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Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#601

Post by ZeroGravitas »

PaulHoule wrote: post #433
ycombigator wrote: post #400

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you need to read more into Thatcher and what happened under her to understand why some sections of society reacted like this. I don't know a huge amount about Regan, but I doubt you can really compare them. Britain in the late 70s and early 80s had huge issues which Thatcher addressed, but in hugely contentious ways, in some cases destroying entire industries and their communities. The structural impact of so…

I've got three books about Thatcher I am reading right now. To interpret Thatcher you need to know about the labor unrest in the UK in the 1970s. Back then there seemed to always be a strike in some chokepoint industry (Coal mining, trucking) that threw the rest of the economy into chaos, almost like a general strike. This gets talked about it in this song https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(Wish_I_Could_Fly_Like)_Superm.…

It's hard to get a clear view on these things within your own country, my advice would be to compare Reagan, Thatcher and fascist military dictator Pinochet.

One of them killed lots of people, and still gets praised today as making their country richer, when the evidence suggests they didn't. Which wouldn't really justify the deaths even if true. Sorry, did I say one of them, all of them, I meant all of them. Seems easier to spot that when it's not your country though.

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#602

Post by concinds »

pmoriarty wrote: post #316
bb123 wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He doesn't have any authority, in practice. It has been that way since 1414. The second the monarchy tried to exert control over politics would be the second it was abolished.

"The Queen has more power over British law than we ever thought" [1][2] [1] - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/08/queen-... [2] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26081208

That's an opinion article.

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#603

Post by thih9 »

ceejayoz wrote: post #312
AndrewDucker wrote: post #54

That has to be a record for least effective Prime Minister ever. Comes in, makes stupid decisions, gets forced to reverse stupid decisions, quits.

Don't forget "kills the Queen a couple days in".

“Her resignation as Prime Minister will become effective upon its acceptance from King Charles III.” [1], does this mean she’ll have access to the king now too?

[1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Truss

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#604

Post by ZeroGravitas »

frereubu wrote: post #133
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…

I don't think you should caveat that by saying it's "just aesthetic". It's at the heart of politics - how you say something carries a great deal of meaning, not just the words themselves. Witness the difficulty of good written communication. Unfortunately the tone in the UK is worse than it was, lead by a good dose of unhinged rubbish on social media: https://twitter.com/flashboy/status/1582784766222684160

It's not just social media, remember when the Daily Mail was complaining about an "openly gay, ex-olympic fencer" being allowed to rule on a Brexit case (as if being gay, openly or not, or an ex-olympic athlete has ever stopped people from being a) competent and fair judges or b) right-wing nutters)

https://twitter.com/TheMediaTweets/status/794155820313235458

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#605

Post by kergonath »

Macha wrote: post #501
kergonath wrote: post #436

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s the same “public” as in “public houses” (actually privately-owned premises) or “public companies” (publicly traded but still private interests). One more quirk of the English language.

The public in public houses presumably comes from the fact that they're open to the public to enter. There's obviously the implied need to buy something if you spend a length of time there, but compare to a private house (I.e. a residence) where the public does not by default have permission to enter.

It’s the same thing in all cases: the meaning is in general “open to the general public”, often by opposition to what came before or what was the norm at the time (private schools, private salons, and unlisted companies respectively; in all cases you needed to get invited or accepted somehow and entry was restricted).

The issue is that language drifted and now “public” generally means “owned by the public” rather than merely “open to the public”.

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#607

Post by ycombigator »

Beltalowda wrote: post #153
cjrp wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The trouble is he doesn’t have the support of much of the party, and that inherently leads to instability.

He didn't do badly in the last election. He doesn't have the full support of the party, but neither had Truss, and who really does in the first place, especially when things are not going so well?

The problem isn't full support, it's active hostility of those who are "loyal" to Johnson.

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#608

Post by ycombigator »

matthewmacleod wrote: post #203
pclmulqdq wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He, and many others, actually does seem to have the support of a lot of the party. Liz Truss didn't - she just had the support of the current party leadership. They made the mistake of putting up two incredibly unpopular candidates for PM to the party members in the most recent PM selection process. I'm not sure they will make the same mistake again. At the same time, they did just have an election, so it's not like…

He, and many others, actually does seem to have the support of a lot of the party. Liz Truss didn't - she just had the support of the current party leadership. This is pretty much the exact opposite of true – Truss had the support of the membership, and did not have the support of the "leadership" or the parliamentary party. Sunak was the other way round. At the same time, they did just have an election, so it's not…

Truss being an absolute moron didn't help.

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#609

Post by ycombigator »

Aromasin wrote: post #209
Gordonjcp wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 oppo…

To say they have not been elected is a complete falsification of our parliamentary system. The UK general populace has never voted for a PM. Party members do, and every single prime minister (bar some few exceptions) have been elected by their Party in some way, shape, or form. The four PMs you mention were voted into power by Conservative voters. Conservative members decide who to lead their party, not the anyone el…

I always love it when people turn up to explain why we technically have a functioning democracy.

Re: Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

#610

Post by amusedcyclist »

ploppyploppy wrote: post #591
amusedcyclist wrote: post #342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Her policies were terrible. Gutting the tax base, subsidizing energy demand in an inflationary environment. Almost all conservative policies are terrible but these ones were so bad that there was a run on the pound. I'm glad you're not running the country i live in

A lot of us want small Government and low taxes.

yeah and thats bad policy.
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