SUNAK PREPARES TO BE UNPOPULAR
Posted on 23rd September 2023
From the outset I have thought that Rishi Sunak had the makings of being a good Prime Minister. I have already gone on record as saying that the Tories are lucky to have him. He has a sharp intellect but is also capable of being very pragmatic. Now he is displaying one of the components of true leaders, courage. He is prepared to take on the high priests of the Green Movement by saying that trying to ban the use of petrol cars within six years is utopian. To make the revolutionary changes that are necessary you have to carry the people with you. The same applies to the pace and method by which people will heat their homes. Not everybody can afford a heat pump. Conservative Party policy needs to be guided by these sorts of principles rather than those espoused by the likes of Lord Goldsmith. To alter the pace, the Prime Minister may need to legislate to change the law. This will require a parliamentary vote and maybe even whipping his MPs to get it across the line. For this, he will require courage. Rishi Sunak has already shown he is a gifted politician and with his wife at his side he has the ability to connect directly with the voters. If he gets this issue right he may well save the Tories from electoral annihilation and even go down in history as a great Prime Minister. If this should be the case, considerable credit should go to his talented wife, Akshata Murty. Behind every man… etc – and being incredibly rich helps. In short, do not underestimate Rishi, and Kier Starmer’s advisors would be wise to do the same.
So how goes the war? Not to Vlad the Bad’s liking me thinks. International attention has been focused on the grinding but slow offensive in the trenches and minefields of Bakhmut and Zaporizhzhia. Progress elsewhere has been much more dramatic. On Wednesday of last week Ukrainian cruise missiles struck Russia’s Black Sea fleet in the Sevastopol shipyard and destroyed a landing ship and an attack submarine. The following morning the Ukrainians destroyed a sophisticated air defence system 150 miles behind enemy lines. This is clearly part of a strategy to loosen Russia’s grip on Crimea. This is called “The Deep Battle”, hitting enemy targets far behind enemy lines. One Russian military blogger said: “The Ukrainian armed forces are trying to purposefully thin out the air defence of Crimea for unhindered attacks on… the Black Sea Fleet.” Next, you have Zelensky at the U.N. calling for the reform of the Security Council and most particularly Russia’s use of their veto. Last, the Ukrainian President visits the White House where Biden greets him warmly. Definitely a bad week for Vlad.
