Grant Shapps named UK defense supremo in latest 'tech-savvy' Tory tale British politician Grant Shapps, who once told The Register that an incoming* Tory government would be the "most tech-savvy in history," has been appointed as the UK's new defense chief. Shapps took to Xitter to say of his new job: "I'm honoured to be appointed as Defence Secretary by Rishi Sunak. I'd like to pay tribute to …
*Your* preferred term may be Xcrete.
*I* shall continue to promote usage such as "popping a Xit"[1].
I propose this can make for more lively reading, as you can ring the changes, e.g. "he squeezed out a Xit", "her Xits became more inflamed as the argue raged".
[1] pronounced with a zed, you recall.
... there was also that weird stuff with Wikipedia.
They put Shapps in charge of the railways.. Now look at the state of HS2
Then they put him in charge of Energy markets, and look what happened to that..
Now who better to be in charge of Defence while the prospect of WWIII looms over us..
One thing is guaranteed: He'll line his own pockets before it all goes to Hell
Throatwarbler Mangrove,
You are asking the question that *all* sentient non-tory voters have been asking for years about *most* of the Tory Govt.
I can only assume, as the old adage goes, that he knows where the 'bodies are buried' !!!
I expect that Putin will be very happy !!!
The chances of WWIII are slightly higher BUT with Shapps so is the chance that we will have another war with France !!!
:)
It always raises a smile that a particular type of person from a particular section of society always points her out as someone who's a joke. Why? Well, other than the obvious reasons as to why she'd be used as a figure of fun, she got numbers wrong on how many police the UK had at the time.
Over the course of the same period of time, then Chancellor Phillip Hammond couldn't actually give the figures of how much money HS2 was going to cost or had cost at the time. No one bats an eyelid.
This week alone, Suella Braverman stated quite happily that we currently have the highest ratio of police to public in history - when in actual fact the figure is less. On the back of 20,000 police jobs being cut by this government and the number of recruits falling. No one bats an eyelid.
These are just two examples of how dog shit numeracy is in the Tory party. Yet it's always the whole "Diane Abbott" that gets attention, when the party who apparently prides itself on being good with numbers can't count the fucking fingers on their own hands.
But no, do go on about Diane Abbott!
Those that have their hands on the wheel and screw up have less excuse than those in opposition, but there isn't a die hard Tory in the land that won't roll out complaints about Diane Abbott.
One should never let the facts get in the way of a useful political soundbite. Page one of every political parties handbook.
Allow me to present exhibit A in the form of Liz Truss. As far as I can tell, she was (and possibly still is) hell bent on sending the pound the way of the Drachma so long as she and her rich benefactors were OK. It is fortunate the markets reacted the way they did and disposed of that piece of filth occupying a post they had no business being anywhere near.
House of Commons, indeed. Cromwell would be appalled.
Apologies to whichever author I forgot who wrote something that I read and inspired this, but Penny who is good with swords ought to learn to swallow them. And then it's just a simple matter to swap the 'S' from the start of sword to the end for it to become a useful skill for a politician.
From this side of the pond, we might well ask the same question about the Trump-supporting morons who end up in Congress. Their fuckups are also consistent and obvious.
As for Grant Shapps/Michael Green/insert-alias-here, dickhead Sunak thinks that spiv is the least worst of the lying, incompetent fuckwits that are destroying the country and have turned the Tory party into a clown show of corruption, venality and criminality. Just look at the worthless tossers in Sunak's cabinet (and Johnson's and Truss's): Gove, Cleverly (as if), Hunt, Braverman, Priti Vacant, Kwarteng, Hancock, Rees-Mogg, Badenough, Dorries,... [contd page 94]
Actually, I hadn't seen anything about her background when I posted that.
I did later come across something about her...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66669995
It's all very depressing about the catchment area of our polical classes.
Even Labour with their latest/youngest MP
In this case specifically, he appears to be a loyal supporter of Sunak.
More generally, the very low standard of the available 'talent' (word used loosely) pool.
(Ben Wallace appears to have been exceptionally unusual in actually being good at his job - mostly we tend to be happy just to have someone that isn't an utter disaster)
Despite the assorted politically partisan comments that have already appeared, this has nothing to do with the political party he is in - if you look at any of the political parties in the UK*, their 'top teams' are manifestly unsuited to running a whelk stall, let alone a country.
I wonder if, once they've won their war, Ukraine would lend us President Zelensky for a few months to stand in as our PM. it would be nice to have someone competent in government for a change.
* I strongly suspect exactly the same applies to the US, Canada, France, Germany , Italy, etc, etc etc.
>In this case specifically, he appears to be a loyal supporter of Sunak.
I understand Grand Schapps is now a loyal supporter of Sunak. Michael Green was on the fence, but Corinne Stockheath and Sebastian Fox supported Liz Truss and Alexander Johnson respectively...
(For the uninitiated, Fox and Stockheath were other aliases used by Schapps in his dodgy business dealings)
Thanks for the answers, everyone! Things work a little differently over here, although some appointees, like Bill DeJoy, also have an incomprehensible staying power despite a record of almost perfect incompetence and malice. We do expect less of Republican nominees, however, because an informal plank of the Republican Party is deliberately undermining effective government.
incomprehensible staying power
Normally, statues are erected for politicians who have served with distinction, sometime after they have departed this world. Looks like Mitch McConnell is trying to buck the accepted practice by doing an impressive turn pretending to be a statue right now
Brexit.
Among the parliamentary Conservative party, then and still in power, were, perhaps surprisingly, a fair number that could competently organise a drinks event in a winery. Because they were sane and reasonable, they had reasoned that Brexit was a terrible idea, and so had to be expunged. This left swivel-eyed loons, morons and those of sufficiently pliable morals that pretending to be converted in pursuit of (continued) high office was worth lying about it. Shapps is exhibit A.
-A.
Many departed as they would/could not do what the public voted for. What the public thought that they voted for and what lies were told on all sides is another matter.
I have always said that anyone who wants to be a politician should be barred from standing for election.
Anyone standing should have proved themselves excellent in industry first. (That doesn't include prostitution i.e. the Labour Shadow Cabinet member who has shagged her through the Union bosses to get her position (over the table I believe)).
Only if they have proved they can run a successful business, should they be allowed to run the country.
Unfortunately for us they get 10x the salary in business and so will not go into politics.
For those of us across the pond, how does someone like this keep getting appointed to high office
In order to get Brexit they had to expel or sideline every vaguely competent member, they are now left with idiots, fellow travellers and self-serving hypocrites which is why we have a "government" full of useless jerks like Truss & Shapps.
A shallow talent pool combined with a requirement for loyalty over ability.
The UK electoral map (like that in most two-party, first-past-the-post systems) harbours a lot of “safe seats”, where anything can get elected to Parliament so long as it belongs to the appropriate party. This results in those seats being given as rewards for favours rendered to persons who have no political ability whatsoever. That creates a pool of MPs who lack ability, but are loyal to whatever leader or group managed to get them selected for their seat.
(Historically, there are more of these safe seats in the Conservative column than Labour, but this run of Conservative governments does seem to be doing its best to rebalance that situation...)
In a more competitive (i.e., democratic) electoral system, candidates would need to actually convince the electors of their worthiness, which would select in favour of more politically capable people and against ideologues, party hacks and spoofers. Consider what would happen in a vote-transfer system where there was not one, but two candidates elected: in a safe Tory seat, the Tories would put up two candidates, but as there would not be sufficient support to return both, the electorate would ultimately choose which one gets in. This situation neatly explains why the party opposes PR: if you can’t get a chum into Parliament, then what’s the point of it all?
@Throatwarbler Mangrove: nobody of any capability, competence or class would ever enter politics and therefore the only people who can achieve office of any kind are these narcissists and sociopaths.
It's a choice of vote for a moron or don't vote. As I understand it, this is not an unknown situation either here or on your side of the pond.
"For those of us across the pond, how does someone like this keep getting appointed to high office, if his fuckups are so consistent and obvious?"
Probably for the same reason that Trump is likely to be the GOP candidate for 2024. The tory party is one big frat party, they choose their chums for high office and no matter the cock up (unless they are PM) they simply cycle them round to another post.
Shapps and Wallace, by comparison with Mr 'Gav the Chav' Williamson, make the latter appear competent, erudite, and honest.
Gav spent much of his time playing with his tin of toy soldiers. These were kept in the bunker under Whitehall. Gav was steered there each morning by Civil Service folk.
Gav's idea of taking a RN rowing boat to the Black Sea in order to deter Russians was never taken as seriously as it merited. Anyway, Russian Foreign Secretary Lavrov, an amiable man intellectually head and shoulders above Western diplomats, had a good laugh.
Removing competent MP's from their posts, one day at a time. Ben Wallace was the last member of the cabinet I had any time for whatsoever - and even then - he was always up against it with the treasury situation being what it is.
Grant's time at both BEIS and as Energy Security secretary have hardly been stellar. Presiding over an ill conceived and ineffective re-organisation that has left civil servants in those sectors with muddier objectives than ever, inadequate resource and no mandate to simplify. While also paying a bunch of management consultants a ton of cash on how to carry out those reorganisations.
I'd say let the private sector get on with it and get out of the way, but that's somewhat awkward to do when it comes to Defense..
.thetimes.co.uk
Paywalled, of course, though the top of the image *just* poked above the "give us your details" banner so I was able to "save image as".
For those who can't be bothered, a hand of cards is shown, 8S, KC, AH, JD with "joker" on top being Shapps, holding a rifle in a somewhat incompetent manner and asking "which bit's the trigger?"
HTH
M.
> "By introducing a powerful new 'Right to Government Data', we will enable the release of government datasets to be manipulated and presented by others, thereby empowering citizens with more useful, accurate information. We'll publish online every item of central government spending over £25,000 and local expenditure over £500. As well as publishing every contract in full."
Remids me of an episode of Yes Minister:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751824/
- "I don't read the script. The script reads me.
- "Everybody knows you never go full retard. ...You went full retard, man. Never go full retard.
The whole shambles that constitute the crew of the UK ship of state have well and truly earned a good bynging. (pour encourager les autres)
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