Ready for Rishi?

Rishi Sunak calls for stability and unity as he wins contest to be PM is Aunty's phrasing, and that seems plausible. Effectively this resets the clock to a month and a half back, when the Tory party faithful unwisely chose Truss over Sunak. And we have our first Furriner as PM. What would my father have thought? This kinda reminds me of the John Major premiership, when the country bottled out of going for Labour, only to overwhelmingly change its tiny mind the next time it had the chance. 

Anyway, reality and the Tory MPs have told the membership not to be so silly, and we can hope that fewer surprises are in store. Thankfully that clown Boris didn't get another chance; he is just what the country doesn't need, and the idiot membership would probably have voted for him given such a chance.

My image shows a dahlia; it has been a good year for the same, as Elvis Costello rather mournfully sang. More such pictures are available on Instagram.

Bizarrely, some have thought that Liz Truss Brought Libertarians to Power in the U.K.; but this is foolishness. Tax cuts aren't L, if you simply replace them with borrowing; L would be decreasing the size of the govt, which Truss certainly didn't: to the contrary, she increased spending, thus increasing govt, which is quite the opposite of L. I don't know, kids nowadays, it makes me feel old.

Predictions: always the test. I have nothing very exciting to offer: RS should (with moderate caution, which I expect) make it to the next general election. Whether things look good or bad at that point will largely depend on external factors like the war in Ukraine; that is looking somewhat hopeful now, but with obvious potential to go horribly wrong.

Refs

* The Function of Privilege

* Catastrophic climate risks should be neither understated nor overstated (linking that here is my contribution to the debate at ATTP)

* Covid excitement on Twatter

* Rishi Sunak’s first job? Clearing up his own mess; A clever man, with a penchant for bad ideas says Bagehot at the Economist (arch) but that's a touch negative; Rishi Sunak is anointed Britain’s new prime minister is perhaps fairer (arch).

* Who Will Run It? by Bryan Caplan.

* More than 250 literary figures rail against acquisition by Penguin Random House of book by conservative US supreme court justice - I was going to do a post on this, but really it is just a bit of tedious nonsense from the Graun. These aren't "250 literary figures" - these are mostly book-shop clerks and the like; or in their own delicate phrasing members of the writing, publishing, and broader literary community; just see the list for yourself. But the prize goes to the Orwellian it is imperative that publishers uphold their dedication to freedom of speech with a duty of care. The stuff about inalienable human rights is just a confusion between how the world is and how they would like it to be; all too commonplace.

* COP27: THE GREAT RACE TO EGYPT!