The next PM...

[Nearly Sane]

Just watching BBC News (got a UK VPN) at my mum's. They're going through Sunak's new cabinet. What the hell is a "levelling up" secretary?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/56238260

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Someone in charge of the levelling up agenda.

I know Truss tended not to mention it (over the past 6 weeks) but the Johnson regime constantly talked about it - albeit they did precious little to actually achieve levelling up.

But what is levelling up? Does it mean reducing differences between rich and poor? Or have I misunderstood it?

[ProfessorDavey]

Can someone 'tend not to mention' something over the course of 6 weeks? Especially given a couple of them were wholly funereal based?

I guess you can - it didn't seem to be part of Truss' agenda. Levelling up, levelling up, levelling up got replaced by Growth, growth, growth.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/56238260

Cheers! That clears it up. Thanks!👍

[ProfessorDavey]

But what is levelling up? Does it mean reducing differences between rich and poor? Or have I misunderstood it?

The concept is to invest in poorer areas of the country to try to reduce the gap between those areas and richer areas.

The reality is that it was a sop to Red wall seats in the north and midlands to try to get them to vote tory, and it worked. Problem was (and is) that sufficient money to make any meaningful different didn't flow. In addition, the projects funded would have limited meaningful effect on prosperity long term, being largely small-scale capital projects such as improving pavements on a high street (I kid you not) rather than significantly investing in skills and bringing high skill jobs into a particular area. Final issue was that funding tended to go to constituencies most important to the tories electoral chances rather than where there was need and some of the poorest areas in the country, which are actually in London were largely ignored.

[Udayana]

Can someone 'tend not to mention' something over the course of 6 weeks? Especially given a couple of them were wholly funereal based?

Quite - the corpse must have had quite a bumpy ride on all the uneven roads!

[ad_orientem]

The concept is to invest in poorer areas of the country to try to reduce the gap between those areas and richer areas.

The reality is that it was a sop to Red wall seats in the north and midlands to try to get them to vote tory, and it worked. Problem was (and is) that sufficient money to make any meaningful different didn't flow. In addition, the projects funded would have limited meaningful effect on prosperity long term, being largely small-scale capital projects such as improving pavements on a high street (I kid you not) rather than significantly investing in skills and bringing high skill jobs into a particular area. Final issue was that funding tended to go to constituencies most important to the tories electoral chances rather than where there was need and some of the poorest areas in the country, which are actually in London were largely ignored.

Thanks. I'd just never heard of it before. Sounds good in theory but it seems it hasn't been put into any meaningful practice.

[ProfessorDavey]

Thanks. I'd just never heard of it before. Sounds good in theory but it seems it hasn't been put into any meaningful practice.

Another issue is that you need a broader regional approach. Otherwise you create tiny hot spots where investment has happened or tax breaks are available to businesses, but all that is happening is relocation of existing activity from another local area. So you don't create more jobs, opportunities etc, you just move them and that can be even worse for areas that are left behind as their businesses, jobs etc move 10 miles down the road, but those 10 miles could be critical for the poorest in society who may be completely reliant on non-existent public transport.

[jeremyp]

Hopefully she will screw up again shortly and bring down Sunak's government, kicking off a general election.

Forget about a general election.

The government's majority is 71. Can you conceive of 36 of the Tory MPs choosing to put the good of the country ahead of their own careers?

[jeremyp]

Just watching BBC News (got a UK VPN) at my mum's. They're going through Sunak's new cabinet. What the hell is a "levelling up" secretary?

The minister of pretending to care about poor people.

[Gordon]

Just watching BBC News (got a UK VPN) at my mum's. They're going through Sunak's new cabinet. What the hell is a "levelling up" secretary?

Someone gave Michael Gove a spirit level - coming soon to shelves UK-wide.

[ProfessorDavey]

The minister of pretending to care about poor people.

But only the ones that vote and in areas where there is a chance that them voting tory would tip the seat in their favour.

[Nearly Sane]

Rosie Holt's parodies always catch a few people out. This is pitch perfect on the approach over Braverman

https://twitter.com/RosieisaHolt/status/1585256278728884224?t=2IP2N3r28X0wvtm4PROOFQ&s=08

[SqueakyVoice]

Riski is going to have to let bygones be bygones.

Be bygones, be bygones, be bygones.

Bebygonesbebygonesbebygonesbebygonesbebygonesbebygones.

Bebygones.

Braverman responsible for ‘multiple breaches of ministerial code’

Bebygones.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/26/suella-braverman-return-after-security-breach-defended-by-james-cleverly

[SteveH]

In case anyone thinks that at least the Tories are better at running the economy than Labour...
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/business-economics/new-research-reveals-labour-is-better-at-handling-the-economy-than-the-conservatives-295748/

[SteveH]

"Rishi Sunak still in office!"

[SqueakyVoice]

"Rishi Sunak still in office!"

Well that's depressing isn't it?

https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-defends-cop27-snub-saying-he-will-be-focusing-on-depressing-domestic-challenges-instead-12732103
Just imagine, trying to help Pensioners get their triple lock back on track, pay nurses a better wage giving school teachers even more money .

If only his deal with Depression was dealing with Nutella.
https://liveapp.inews.co.uk/2022/10/28/a-massive-mistake-sunaks-tory-allies-despair-at-reappointment-of-suella-braverman-as-home-secretary/content.html

[jeremyp]

Well that's depressing isn't it?

https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-defends-cop27-snub-saying-he-will-be-focusing-on-depressing-domestic-challenges-instead-12732103
Just imagine, trying to help Pensioners get their triple lock back on track, pay nurses a better wage giving school teachers even more money .

If only his deal with Depression was dealing with Nutella.
https://liveapp.inews.co.uk/2022/10/28/a-massive-mistake-sunaks-tory-allies-despair-at-reappointment-of-suella-braverman-as-home-secretary/content.html

Yes, that is depressing.

Also, he doesn't seem to be taking climate change seriously.

[SqueakyVoice]

Yes, that is depressing.

Well, so far he's  worked out to getting through depression  by taking money off deprived areas in the UK and the world and giving it to rich areas in England.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/oct/10/rishi-sunak-to-save-billions-by-counting-imf-cash-as-aid-for-poor

Also, he doesn't seem to be taking climate change seriously.

Maybe getting rid of Coffey's recycling cups will stop him getting depressed?  https://liveapp.inews.co.uk/2022/10/28/environment-secretary-therese-coffey-says-she-tackles-climate-change-by-using-permanent-cups/content.html
The poor snowflake.

[Harrowby Hall]

Perhaps this is a digression ... but I heard Coffey on BBC Radio 4 talking about COP27. She said ... at least twice ... how important it was that it was taking place on African soil, and that it was important for the people of Africa.

COP27 is taking place in Sharm el Sheikh. Sharm is in Asia.

[SteveH]

COP27 is taking place in Sharm el Sheikh. Sharm is in Asia.

Debateable.  https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g297555-i9225-k1871433-Sinai_Africa_or_Asia-Sharm_El_Sheikh_South_Sinai_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html

[jeremyp]

Perhaps this is a digression ... but I heard Coffey on BBC Radio 4 talking about COP27. She said ... at least twice ... how important it was that it was taking place on African soil, and that it was important for the people of Africa.

COP27 is taking place in Sharm el Sheikh. Sharm is in Asia.

It's in Egypt. Egypt is an African country. Not only that, Sharm is on the West coast (i.e. the African side) of the Gulf of Aqaba which appears to be the dividing line between the African plate and the Arabian plate

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Plate#/media/File:Tectonical_map_of_East_Africa.png

[Harrowby Hall]

It's in Egypt. Egypt is an African country. Not only that, Sharm is on the West coast (i.e. the African side) of the Gulf of Aqaba which appears to be the dividing line between the African plate and the Arabian plate

"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Plate#/media/File:Tectonical_map_of_East_Africa.png

The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai .... is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinai_Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula is a southwestern projection of Isreal.  Sharm El Sheikh is on the peninsula's eastern side.

[jeremyp]

The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai .... is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinai_Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula is a southwestern projection of Isreal.  Sharm El Sheikh is on the peninsula's eastern side.

It's not in Asia though. Did you not look at the picture I linked? The fault line that divides the African plate from the Arabian plate is on the Eastern side of Sharm.

Furthermore, it's in a political entity that is widely regarded as an African country.

Anyway, the point is that you were mocking Coffey for apparently not knowing which continent Sharm El Sheik is in and it's really a nothing burger. There's plenty of more substantial stuff you could be mocking her for.

[ProfessorDavey]

It's not in Asia though. Did you not look at the picture I linked? The fault line that divides the African plate from the Arabian plate is on the Eastern side of Sharm.

As far as I understand it the boundary between Africa and Asia runs along the Isthmus of Suez and the Suez Canal meaning that Sinai is in Asia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundaries_between_the_continents_of_Earth#Africa_and_Asia

Furthermore, it's in a political entity that is widely regarded as an African country.

But Egypt is like Turkey - a country which spans two continents. So just as most of Turkey is in Asia, with a smaller part in Europe, most of Egypt is in Africa with a smaller part in Asia. Hence:

'Egypt (Arabic: مِصر, romanized: Miṣr, Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [masˤr]), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula.'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt