Liz Truss resigns as British PM

[JBS]

John Kerry is an American politician who married into the Heinz ketchup corporation fortune.

In international terms, he was for Hillary Clinton's successor as Secretary of State, and the Democratic nominee who lost to GWB in 2004.  His main acheivement [if you can say it was an acheivement] was the JCPOA with Iran.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

From the little bit that I've read, it sounds, like Irons said, that he comes from a hard-working family whose grandparents emigrated to the UK and worked hard and tried their best to see that their children received the best education possible and (from the attached link) also were involved in their community.  I don't know much about Metro News, but here's the link: 

https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/02/meet-rishi-sunaks-family-as-the-race-to-lead-number-10-continues-17100119/

Hoping the best for his administration and the UK.

PD

[Mandryka]

I don't get all this "brown skin" stuff. Fully aware you need to be on the wrong end of racism to recognise it and being an old white bloke not the best to comment. But I would like to think that huge strides have been made in the UK in combatting the worst forms. Our new PM is part of that.

Actually just a few days ago I was in a discussion about Oldham, and I came across this video. Listen to what the gentleman, an old white bloke, says at around 1 minute in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQCn-6N9hng&ab_channel=SkyNews

Polling by YouGov found that 60% of Tory members believe Islam "is generally a threat to western civilisation"; 45% believe the racist lie about 'no go areas' for non-Muslims, and 43% don't want a Muslim PM.

https://twitter.com/owenjones84/status/1485354604103622665

How reliable this survey is, I don't know. Neither do I know how far it extends into the people who vote Tory who aren't party members, and to the population as a whole. But the survey has to give pause for thought. There's a bit of discussion about it on p.125 here

https://hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/state-of-hate-2020-final.pdf


And of course, institutional racism in the Metropolitan Police has been well documented, and largely ignored by the institution as far as I know. if you Google "institutional racism" you'll find a very big official report saying that the Met suffers from institutional racism, and lots of further comments from insiders and academics asserting that nothing has changed since the report. It's basically uncontested.

[Karl Henning]

I sincerely hope you are correct, but much the same thing was said and written by many regarding the US after Obama's election as President.  Many here saw Obama's election as a sign that the country had finally managed to make serious progress on questions of race, that we were finally going to see things move in a more positive direction after so many years; alas, things have not quite turned out that way...   

Ah, those "happier" times when the bigotry had not yet returned to the mainstream ....

[71 dB]

Apparently, he's wealthier than the King!

Meaning he is totally disconnected from the struggles of the less fortuned.

[vandermolen]

I don't get all this "brown skin" stuff. Fully aware you need to be on the wrong end of racism to recognise it and being an old white bloke not the best to comment. But I would like to think that huge strides have been made in the UK in combatting the worst forms. Our new PM is part of that.

I very much agree Lol.

[vandermolen]

According to his bio, he went to Winchester College and then attended Oxford before working at Goldman Sachs.  His parents are both medical professionals, if online information is correct.  I understand that income for doctors and pharmacists in the UK may not match that in the US, but in the US, anyone who comes from such a household is not said to come from a humble background.  Such a person comes from the top decile of earners at least, and typically something closer to the top 1%.  Mr Sunak married into extraordinary wealth, but he does not appear to be a man of the people who comes from humble beginnings.  I do admit that I do not know UK history very well, so perhaps UK posters can point out which PMs came from a working class background, or if Mr Sunak is viewed as a regular bloke.

Mrs Thatcher's father was a shop-keeper. I don't think that John Major came from a particularly wealthy background but not really working class either.

https://www.quora.com/Has-the-UK-ever-had-a-prime-minister-from-a-working-class-background

[Todd]

Mrs Thatcher's father was a shop-keeper. I don't think that John Major came from a particularly wealthy background but not really working class either.

So, every once in a while, a person with truly humble beginnings becomes PM.  Mostly, though, that does not appear to be the case.  It is not the case with Mr Sunak.  Which is fine.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

So, every once in a while, a person with truly humble beginnings becomes PM.  Mostly, though, that does not appear to be the case.  It is not the case with Mr Sunak.  Which is fine.

Did you read the article that I had linked to?  Curious as to what you think?

PD

[Todd]

Did you read the article that I had linked to?  Curious as to what you think?

PD

No, but I read two other quick bios.  As I wrote before, he came from a household where both parents were medical professionals and he went to posh schools and landed a posh gig out of Oxford.  He's no Bill Clinton.

[Irons]

So, every once in a while, a person with truly humble beginnings becomes PM.  Mostly, though, that does not appear to be the case.  It is not the case with Mr Sunak.  Which is fine.

That I agree with. I will always try to judge a person by what they are not where they came from, their wealth (or lack of it) or the colour of their skin.

[Florestan]

Polling by YouGov found that 60% of Tory members believe Islam "is generally a threat to western civilisation"; 45% believe the racist lie about 'no go areas' for non-Muslims, and 43% don't want a Muslim PM.

Sunak is Hindu, not Muslim.

[71 dB]

My problem with Sunak is not his brown skin, nor his Hinduism.

Brown skin & Hinduism alone shouldn't be problems for anyone.

It's the fact that until extremely recently, whilst he was still Chancellor of the Exchequer, he had a green card for potential emigration to the US, and his wife didn't pay taxes in the country he was part of the team running. I think they refer to it as 'carpetbagging': the willingness to traipse from city to city, country to country, with no great affection or commitment to any of them, but a willingness to make a buck or two where ever it's convenient to do so.

He also raised taxes for others while making a loophole his wife was able to use to avoid taxes (as if someone with 800+ million can't afford paying their fair share). I wonder how much all of this is within the spirit of Hinduism... ...my guess is not much.

That said, he seems the best of a fairly mediocre bunch, so good luck to him.

Good luck is certainly needed...

[Pohjolas Daughter]

".... whilst he was still Chancellor of the Exchequer, he had a green card for potential emigration to the US, and his wife didn't pay taxes in the country he was part of the team running. I think they refer to it as 'carpetbagging': the willingness to traipse from city to city, country to country, with no great affection or commitment to any of them, but a willingness to make a buck or two where ever it's convenient to do so.


My other beef with how this whole business has been handled, since the time BoJo went, is the amount of constitutional innovation that has happened without anyone apparently noticing. Back in my day (somewhere around 1868, I think!), the Prime Minister resigned and was replaced that same day. Now, thanks to party rules that have nothing to do with the British constitution, we have a lame-duck Prime Minister for weeks on end whilst a party sorts out who it wants its leader to be. Even Truss stuck it out for several days until her party's rules finally gifted us a new party leader. Whence this sudden dichotomy between party leader and Prime Minister? I cannot recall when, previously, the job of running the country became subordinate to matters of party internal governance.

I will concede that I exaggerate slightly: Thatcher was lame duck for 6 days until Major took over. I still think it a deplorable development. If the Prime Minister of the day is not up to the job, for whatever reason, immediately appoint a caretaker PM until such time as party shenanigans are sorted out.

He also raised taxes for others while making a loophole his wife was able to use to avoid taxes (as if someone with 800+ million can't afford paying their fair share).

I didn't know that about him having a green card to the US.  And what is the story about his wife not needing to pay taxes?

PD

[Florestan]

He also raised taxes for others while making a loophole his wife was able to use to avoid taxes (as if someone with 800+ million can't afford paying their fair share).

Something akin to a Romanian Health Minister sending his relatives abroad for medical treatment, or a Romanian Education Minister sending his offspring abroad for university-level study (both real cases).

[Mandryka]

Sunak is Hindu, not Muslim.

Well spotted, but I have a feeling that these people don't distinguish too much. The Conservative Party is a racist party, Britain's institutions are racist and lots of British people are racist.

[Irons]

I didn't know that about him having a green card to the US.  And what is the story about his wife not needing to pay taxes?

PD

He has a home in the US, PD. We are having not before time the downstairs cloakroom (toilet) renovated. I phoned this very morning my financial guy asking how I can extract money from investments without paying 20% tax. Does that make me a bad person? 

[Irons]

Well spotted, but I have a feeling that these people don't distinguish too much. The Conservative Party is a racist party, Britain's institutions are racist and lots of British people are racist.

I see your edit is "lots". Good move because I would take great exception of you calling me that.

[Todd]

Sunak is a regular bloke.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

He has a home in the US, PD. We are having not before time the downstairs cloakroom (toilet) renovated. I phoned this very morning my financial guy asking how I can extract money from investments without paying 20% tax. Does that make me a bad person?

Thanks for the info.  I honestly don't know much about g.c.s. 

And good point, no, I think that that is being wise at your end.  But, that said, did he really create a loophole for his wife (and probably also for other extremely wealthy people) as db said?

PD