Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining - Sunak Gone :-)

[Gromit]

Borrowed £400Biilion. Much of it wasted. Now be bogs off as fast as his little feet will take him. It will take decade(s) to repay all that back.

[Gromit]

Probably the worst Chancellor since Denis Healey.

[FatticusInch]

He could always tap his Missus up for a billion or three.
That said, he now has the freedom to use his Green card.

[ToraToraTora]

how was the £400bn wasted? Most of it was spent on Covid measures, furlough, extra hospital capacity etc. You loved that Gromit probably hoping it would return. I remember your daily relish as it continued and your eternal desire for it to go on as long as possible. Are you suggesting that the chancellor should not have done anything?

[ToraToraTora]

it's almost a year since you predicted (hoped and prayed for) a lockdown, see page 1
https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1759157.html

[Hymie]

There are those who think the £400 billion was well spent – but they are wrong.

At least I won’t live long enough to see the debt paid off (from my taxes) – but then, I never received any of the money in the form of furlough payments; the shareholders of my employer received dividends (partly funded by the government hand-outs) which I think they should be asked to return.

[ToraToraTora]

perhaps you could tell us what it should not have been spent on hymie. Most of it was furlough to save jobs and businesses.

[Hymie]

TTT – you should buy yourself a Private Eye subscription; every issue is full of details of the enormous amounts of government cash poured down the drain in the name of covid (and continues to be).

[ToraToraTora]

yes but do you have a link to the break down rather than some 5C comic? Furlough alone cost between £310-£410bn The rest went on vaccination development and deployment, nightingale hospitals and general medical things. Which of those would you consider "wasted".

[ToraToraTora]

So Hymie gets his data from Private Eye! PMSL! Tells me a lot!

[Ellipsis]

You have missed out the unsecured business loans, Tora ...

It's suspected that, between those and furlough, there was a lot of fraud. Not all, just a lot of fraud.

[ToraToraTora]

there may well have been fraud as there is every day, when it's caught it will be prosecuted. When a nation has to act quickly it inevitably enables criminality. From listening to people like you lot you could be forgiven for thinking that the £400bn mentioned by gromit was unncecessary. So Have some guts and tell me why you think Furlough, and all the vaccine research, medical prep etc was "wasted"??

[ichkeria]

Alex Chalk goes

I know for a fact he always had a low opinion of BJ

[naomi24]

//Borrowed £400Biilion. Much of it wasted. //

What would have happened without the vaccine, and furlough, and the money to prop up businesses, and all the rest, Gromit?

[ToraToraTora]

I think Gromit loved the pandemic, lock downs etc so he'd have just sat back an let it wash over us.

[youngmafbog]

Given the circumstances it's not actually a huge amount. Yes there has been fraud, how to you stop it when you have to act so quickly, yes some of the contracts were questionable (Hancocks mate down the pub) but again to get things done quickly how do you stop it?

With hindsight (eh Sir Kier) its easy to pick, but remember what happened at the time.

My only bone with Sunak is that he didnt stand up to Johnson and his eco green liberal policies. Conservatives are about low tax and small Government amongst other things and I'm afraid Sunak has presided over the highest taxes and a massive civil service/Government.

Shame really, I'd have liked to seen him in No 10.

[naomi24]

YMB, I don't want Sunak for PM - but that aside, you're never going to get someone who isn't doing 'green'. You're whistling in the wind with that.

[Gromit]

// I'd have liked to seen him in No 10. //

Sunak blew his chances when his wife’s tax avoidance became known. I reckon his name will be in the hat at the forthcoming Conservative leadership election. He is well liked in the party, and some might see him as the best of a bad bunch.

[youngmafbog]

//but that aside, you're never going to get someone who isn't doing 'green'. You're whistling in the wind with that.//

A couple of years ago you may have been right, but now most of Middle England have woken up to the cost, and are suffering the taxes and high petrol costs associated with it. This is across the board from the working man, through white van man and the middle classes.

Remember Middle England giveth and Middle England taketh. Apart from the chattering Metropolitan class you will find very little sympathy at present.

And lets not forget you can 'go green' without crippling the country with unachievable targets that Johnsons homewrecker wife wants.

[youngmafbog]

//Sunak blew his chances when his wife’s tax avoidance became known.//

Hmm, a MSM driven assassination. His wifes tax affairs are not his problem and it was legal, in addition really wasnt anything affecting the UK Treasuey.

[naomi24]

I agree with you, ymb. People have woken up to the costs.... but that won't stop governments ... any government .... heading down that path. Middle England may take .... but if it does it will find itself in the same situation ... or heaven forbid something worse. Be careful what you wish for.