this story is that it’s a combination of getting ministers to face reality (they’ve loaded too many competing objectives on to the same budget) and intra-departmental battles (over which has priority) - and maybe trying to shame the Treasury into coughing up some more (some hopes). ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2023, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/420 "2023-07-06T08:48:52Z")
No worries, it’s hard to get a read on these things from outside. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2023, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/421 "2023-07-06T08:58:33Z")
In other news, Sunak is facing his fifth bye-election: Chris Pincher, is facing an 8 week suspension following a parliamentary investigation into his groping of men at Tory functions. This is a long enough suspension to trigger a constitutency recall ballot - if the people of Tamworth decide they don’t want this guy representing him, we’ll have a bye-election. > **[Byelection likely as Chris Pincher faces suspension over groping claims](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jul/06/tories-brace-for-tamworth-byelection-after-report-into-chris-pincher-groping-allegations?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other)** > > Recommendations of standards committee inquiry will trigger recall petition in Pincher’s Tamworth constituency (It was Boris’s appointment of Pincher to the position of whip - while joking about “Pincher by name, pincher by nature” - that was the final nail in his coffin this time last year.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706.md?page=22)