The Month That Was......November 2021

Climate change and MP second jobs have dominated this month’s press and media.

MP Owen Paterson stepped forward as this month’s Westminster pantomime villain with allegations of corruption from his second job. Aside from the media circus whipping us into a frenzy on this, a few things have stood out for me. 

Firstly, I've spent several years now watching MPs vote for legislation without them having the slightest idea what's in it. So I'm not massively sympathetic to the argument that they have time for a second job.

Secondly, Owen Paterson may only be the tip of the iceberg. Nearly 140 MPs worked other jobs in the past year. Does this not create natural conflicts of interest even for the innocent?

Thirdly, this is creating a part-time parliament given all of the second jobs being worked! Here’s a thought……just have the one job and do it amazingly well.

This story will rumble on as I fear there is more scandal to come.

The story of climate change will also rumble on. It has to. World leaders swept into Glasgow, disembarking from their carbon-chugging private jets (over 400 arrived) to discuss the evils of carbon-chugging machines and scoring political points.

But here is the key point. There is a great gap between the grand targets of international politics and footling measures such as turning off the tap when teeth-brushing. We need to be filled with clear Government advice so that we can make good choices with 50 years ahead in mind.

Those like me who do believe that something big needs to be done must be nudged, cajoled and incentivised in the most effective directions. I am a pretty obedient person……just tell me what I need to do and I’ll form good habits.  

There is one mission which the Government must put at the centre of its drive……shifting us from cars and planes onto trains. To have a hope of achieving net zero, we need to make the 21st century the new golden age of the railways. Our daily journeys account for a huge chunk of the nation’s CO2 emissions (27% in 2019). Among the non-bike options of trains, planes and cars, trains are by far the greenest. Hop on the Eurostar at St Pancras instead of taking the plane to Paris and you will cut more than 90 per cent of the emissions.

The environmental case for getting passengers back on track is clear, which is why Rishi’s budget decision to cut air passenger duty on domestic flights was absolutely baffling and cancelling the Leeds section of HS2 even more startling. It’s not as though air travel needs the advantage; journeys by rail already tend to be significantly more expensive.

The longer we delay action to reach net zero, the more likely it becomes we will need to achieve net negative to avoid catastrophic climate change. Even more likely is the need for political change soon to avoid this.

Sad and worrying times…..especially for a father of a concerned 7 year old.

The Numbers

The numbers were dominated by inflation this month as it hit 4.2%, the highest level in 10 years. In a bizarre twist, the Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, even apologised for the situation given that his remit is to keep the inflation ship steady at 2.0%.

You don’t have to look far to see costs spiralling.

- Petrol is now 150p a litre.

- Second hand cars have increased by 27% in the past 6 months.

- The cost of electricity is up 19% and gas 28%.

- House renovations have been hit by the cost of labour going up 20%, paint up by 10% and windows / doors using plastic up by around 13%.

- The price of savoury snacks has gone up 7.6% in the past 12 weeks.

Unfortunately, things will get worse before they get better as inflation is likely to go over 5.0% in coming months.

One of the key contributors to the inflation spike is a lack of available workers in the UK and job vacancies have reached a record high of 1.2 million.  

UK public sector net debt hit £2.3 trillion, equivalent to 95% of national income, a level not reached since the early 1960s.

The key issue for the public coffers is the rising cost of living, with inflation increasing interest payments on index-linked Government debt to £5.6 billion (an increase of £3.8 billion from a year ago).

In the US, Joe B signed a $1trillion infrastructure deal into law, taking the national debt close to $29 trillion. Which reminded me of the quote by John Adams: “There are two ways to enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.”  

Employers across the US hired 531,000 as recruitment within the world’s largest economy accelerated after months of disappointing growth. Unemployment fell to 4.6% and the number of jobless claims reached a 50 year low, exceeded expectations on Wall Street.              

China’s share of global carbon emissions has risen to a record level, accounting for over 30% of the total due to its increasing consumption of coal. Guess who didn’t show for Cop26!

Trump of the Month

November was a classic month in the life of BoJo as Prime Minister. He has bumbled his way through the month as an average after dinner speaker who has an extra glass of wine or two with lunch.

That’s fine if you are a guest on a TV talk show……not so great if you are in control of the UK.

But I don’t blame him……we all know what we’ve got with BoJo. I blame those that are tasked with keeping him on a straight path or at least promoting that he is on a straight path.

This month’s Trump of the Month is……BoJo’s advisors.

Such has been the number of own goals scored by BoJo, Sir Keir has moved into the lead in the opinion polls. Which is staggering given that he hasn’t done anything……it is the unintended consequence of not leading the opposition. That’s how bad BoJo is being portrayed.

Example 1

The month started with BoJo being pictured with Rishi messing about with beer kegs. Rishi announced in his budget that draught beer served from barrels of more than 40 litres would be subject to a 5 per cent tax cut starting in 2023. The problem was, what BoJo and Rishi were holding were too small to classify for the tax cut.

Example 2

BoJo spent days beating the environments drum but left Cop26 by private plane to fly back to London to attend a private Gentlemen’s Club dinner. It was merely a coincidence that it was swarming with party donors.

Example 3

Then there was the whole issue with MP Owen Paterson and the second job fiasco. In short, Paterson was earning £500 per hour to advise for Randox as a second job. Randox then wins a £133 million contract for Covid testing without any other firms getting chance to bid. Parliamentary Standards Committee cries foul play and announces it will suspend the MP.

A great opportunity for BoJo to score an open goal by condemning the behaviour. Instead BoJo orders his Tory friends to vote to change legislation to stop the suspension……until public outrage suggests he changes tact.

Example 4

HS2 was seen as key to a ‘northern powerhouse’ and levelling up the north. BoJo announces that a key part of the London to Leeds line will not be built. Levelling up you say?

Example 5

BoJo visited a hospital up north and decided it was sensible not to wear a mask. Remember it was BoJo who said people should use their common sense as to when they should wear a face covering. Judging by the photo, he felt it more important to protect his tie than the hundreds of vulnerable patients within the building. At least he is applying common sense though.

Example 6

In a 20 minute keynote speech to business leaders at the CBI Annual Conference, BoJo:

- compared himself to Moses

- pretended to be an accelerating car

- referred to himself in the third-person

- lost his place in the speech

- spoke about going to Peppa Pig World

I absolutely expect all of the above behaviour from BoJo. That’s who he is and we voted for it….it’s our fault. But I absolutely expect the gaggle of aides, advisors and political confidants to guide him on right / wrong and install a moral compass. At the very least to show him simple and effective PR skills.

I miss the days when the most shocking political story was when an MP dated a Cheeky Girl.

Trump Lunacy Rating: 10 / 10

And Finally……

"You can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another."

Ernest Hemingway

The Month That Was……October 2021

Summer is over. Winter is terrible. Winter is Mamma Mia. Autumn is the trailer for Mamma Mia. Somehow the trailer contrives to con you that it might actually be mildly bearable but with a strong sense of existential dread at the horrors to come.

Or perhaps the horrors have already started in Autumn?

Facebook and Instagram were down for a day and you would have thought the world was going to explode. If that wasn’t enough, the country then went into meltdown over Bake Off’s first vegan baker using butter and eggs to make malt loaf.

Then a 151 page report was released telling us that BoJo was late to lock down, that test and trace ultimately failed and that vaccinations have been an astonishing success. I’ll leave you to ponder if it was merely a coincidence that BoJo scarpered off on holiday as the horror report into his handling of the Covid pandemic was released, leaving poor cabinet members to take one for the team.

Current covid numbers are a horror show and flu will shortly be hitting……yet systems and people feel so blasé about it. Just because we want it to be finished doesn't mean it is.

And let’s not get started on the whole petrol shortage fiasco. The Government told us that it wasn’t a shortage of petrol but a supply issue. It’s like saying to a diver that there’s not a shortage of air it’s just not in your tank. The simple fact is, you can’t say there’s not an issue with petrol and then call in the army!

We were also told that it’s got nothing to do with us leaving the EU……but remarkably they have no issues with fuel! Well, if it has nothing to do with leaving the EU then why are we relaxing Visa rules?

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, our broken sewerage system is dumping raw waste into our coastline. We are told that it will cost £600 billion of public money to fix but in 1988 we were sold the water privatisation dream on the basis that the industry would use private investment to fix it. After 30 odd years, it might now be the time to admit we have a broken model.

When the country desperately needs a serious, competent, honest Prime Minister, we basically have an after dinner speaker. James Bond seems the only civil servant we can rely on.

The Numbers

The backdrop to the numbers was dominated by the Budget this month. Now, I know I need to get out a little more but the Budget has been my Christmas since adulthood arrived. The rumours and anticipation before that delivery of gifts at the dispatch box……the best day of the year.

But it’s all changed this year. Rumours have been replaced by leaks of factual changes and there are few surprises by the time of the speech. It’s like opening Christmas presents when you know exactly what each gift is. You try to show forced joy and excitement but the feeling is flat.

Having said that, Rishi was suave and commanding and I hung on to his every word like my life depended on it. Has any man ever worn a suit better? Has any man ever been a more obvious choice for the next James Bond?

“Let there be no doubt that the plan is working. Today’s Budget delivers a stronger economy.” A bold statement from Rishi.

And the starting point……Rishi cancelled a planned increase in alcohol duty, which he says will cost a significant £3 billion! Is that a sensible fiscal priority?

There are the usual winners and losers but overall it was more generous than expected. It was a very broad ranging Budget speech, even getting into worldwide UK visa systems for immigration. It’s almost like he was trying to show he's positioning himself as the number one minister or ‘prime’ as some call it.

He announced that the UK economy is expected to recover to pre-Covid levels by the turn of the year, with GDP expected to rise by 6.5% this year and 6.0% in 2022.

Job vacancies soared to a record high of almost 1.2 million, according to official figures, as employers hunted for staff to meet shortages brought on by Brexit and the pandemic. At the same time, 1 million came off the furlough scheme. Furlough became the biggest UK peacetime intervention in the jobs market at a cost to taxpayers of £69 billion. The bill rises to £97 billion when grants to the self-employed are included in the calculation.

Petrol prices hit a record high of 142.94p for a litre of petrol……meaning that a typical family car costs about £15 more to fill up than a year ago. This was on the back of oil hitting $83 a barrel (a 3 year high). Rishi announced a fuel duty tax rise was cancelled (thankfully!).    

Inflation held steady at 3.1% but this doesn’t include recent energy price hikes. The Bank of England are predicting that inflation will top 5.0% in coming months and Rishi announced that it will average at 4.0% over the next year.

After the Government removed the earnings element of the ‘triple-lock’ guarantee, it means the basic State Pension will rise by 3.1% from April. This will still be the second highest increase for pensioners in a decade.

Elsewhere……

New car sales hit their worst level since 1998 by supply shortages. The figures were 44.7% down on the pre-pandemic 10 year average. Clearly the global shortage of computer chips has damaged the car sale sector massively.

The Road Haulage Association announced that there is a shortage of 100,000 drivers. The DVLA also announced that there is a backlog of 54,000 HGV licences waiting to be processed.

BoJo hailed his latest post-brexit trade agreement……with New Zealand. This amazing ‘chest thumping’ trade deal could boost UK economy by between 0.01% and - 0.01%. So it could boost the economy by a negative amount? What a win, this Government must be so proud. Terrific.

Trump of the Month

What a month to be alive……so many idiots and so much lunacy. I have genuinely found it difficult to reduce the volume of craziness to a short list. Many worthy and notable mentions……

The BBC news reported 263 deaths and 40,000 new covid cases……yet 2 minutes earlier labelled Rishi’s speech the “post Covid Budget.” 

Kwasi Kwarteng (Business Secretary) claimed on the BBC that he was in talks with Rishi for bailout support for companies with very high energy use. This prompted a stinging slapdown from the Treasury: “This is not the first time the Business Secretary has made things up in interviews. To be crystal clear, the Treasury are not involved in any talks.” Quite the record correcting!

Leaks form the ‘Pandora Papers’ show that Tony and Cherie Blair saved £312,000 in stamp duty when they bought a £6.45 million office in London in July 2017. The couple bought an offshore firm that owned the building rather than buying the building directly. And here’s the thing……no laws were broken. At a time when we are living with the constant threat of tax rises that go too far for many on low incomes, perhaps we should get our house in order before thinking about tax rises.

NatWest is facing a fine of more than £300 million after becoming the first British bank to be criminally prosecuted for money laundering failures. NatWest pleaded guilty to the charges brought by the Financial Conduct Authority and admitted to three criminal charges for failing to properly monitor a Bradford based gold dealer. NatWest accepted funds including £264 million in cash without doing proper anti-money laundering checks. NatWest is the UK’s biggest bank for business customers……and is still 55% owned by taxpayers. So congratulations, you are the owner of a criminal enterprise. A proud moment. 

Keir Starmer strutted around the Labour conference telling everyone to call him ‘Special K’……which is the street name for the illegal drug Ketamine. Blimey.

Appearing on the BBC, BoJo was questioned about his public health record. His response was absolutely amazing……

Even The Trump was in on the act when he launched his own social media platform called ‘Truth Social’. How ironic.

All are commendable and valiant efforts……but the Trump of the Month award goes to Jeremy Hunt.

Jeremy Hunt is Chairman of the Commons Health & Social Care Committee and produced the damning report this month on the Government’s handling of the pandemic. One of the key criticisms was that there was no contingency plan in place for the threat of a potential pandemic……and Jeremy Hunt was scathing on this point.

If you are going to be pointing the finger of blame, surely it should be at the Health Secretary in the preceding years leading up to the Covid outbreak.

Ladies and gentlemen……Jeremy Hunt was health secretary for six years between 2012 and 2018.

Insanity: an action that is stupid and likely to have extremely bad results.

No further questions your honour.

Trump Lunacy Rating: 10 / 10

And Finally……

The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.

Helen Keller

The Month That Was……September 2021

September was always meant to be the month of children returning to school with new haircuts, shiny shoes, immaculate pencil cases, a chance to start again and reinvent themselves every year……and for parents to get angrier at their own timetable becoming boringly fixed around the school run and a growing chip on their shoulder at not also being able to reboot themselves. 

Instead, September seems to be a free for all for madness to run rife. Now I appreciate the past 18 months has been challenging on so many levels, but I genuinely think there is a certain level of madness that we all now accept. It’s as though we are punch drunk to lunacy.

After 18 months of confusing everybody with a travel traffic light system that scared the majority into holidaying in the UK, the Government launched a new system that is so easy to understand but yet  waited until the holiday season was over to announce it. Brilliant. And whilst we’re here……it’s not a bloody ‘staycation’……it’s simply a holiday in the UK……end of.

 

Insulate Britain (an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion) held sit ins on the M25 to disrupt traffic and gain publicity to call for the Government to insulate homes in the UK to help cut carbon emissions. But the paradox of ‘Insulate Britain’ is that if the planet is warming we need less insulation in our homes, not more.

The Government paid an American-owned fertiliser manufacturing firm tens of millions of pounds to keep production going and head off a crisis in the availability of carbon dioxide (vital to food supplies) on the same day that BoJo spoke at the UN on the importance of reducing carbon dioxide. You couldn’t make it up.

And whilst we’re here, BoJo thought it would be a great idea to humiliate the UK on a global platform when talking to world leaders using references to the muppets. “Kermit the frog said it’s not easy being green, he was wrong”. Stop it. Just stop it. If you haven’t seen it……it’s painful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBIZVOggxLI

 

Gavin Williamson the Education Secretary then got Marcus Rashford and Maro Itoje mixed up. One is a footballer, northern, tough upbringing, tattooed, short haired and campaigns for free school meals. The other is a rugby player, southern, privileged upbringing, long haired and campaigns to bridge a digital divide. It’s like comparing Bernard Manning with Lionel Blair. In an ideal world, the Education Secretary would be someone who isn’t profoundly stupid and he did extremely well to survive over 2 years in the role before the chop this month.

And whilst we’re here……along with a lot of people in Government I think “well, I might disagree, but I probably don’t know how hard it is and I wouldn’t back myself to do better”. But with Gavin Williamson, I would 100% do a better job than him. At anything. At any time.

Millions of people are facing soaring gas bills as their energy suppliers go bust as nobody thought to forward buy in case we might need some gas in the future…..like in the winter for example. Crazy.

HGV drivers have now become the new celebrity A listers……they’ll be opening supermarkets and appearing on Strictly before you know it.  

We were told by the Government not to panic buy petrol as everything will be OK. Which is absolutely the right reason to panic buy petrol. So we did. All of us.

There are empty shelves in supermarkets and warnings that products will not be available for Christmas. Yet fresh produce is rotting in fields because of a lack of pickers.

I don't know about everyone else but I think we were better off when we had food on the shelves and could afford heating. What a time to be alive.       

 

The Numbers

The UK economic recovery is stuttering and is being affected by a cocktail of factors, some of them global, some very much local. The global factors are well known: supply bottlenecks, sharply rising shipping costs and microchip shortages are affecting industries the world over, though not yet enough to derail the global economic recovery. Meanwhile, the Delta variant of the coronavirus has led to lockdowns being reintroduced in parts of the world. Then there is Brexit, our very own millstone.

The closely watched Purchasing Managers Index (and what an index it is……my personal favourite) tells a story of the stuttering recovery. Taking manufacturing and services together, the index has fallen to 55.3 this month, its lowest for six months. The Eurozone equivalent has held up well at 59.5, close to a 15 year high.

Employers added a record 241,000 staff to their payrolls last month, taking the total number to 29  million, above the level recorded in February 2020 just before the country went into the first Covid-19 lockdown. The 1,000,000 jobs unfilled in the UK highlights the continued recovery in the jobs market as the Government phases out the furlough support scheme.

More Europeans are looking for work in Britain since the end of lockdown restrictions, but job searches from the EU remain far lower than they were before the pandemic. The number of EU residents seeking work in the UK is still 48% lower than it was in August 2019. The trend is rising though.

Restaurants across the UK are struggling to hire staff, given this lack of EU citizens looking for work. Another reason is that catering staff were lost to logistics and delivery firms, who are offering £50,000 a year jobs. What a time to be a lorry driver. If you spot Gordon Ramsay at the wheel of an artic, steering up the M1 with his elbows while eating a pie, rolling a fag and swearing at passing cars, you’ll know why. A different type of arctic roll (I’ll get my coat).

Inflation hit 3.2% in the sharpest monthly rise on record and is expected to go over 4.0% over the coming months.

A 1.25% Health and Social Care Levy is to come in from April 2022. Wrap it up however you want, but it is the biggest tax rise in over 20 years designed to raise £36 billion over 3 years. From October 2023, no one starting care in England will be forced to spend more than £86,000 over their lifetime. The devil is in the detail……and the small print creates more questions than it answers.

It was announced that the contactless card limit is to rise to £100 next month.

Emma Raducanu earned £1.8 million in winning the tennis US Open, proving to Prince Andrew that not all Brits are afraid of US courts.

Trump of the Month

When you break two manifesto pledges on the same day after just 2 years of being elected, you deserve the Trump of the Month award. This month’s winner can only be……Boris Johnson. 

Political policies are always subjective and there will always be mixed views. But I just want honesty and compassion from Downing Street. I feel we’re in depressing times when it comes to the quality of leadership in the country.

On the back of last month’s Trump of the Month in which the guarantee of a triple lock increase to State Pensions was rumoured to be removed, BoJo confirmed this was the case. Clearly protecting the elderly and vulnerable is not high on his priority at a time of crazy inflation and soaring energy prices. A manifesto pledge broken.

And then came the next manifesto pledge to be broken……a rise in National Insurance to pay for a Health and Social Care Levy.

What is maddening is the lack of compassion, creativeness and fairness with the National Insurance rise. Landlords, investors and the over 65’s won't pay it and the self-employed will only pay half. The levy will also not be added to rental income, capital gains tax or inheritance tax.

So why not raise Income Tax? Because BoJo knows there is a total lack of understanding of how National Insurance works. Financial ignorance will allow the National Insurance rise without too much loss of political capital……which is really sad.

National Insurance is a lie, that cons taxpayers, misinforms voters and distorts our political debate about tax rates. It is time to be honest and roll it into Income Tax.

And the saddest thing of all…..BoJo justified it all by proclaiming that “covid was not in the Tory election manifesto”. Presumably it would never have happened if it had been.

It is all such total madness. Surely we have enough creative people at Westminster to create a fair system to fund the levy? Anything has to be fairer than this……surely?  

Trump Lunacy Rating: 10 / 10

 

And Finally……

If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.

Maya Angelou

The Month That Was August......2021

One of the quaint things I really enjoy about England is the advanced doorway etiquette we adopt. When two people meet at a doorway going in opposite directions, it triggers a burst of complex, silent and unfathomably intricate social calculations to try and determine who should step aside.

You would think people could just briefly discuss it, accept the terms of the conversation and move on with their day. But it is forbidden to go against the rules to strike up a conversation with a passer-by. An awkward silent approach must be adopted. 

If you get it wrong one way, you might end up touching a stranger or performing a doorway foxtrot rendition. If you get it wrong the other way, you end up standing there both awkwardly trying to avoid going through for what feels like eternity.

And this all pretty much sums up where we stand with the two most important political and economic individuals we have. BoJo spluttering through the doorway that we will spend and take on projects like never before all for the benefit of the north……it’s all about the north. With Rishi moving in an opposite direction with an empty purse, a load of debt and figures that don’t stack up. 

It's a pretty comprehensive list of political doorway jostling that the two are compiling, the latest being the State Pension (see below). Then add in Rishi being BoJo’s biggest threat to the throne……it is far from certain political times when clarity and unity is the one thing we absolutely need after 18 months of a pandemic.

It’s uncomfortable viewing……let’s hope it doesn’t make for uncomfortable living.       

 

The Numbers

It is not every month I get to comment on figures that show the economy grew by 4.8% in a single quarter and was more than 22% bigger than a year earlier. In fact, I can confidently predict that I will never do so again. 

The rest of the world is looking on with optimism, with the International Monetary Fund reporting that Britain's economy will grow faster than any major economy in Europe with 7% growth this year. This would be the strongest year for economic growth since comparable records began following World War II.

The pace of the recovery has stalled though. The “pingdemic” hit both consumer spending and staffing in the country’s dominant services sector (which accounts for 80% of GDP). Labour shortages, rising wages and higher costs also drove companies to raise their prices at the fastest pace in at least 25 years. Companies were left with no option but to reduce operations. 

Changes came in this month for furlough that will see employers asked to contribute 20% towards the salaries of those whose wages are being subsidised by the state. Official data showed 1.9 million people were still furloughed.

On the other hand……job vacancies have hit a record high as the UK's labour market continues to "rebound robustly", according to the latest official figures. The number of vacancies hit 953,000 according to the Office for National Statistics. 

With the unemployment rate falling to 4.7% and the annual growth in average pay up 7.4%, the labour and recruiting market will continue to be interesting!

The US economy is now bigger than before Covid in a huge consumer-led recovery, thanks mainly to a huge $1.9 trillion stimulus package. Recovery at a price! 

The Eurozone is officially out of recession after the economy grew by 2%. However, the Eurozone remains 3% down from its pre-pandemic level in late 2019.

Economists have reduced their forecasts for growth in China after weaker than expected figures due to new Covid-19 outbreaks and disruptive floods have slowed the momentum of economic recovery in the world’s second biggest economy. Growth has slowed to 6.4% per cent year-on-year, lower than the 7.8% expected. 

£7,000,000……the amount David Cameron made for lobbying his mates at Westminster on behalf of Greensill Capital before the finance company collapsed.

I read that 4,153,237 people got married last year. Not to cause any trouble... but shouldn't that be an even number? 

Trump of the Month

Despite it being holiday season for most, there has been no shortage of lunacy and foolishness for consideration this month. So much of it commendable and worthy of recognition.

 

 

Recognition #1: Dominic Raab

Dominic Raab lectured Nato allies on the threat of cyber-hacks to western Governments. In the same week, it was found that the Foreign Secretary’s personal mobile number has been online for decades. 

Presumably he went the whole way and had it listed in the phone-book for his minicab firm, “AAAAAA1111Raabvaark Cars.”

(That’s a joke for all the ‘old’ people who remember phone books. Thank you, old people. Thank you for reading to my joke.) 

Trump Lunacy Rating: 7.5 / 10

 

Recognition #2: Gavin Williamson

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is to pour £4 million of taxpayer money to support learning Latin in state schools.   

Surely teaching basic first aid, home finance skills or anything other than Latin would be more useful?

Quite simply……Quid Stultus 

Trump Lunacy Rating: 8.5 / 10

 

Recognition #3: Grant Shapps

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps faced a backlash from ministers after the Government abandoned plans for a new international travel watchlist that would have given warning of amber countries going to red (meaning holidaymakers would have to quarantine in hotels for ten days on their return). 

Shapps failed to do the maths that putting Spain in red would mean more than 500,000 Brits having to quarantine in the 58,000 hotel rooms held on reserve.

I naively assumed that the travel traffic light system was based on the threat that arrivals brought to the UK. It now appears that it is simply whether we can accommodate the numbers arriving. What a mess. 

Trump Lunacy Rating: 9 / 10

 

Recognition #4: Duchess of Sussex

Megan launched her 40x40 campaign which involves her asking 40 friends to contribute 40 minutes of mentoring to support women re-entering the workforce. Watching the promotional video she announced her desire to help women “mobilising back into the workforce” after Covid. 

How did we even end up with a workplace mentor who famously doesn’t work? It’s bonkers that in 2021 when our world is filled with so many talented female politicians, scientists and academics, one of the most talked about and influential female figures is still someone who doesn’t have a proper job. What have we done to deserve that?

Trump Lunacy Rating: 8 / 10 

 

Recognition #5: Alok Sharma

He made 30 international trips by air in the last 7 months. This, ladies and gentlemen, is our Climate Minister who is currently responsible for:

- Leading the preparations for the global Climate Change Conference 2021. 

- Chairing the Climate Action Implementation Cabinet Committee to coordinate Government action towards net zero by 2050.

No further questions your honour. 

Trump Lunacy Rating: 9.5 / 10

 

Recognition #6: Sajid Javid

A “communications playbook” issued by the Government to local NHS Trusts says that new wings at hospitals should be described as “a new hospital” as it strives to meet a manifesto pledge. 

In the 2019 election campaign the Conservatives pledged to build 40 hospitals over a decade. Together with 8 existing schemes this would, the party said, be “the biggest hospital-building programme in a generation”.

This month the Health Secretary (Sajid Javid) described the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, the first of the 48 to open, as “a new hospital”. It’s not new……it is part of the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle. 

I guess we are all guilty of misleading a little. I mean, come on……who hasn’t described their new conservatory as a “new home” over the years.

Utter madness. 

Trump Lunacy Rating: 9 / 10

 

I’m sure you would agree all are deserving candidates but this month’s winner of Trump of the Month for services to lunacy is……Rishi Sunak. 

The ‘triple lock’ pledge was a BoJo chest thumping manifesto commitment to increase the State Pension each year by the highest of three figures — average earnings, inflation or 2.5%. Whilst it could have been viewed as a vote sweetener, there is real substance and importance to ensure that the State Pension keeps its purchasing power for those that really value it. Too many rely on it for basic living means for it to be anything other than significant.     

But here’s the problem……wages have bounced back sharply after the relaxation of lockdown restrictions, with total earnings poised to rise by around 8.8%. Raising the state pension in line with wages would cost the government an additional £8 billion and lead to the state pension rising to just over £10,000 next year.

Rishi has hinted that the triple lock could be broken to ensure "fairness for pensioners and taxpayers". There is no reason in law why the Chancellor cannot change the way earnings are judged in the triple lock system. 

This is a classic example of BoJo and Rishi at a political doorway going in opposite directions.

Regardless of whether action is taken on the triple-lock matters little……simply considering moving the goalposts is unforgiveable. 

It is total madness. Surely we have enough creative people at Westminster that could create the finances elsewhere to fund this? Surely?

Trump Lunacy Rating: 10 / 10 

 

And Finally……

“Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”.

Theodore Roosevelt