Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister • Hacker News Board

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#101

Post by Gordonjcp » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 1:08 PM UTC

raesene9 wrote: post #19

What happens next will be interesting . At this point, a general election would be the obviously correct solution. It's clear that the conservative party don't have a platform and can't agree major policy points amongst themselves. However that would require conservative MPs to vote for it, which is the turkeys voting for Christmas so unlikely to happen, so I'd expect we'll have to wait till 2024 for that election. T…

This will be the fourth unelected PM in six years (okay, Boris Johnson did actually win a GE after being foisted upon us, if you think that counts).

It's time for an early General Election. This lot need to go. Every trace of the Tories must be obliterated.

The hilarious part is, the way that polling stands right now, a General Election would result in a strong Labour majority with the Scottish National Party in opposition, the Lib Dems third, and the Conservatives a distant fourth :-D

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#102

Post by HelloNurse » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 1:09 PM UTC

hairofadog wrote: post #90

I know this topic is important in substance and the thing I'm about to say is an aesthetic issue, but as an American watching this unfold I have admired the Brits for the sense of heart that still seems to be present in their politics. I'm referring to the parliamentary sessions in which, even though they're savagely roasting each other, they're doing in a way that feels somehow good-hearted and doesn't lay bare the…

> a way that feels somehow good-hearted and doesn't lay bare the naked resentment and hatred that seems to be all we have left in the USA.

Do you think it is real hatred or kayfabe?

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#103

Post by blkhawk » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 1:10 PM UTC

MonkeyMalarky wrote: post #25

Wikipedia has a new candidate for whose photo to put in the glass cliff article.

I don't think this fits - she didn't become prime minister in this crisis - At least whatever state of crisis existed became so much worse that it is its own crisis now because of her ideological bent decisions.

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#104

Post by gadders » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 1:10 PM UTC

bsenftner wrote: post #46

raesene9 wrote: post #19

What happens next will be interesting . At this point, a general election would be the obviously correct solution. It's clear that the conservative party don't have a platform and can't agree major policy points amongst themselves. However that would require conservative MPs to vote for it, which is the turkeys voting for Christmas so unlikely to happen, so I'd expect we'll have to wait till 2024 for that election. T…

Every time I think the USA is completely ruined, I remember how much worse the citizens of the UK have it. I remote worked for a London based CTO for years, with a science Phd, and to hear him discuss UK politics gave me an insight how effective propaganda and being immersed in a culture impacts one's judgement.

No post body was provided.

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#105

Post by iLoveOncall » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 1:10 PM UTC

uniqueuid wrote: post #10

Now if only there was an instrument to create legitimacy for leaders, something where the entire population could make their own choice heard in a binding way. We could call it election.

The entire population was able to vote to elect the party, and the party then elected her as PM. Her position was 100% legitimate, whether you like it or not.

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#106

Post by makomk » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 1:10 PM UTC

imdsm wrote: post #66

akudha wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Britain, Brazil, Australia, Philippines, India, Turkey, U.S … it is mind numbing that of all the good, talented people these countries have, only the dumbest, worst of the worst end up in positions of power. Depressing. At this point, we can just randomly pick a citizen to be President or PM. We might have better chances that way

It's not surprising though, who would really want to go into politics, in a country where no matter what you do, you'll have almost half the populace hating you? Anyone who has the skills to do well in politics could do well in business and lead a better, more private, more rewarded life. And I think that's exactly what happens.

More than half the population, probably. Also, for the last few years the UK media have been doing something obnoxious where they take decisions where all options have some downside and present only the downsides of whatever the government has chosen, making it sound like the obvious wrong choice and something only a complete incompetent would pick - which is particularly obvious when the government does a u-turn and suddenly everyone discovers the problems with whatever they'd been presenting as the obvious right choice. The BBC is a particularly consistent offender. This of course makes it seem to everyone who follows the news like they could easily do better than the idiots in power.

One example HN might be familiar with is the smartphone-based Covid contact tracing app in this country. When the government was going with an app that didn't use Google and Apple's contact tracing framework, the BBC focused hard on the inherent problems with not using it and made it sound like no-one other than the government thought that decision had any advantages at all. Then the government U-turned and literally they day the new app launched, all of that was forgotten and the BBC suddenly discovered the fundamental, well-documented disadvantages of that framework they'd ignored before and found some experts who made it sound like that was worse than the original app. They've been doing it with almost everything though.

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#107

Post by gumby » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 1:11 PM UTC

nemo44x wrote: post #7

Imagine rising to the ranks of prime minister of one of the most influential countries ever and for your legacy to be a head of lettuce out-survived your reign. That the Queen literally died the day after meeting you. Unbelievable.

> That the Queen literally died the day after meeting you.

I like the hot take that historians a couple of centuries from now will see that the Queen died and a couple of days later the currency crashed and say "even in the early 21st century the monarch had immense covert powers and the death of one was an existential crisis for these democracies."

Whoever thought of this (not I) was brilliant. Seems almost certain to happen, probably because of (not despite) the sheer volume of contemporary commentary.

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#108

Post by rwmj » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 1:11 PM UTC

akudha wrote: post #45

nemo44x wrote: post #7

Imagine rising to the ranks of prime minister of one of the most influential countries ever and for your legacy to be a head of lettuce out-survived your reign. That the Queen literally died the day after meeting you. Unbelievable.

Britain, Brazil, Australia, Philippines, India, Turkey, U.S … it is mind numbing that of all the good, talented people these countries have, only the dumbest, worst of the worst end up in positions of power. Depressing. At this point, we can just randomly pick a citizen to be President or PM. We might have better chances that way

The countries you name mostly have variations of the flawed first past the post voting system.

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#109

Post by imdsm » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 1:11 PM UTC

sbuk wrote: post #60

gadders wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was no general election when Gordon Brown took over from Tony Blair.

There wasn't 3 separate leaders after Brown though. He lost a GE to a coalition that he wasn't prepared to form.

People don't vote for PMs though. I see this discussion elsewhere, didn't really expect it on HN where folks are generally well educated.

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#110

Post by mannykannot » Thu, Oct 20, 2022, 1:11 PM UTC

bsenftner wrote: post #46

raesene9 wrote: post #19

What happens next will be interesting . At this point, a general election would be the obviously correct solution. It's clear that the conservative party don't have a platform and can't agree major policy points amongst themselves. However that would require conservative MPs to vote for it, which is the turkeys voting for Christmas so unlikely to happen, so I'd expect we'll have to wait till 2024 for that election. T…

Every time I think the USA is completely ruined, I remember how much worse the citizens of the UK have it. I remote worked for a London based CTO for years, with a science Phd, and to hear him discuss UK politics gave me an insight how effective propaganda and being immersed in a culture impacts one's judgement.

From here in the US, I'm holding off from any attempt to rank the two for at least three weeks.