The government would be laughable for its incompetence if it were not so serious.
Rachel Reeves put up National Insurance not knowing that most of the money is paid into the National Insurance Fund. The Fund was solvent so did not need higher contributions. The contributions lost us jobs and damaged business. The Treasury cannot draw down on the £100 bn surplus now accumulated in the Fund without changing the law which they show no signs of wanting to do. So how did that help?
The government loves saying Truss crashed the economy by putting up bond rates. The one day spike in rates under Truss led to a reversal of Bank policy and the fall back in bond yields, so no money was borrowed at those higher rates. This government has instead by spending and borrowing too much driven them well above the one day worst Truss level and kept them there for 21 months. They have borrowed huge sums at those higher rates. Who crashed the economy?
Mr Burnham said he wanted to devolve powers to Mayors. His first policy pledge was to end rough sleeping. To do this he will launch a national policy to override Mayors and Councils who have the powers and duties to tackle homelessness but have in many cases failed to use them!
Mr Burnham took his support for devolution to Scotland. Their elected government said they wanted independence or more devolved powers. He said he would fight them to keep the Union. They would not be able to use devolved powers to have what they wanted!
The government has just signed off a major change in Bank of England bond management and monetary policy. The Chancellor signed a letter which both said the Bank is independent, and gave them the authority to make major changes to bond management and to its balance sheet, He clearly did not ask why he was signing a contradiction. Did he know what he was guaranteeing at what price to taxpayers?How has the Bank losing us £288 bn 2022-2036 according to OBR helped our economy and public sector budget?
October 2, 2026
Indeed one thing we can always rely on especially in the UK is Government Gross Incompetence. We have certainly had this in spades from Major, Blair right through to Burnham for 35 years plus with all Burnham’s “wrong think” on almost every topic – that he will alas fight for Burnham says.
Question-time last night actually had a Reform person on for a change the fairly sensible Suella Braverman needless to say she was constantly attacked by the Chair Women and the rest of the Panel. Also by some dope in the audience who absurdly thought “indigenous” meant born somewhere. Has my children with my Italian wife by chance been born while we were in Japan they would by his bizarre thinking have been indigenous Japanese.
Or perhaps even by chance one indigenous Japanese, one indigenous USA and one indigenous Thai.
They also had the PPE dope and energy ignoramus Miatta the energy secretary on and climate realist Suella yet questions selected gave virtually zero discussion of energy or climate alarmism. It seems the BBC only like to discuss this topic when all panellist and obviously the BBC think chair are on the wrong alarmist side of the argument.
Five to one alarmists to realists is clearly not enough for the BBC.