The Budget on Wednesday has been dismissed as a snoozefest that ducked the enormous problems facing this country.
asserted
that → dismiss → country
But the measures announced by John Healey at the command of our unelected Prime Minister were also sly.
asserted
measures → announce → Minister
He threw some voters a few encouraging morsels before an inevitable General Election.
asserted
He → throw → Election
It’ll soon be wiped out after the so-called price cap rises in January, but Burnham and Healey hope Labour will first be rewarded at the polls.
asserted
Labour → wipe → polls
It’s all politics, of course, and we shouldn’t be surprised by the Chancellor and Prime Minister helping their cause.
asserted
Chancellor → ’ → cause
The truth is that if Burnham doesn’t call an election soon he is stark, raving bonkers.
asserted
he → call → election
The Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) – which is admittedly not always correct but is under new, apparently competent management – forecasts that household disposable income will fall by 0.6 per cent next year, largely due to higher energy costs.
asserted
income → forecast → costs
David Miles, a leading light at the OBR, says ‘it is a pretty grim picture’.
asserted
it → lead → OBR
There’s nothing in the OBR’s report that would lead even the wildest optimist to suppose 2028 and 2029 will be any better.
asserted
2028 → ’ → optimist
So why would the Prime Minister serve out the remaining half of this Parliament and go to the polls in 2029?
asserted
Minister → serve → 2029
He must have enough political acumen to realise that before long the ‘Burnham Bounce’ is bound to become one long depressing bong.
asserted
Bounce → have → acumen
It doesn’t matter that the PM has categorically ruled one out since he has already shown that he can turn on a sixpence.
asserted
he → matter → sixpence
Andy Burnham talked about the need for ‘unflinching honesty’ at the recent Labour Party conference, and has spouted the same self-serving nonsense in the Commons
Here is the man who promised the voters of Makerfield before the by-election in June that he was ‘not proposing that the UK considers rejoining the EU’.
asserted
UK → talk → EU
Since becoming Prime Minister that is exactly what he has done several times.
asserted
he → become → what
Whenever a politician repeatedly insists on his honesty, it’s time to start counting the spoons.
asserted
it → insist → spoons
Andy Burnham talked about the need for ‘unflinching honesty’ at the recent Labour Party conference, and has spouted the same self-serving nonsense in the Commons and on the airwaves.
asserted
Burnham → talk → airwaves
He has declared that he will serve the whole term.
asserted
he → declare → term
A couple of days ago he changed that formula, and said there wouldn’t be an election during the next 12 months.
asserted
he → change → months
I expect he’ll shamelessly revise that figure again.
asserted
he → expect → figure
As I’ve said, things are only going to get worse – and that is on the basis of the OBR’s forecasts.
asserted
that → say → forecasts
Reality may be even more dire, especially if the energy crisis persists as a result of Trump’s idiotic Middle Eastern war.
uncertain
crisis → persist → war
Burnham will need to call an election before the whole country realises he’s no better than the hapless Starmer, whom he brutally assassinated, and probably even worse.
asserted
he → need → whom
The Right remains divided, though in a slightly different configuration.
asserted
Right → remain → configuration
Most recent polls show the Tories a little in front of Reform UK, and Labour pulling a little ahead of both of them.
asserted
Labour → show → them
A poll released earlier this week by Ipsos had Labour on 32 per cent, an increase of 5 percentage points on the previous month.
asserted
poll → release → month
That is the largest Labour lead Ipsos has recorded this Parliament.
asserted
Ipsos → record → Parliament
Election Maps UK predicts that, if these figures were translated to a General Election, Labour would have an overall majority of four, while there would be 66 Liberal Democrat MPs who could lend a hand.
uncertain
who → predict → hand
It could be a rogue poll of course, but it reflects a trend shown in other surveys.
uncertain
it → reflect → surveys
Reform, which has been damaged by financial scandals, has declined markedly since its heyday a year ago.
asserted
which → damage → heyday
The Tories have made only modest advances, while Labour is making significant ground.
asserted
Labour → make → ground
Burnham will be told by advisers that his party’s improvement is likely to be undermined by the bad economic developments forecast by the OBR.
asserted
improvement → tell → OBR
Go now, will be their mantra.
asserted
mantra → go → ?
Go before it is too late.
asserted
it → go → ?
And this is where I break out in a cold sweat.
asserted
I → break → sweat
For who can doubt that a new government led by Burnham, even if it were slightly moderated by the Lib Dems, would be the most Left-wing one in our history, made even worse by innate incompetence?
asserted
it → doubt → incompetence
Freed from the constraints of the 2024 Labour manifesto, a Burnham Government would raise income tax and national insurance on ordinary workers.
asserted
Government → free → workers
It would whack up taxes on the better off with capital gains tax increases and yet more property taxes.
asserted
It → whack → increases
Burnham will be told by advisers that his party’s improvement is likely to be undermined by the bad economic developments forecast by the OBR
Addicted
The very rich would have to contend with a wealth tax.
asserted
rich → tell → tax
Many of them would escape abroad to more hospitable climes, to the detriment of the British economy.
asserted
Many → escape → economy
Would spiralling welfare be reined in?
asserted
welfare → spiral → ?
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
