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from the it's-OK,-she-hasn't-finished-unpacking-yet dept.
UK Prime Minister Liz Truss resigns after failed budget and market turmoil
U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned Thursday following a failed tax-cutting budget that rocked financial markets and which led to a revolt within her own Conservative Party.
Truss said in a statement outside Downing Street: "We set out a vision for a low-tax, high-growth economy that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit."
"I recognize though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to announce that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party."
The party is now due to complete a leadership election within the next week, faster than the usual two-month period. Graham Brady, the Conservative politician that is in charge of leadership votes and reshuffles, told reporters he was now looking at how the vote could include Conservative MPs and the wider party members.
Truss was in office for just 44 days, on 10 of which government business was paused following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Live updates: BBC, The Guardian, CNN, NYT.
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Liz Truss (Wikipedia).
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Friday October 21 2022, @10:47AM (5 children)
So help me understand something: Explain in practical terms how Brexit helped the UK as a nation or its citizens. Not in the "it's the principle of the thing" sense, but pounds and pence, paperwork, job numbers, that sort of thing.
Because as far as I can tell watching from across the pond, the Brexiters promised UK citizens that they'd get all the alleged benefits of Brexit, while
CameronMayJohnsonTruss[whoever is next] would negotiate a deal with the EU or its member states to eliminate all the predicted drawbacks of Brexit like less freedom of travel and less freedom to work in the EU for UK citizens. This fell apart due to a very simple reason, namely the EU said "no" to giving the UK basically all of the benefits of EU membership without any of the obligations. Which makes perfect sense when you realize that the EU without the UK is doing just fine, while the UK without the EU definitely isn't. Making promises you can't or won't keep does something to your credibility, even if we Americans are so used to it we've come to expect it from our politicians.So that means Johnson finally went with no-deal Brexit, and a lot of the problems pointed out by the Remainers happened exactly as they had predicted, e.g. Britons living in Spain are having to leave. There were big gains by Sinn Fein, the SNP, and Plaid Cymru, all advocating the separation of their respective countries from Westminster, support for the Tories has plummeted, and allied nations are worried about the stability of the UK government. So now I'm asking: Was it worth it, and if so why?
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Friday October 21 2022, @01:10PM
I agree, Brexit is continuing to hurt us economically. The economic and political fall out will be much worse as Scotland will likely go independent in the next year or two, which is sad.
I guess it depends what you prioritise - freedom to determine who is in charge through a reasonably democratic process or material wealth (where material wealth means real things like access to health care, jobs, food, etc etc). In UK we spent most of the 17th and 18th century trying to maintain and even increase the level of democracy, at the cost of much blood, and it would be a shame to let that go.
Of course a negotiated outcome that strengthens and democratises EU would be better than this mess of Brexit, but we are where we are. I don't believe EU will last another 50 years - but I really hope it does. Time will tell.
(Score: 0, Troll) by HammeredGlass on Friday October 21 2022, @01:34PM (3 children)
"principle"
the fact that you dismiss this with nigh a second thought is why you will never understand and will rather always trend towards destruction and degeneracy
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Thexalon on Friday October 21 2022, @05:21PM (2 children)
I'm dismissing it because my experience is that when something's alleged to be necessary on principle, that's a mask for something a lot more concrete.
For instance, when you say you wanted "out from under the boot of Brussels", that tells me that the EU was making one or more demands from the UK that you believe is oppressive and horrible and the UK should never agree to under any circumstances. But, since you won't tell me what the allegedly-unacceptable demands were, you make it impossible for me or anybody else to evaluate the merits of your objections. So without a clear description of exactly what it is you are getting away from, I'm going to have to assume that the real objection is something you think the rest of us would find unseemly or impolite. In short, you lack the courage to actually declare and stand by what it is you want, and thus force us all to guess.
It would be like somebody a few years back touting "Remain" on the principle of "coalitions and alliances make us more powerful", when what they actually meant was "I want to be able to easily and discreetly make regular trips to Amsterdam because all the best hookers are there".
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0, Troll) by HammeredGlass on Friday October 21 2022, @07:55PM
I'm sure you can name a dozen things you wish you could ascribe to me, and I am sure that you would misplace the nature of my objection to it as some phobia or ism and your ignorance would remain as it always has, NPC. -- please hold for update --
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday October 23 2022, @02:07PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves