As I write, the country is in a state of political and financial turmoil following on from the recent pronouncements of the Truss government – all undertaken in pursuit of economic growth.
Except I don’t believe this for a moment.
If they were serious about economic growth they would propose a plan for achieving it: including some sort of industrial policy, proposals for improving productivity and extending the housing stock and a plausible path toward net-zero.
No, this government’s intention is far more radical than that. As spelled out in their manifesto, Britannia Unchained, and revealed through their various allegiances with radical, free-market think tanks such as the Institute or Economic Affairs, the idea is to dismantle the State itself, to weaken civil institutions, tear up regulations and sell off public assets.
Truss’s fondness for the term ‘unleashing’ is very telling in this respect. One gets the impression that the central objective of this government is to unleash capital, in all its pitiless and destructive energy, on the battered remnants of our quaintly good-natured society.
They’re not worried about whether they have got the formula right for achieving economic growth because, in truth, that’s not their main objective.
I thought it was all just a rather crude and naive attempt to throw down a massive banana skin for Labour, trying to get them to promise to put taxes back up…..maybe its a bit of that as well. The Tory party is just an AI machine programmed to win elections – whatever the cost. Happily they forgot to read the manual!
I agree.
Truss unleashes…..and unleashes. And of course, Truss delivers, and delivers and delivers. And then unleashes. And unleashes a little more. And then delivers again. And again.
And this is just her way of getting breakfast for the family.
She now probably has staff to do all this. The family must be very relieved.