Quote of the day 22nd June 2020

"Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, adopted unprecedented measures at great public expense to allow businesses and households to meet their bills as the economy went into lockdown. It was the right course for a severe, temporary, external shock for the economy. 

As borrowing has expanded at historically low interest rates, Sunak has indicated a preference for a higher but stable ratio of public debt to GDP. This too is good economics. The government has been helped, moreover, by having made the right choice for governor of the Bank of England, in Andrew Bailey, who took office just as the crisis broke."

(Oliver Kamm, from a piece on the Article website)


The above quote illustrates that if, as Harold Wilson once said, a week is a long time in politics, six months can be an age and eighteen months an eternity.

I first met Rishi Sunak just under eighteen months ago when as a junior housing minister he came to the North West to meet Conservative local government leaders. He did impress me and I thought at the time he would go far, but had no idea how quickly.

Less than six months ago when he became Chancellor, critics of the present government were almost universally scathing about the appointment, predicting that he would be Number Ten's puppet.

Yet already the wheels have come full circle and nobody still says that.

The above quote illustrates that point in that it is the one piece of praise offered to a government minister or area of policy in an article which otherwise is extremely hostile not just to the present government but to Britain's entire political system.

How quickly political stars can wax and wane!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Nick Herbert on his visit to flood hit areas of Cumbria

Quotes of the day 19th August 2020

Quote of the day 24th July 2020