'Johnson by Name, Johnson by Nature'

[mistermack]

On the ongoing saga of Johnson's departure, I would really like to know what severance pay these ministers are getting, especially the ones who were only in the cabinet for a day or two. I've only heard one fleeting mention, that they were getting £430,000 each. And when asked why, the minister just said "that's set by statute". 

Nice work if you can get it.

[dimreepr]

23 hours ago, TheVat said:

The clever OP title...reminded me of a sci-fi novel where they used that expression (where the name of something happens to express a quality of it) in regards to bad architecture.  Apparently in architecture a "folly" means a building whose features are primarily ornamental, usually ridiculously extravagant.  So when the author describes such a building that everyone agrees was a waste of taxpayers money, she calls it "folly by name, folly by nature." 

 

Many follies, particularly during times of famine, such as the Great Famine in Ireland, were built as a form of poor relief, to provide employment for peasants ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly

[geordief]

Wasn't there a "Follygate" as a part of the MP expenses scandal  in UK a while back?

I can find the MP  who claimed for cleaning his moat but  nothing about a folly on anyone's land 

 

Maybe  the description never grew legs?

 

As an aside I used to walk to school along a "folly"(well we called it "the folly" which was a  narrow  path between 2  roads about  120   metres  apart. (across the  houses' back gardens )

 

I never came across another  "folly" since so I don't know if they exist elsewhere  (that was in NE Essex)

[mistermack]

1 hour ago, dimreepr said:

Many follies, particularly during times of famine, such as the Great Famine in Ireland, were built as a form of poor relief, to provide employment for peasants ...

While that's probably true, you don't have to choose a folly, you could build an extension, or anything useful, and provide the same jobs. And you could equally look at it as cashing in on some desperate people for cheap labour. Nothing wrong with that though, if it puts bread on the table. 

Of course, another motive might be to keep the labour from leaving, heading across the Atlantic for a new start. 

[dimreepr]

20 hours ago, mistermack said:

While that's probably true, you don't have to choose a folly, you could build an extension, or anything useful, and provide the same jobs. And you could equally look at it as cashing in on some desperate people for cheap labour. Nothing wrong with that though, if it puts bread on the table. 

Why would Lord Kato want an extension on his mansion?

He was smart enough to know that a well fed worker, neither has the time or inclination to challenge his privilege; Bojo doesn't seem to understand that fundamental social(ist) fact.

[Existential Dreams]

The two new clones  that looking to replace him are a joke , some voters who voted for Conservatives  are going to vote for labour  now because of who might be  left in the job of prime minster . 

[Endy0816]

10 hours ago, Existential Dreams said:

The two new clones  that looking to replace him are a joke , some voters who voted for Conservatives  are going to vote for labour  now because of who might be  left in the job of prime minster . 

Think Sunak would be the better of the two. One would hope he'd at least be pro-business. Could still avoid the one scenario, WTO terms with retaliatory tariffs and Nontariff barriers.

Still be funny if the Countess of Cheddar won.

Edited July 23, 2022 by Endy0816

[dimreepr]

2 hours ago, Endy0816 said:

Think Sunak would be the better of the two. One would hope he'd at least be pro-business. Could still avoid the one scenario, WTO terms with retaliatory tariffs and Nontariff barriers.

Still be funny if the Countess of Cheddar won.

I can't imagine the mindset of someone who would want that poisoned challis... 

[mistermack]

3 hours ago, Endy0816 said:

Think Sunak would be the better of the two.

I would say that Sunak is the more likely to win an election.  On a purely image presentation level, both could do better. They both smile too much, and come across as too eager to please, but Liz Truss is much worse in that regard. Johnson got it about right, and that was partly why he was popular. 

They both need to slow down, not jump in too eagerly with their answers, and smile just now and then, not nearly all the time. 

Also, Sunak's message of balancing the books rather than dishing out tax cuts would sit better with general election voters. 

Unfortunately for him, the leadership election is by Tory party members, and they seem to be favouring Liz Truss's tax cutting agenda. But maybe, when push comes to shove, they will go for Sunak because winning the election has nearly always been their first priority. 

You can bet your life that Starmer will be praying that Truss wins. Well I would, if I was in his shoes. 

[Endy0816]

9 hours ago, dimreepr said:

I can't imagine the mindset of someone who would want that poisoned challis... 

Lots of money in it.

8 hours ago, mistermack said:

I would say that Sunak is the more likely to win an election.  On a purely image presentation level, both could do better. They both smile too much, and come across as too eager to please, but Liz Truss is much worse in that regard. Johnson got it about right, and that was partly why he was popular. 

They both need to slow down, not jump in too eagerly with their answers, and smile just now and then, not nearly all the time. 

Also, Sunak's message of balancing the books rather than dishing out tax cuts would sit better with general election voters. 

Unfortunately for him, the leadership election is by Tory party members, and they seem to be favouring Liz Truss's tax cutting agenda. But maybe, when push comes to shove, they will go for Sunak because winning the election has nearly always been their first priority. 

You can bet your life that Starmer will be praying that Truss wins. Well I would, if I was in his shoes. 

Yeah I don't know. I just see Sunak as best from an economic/business standpoint.

[mistermack]

40 minutes ago, Endy0816 said:

Yeah I don't know. I just see Sunak as best from an economic/business standpoint.

I do too. You have to be a certain age to have lived through the periods of crazy inflation that we had in this country. It pervades and infects everything like a virus. Liz Truss's tax cutting agenda will just feed inflation, which is already starting to feed on itself. And increased public borrowing, at a time when we should be planning to pay for the billions that have been spent keeping things running during Covid, is just going the wrong way up a one-way street. 

[Existential Dreams]

20 hours ago, mistermack said:

 

You can bet your life that Starmer will be praying that Truss wins. Well I would, if I was in his shoes. 

yeah, i know  some people have called her a gift for Starmer  and labour , all they now need is a cake 

[dimreepr]

13 hours ago, Endy0816 said:

Lots of money in it.

Sunak needs more money???

It's also hard to see a positive legacy from the next person who picks up the challis...

2 hours ago, Existential Dreams said:

yeah, i know  some people have called her a gift for Starmer  and labour , all they now need is a cake 

"all they we now need is a cake, we can share in." FTFY

An economy needs it's population to spend (because we can tax that); guess what would be better for our economy:

A poor person (most of us), who has enough to live on, with a little left over and spend every last cent (for pleasure).

Or

A rich person, who is afraid of the cake???

[Endy0816]

10 hours ago, dimreepr said:

Sunak needs more money???

It's also hard to see a positive legacy from the next person who picks up the challis...

You rarely hear from the rich man who is content with what he has.

I think you are placing too much faith in leaders caring for the legacy they leave behind. Sunak could simply bounce once he finishes.

23 hours ago, mistermack said:

I do too. You have to be a certain age to have lived through the periods of crazy inflation that we had in this country. It pervades and infects everything like a virus. Liz Truss's tax cutting agenda will just feed inflation, which is already starting to feed on itself. And increased public borrowing, at a time when we should be planning to pay for the billions that have been spent keeping things running during Covid, is just going the wrong way up a one-way street. 

Personally just concerned she'll sign UK up to more lopsided trade agreements and/or further harm UK's trade with the EU.

Edited July 24, 2022 by Endy0816