Weird are the ways of Rishi Sunak. Britain’s prime minister has sacked his fire-breathing home secretary Suella Braverman. He has brought in David Cameron as his foreign secretary and James Cleverley as his home secretary. The choice of Mr Cameron is atrocious. He has got hold of the Cameron drug which will be worse than the Braverman disease. If Mr Cameron is the new solution to Mr Sunak’s ills, the prime minister is heading for serious trouble.
Unable to Shake off the Shadow
This could make Mr Cameron a more forgettable character. Does his comeback mean Mr Sunak is running out of options? Unfortunately for him, yes. Mr Sunak appointed Ms Braverman home secretary in September 2022, when her only claim to fame was her right-wing notoriety. Much like his lame-duck predecessor Liz Truss, Mr Sunak was thrilled to see Ms Braverman back him, without realising he was stepping on a slide.
Pity the prime minister, Mr Sunak is as credulous as ever. He relies on controversial and failed politicians like Ms Braverman and Mr Cameron to run Britain. More deplorable is a former chancellor of the exchequer who loves to place loyalty above track record. Mr Sunak is unable to shake off his former boss Boris Johnson’s shadow. The looming question then was why Ms Braverman? Now it is why Mr Cameron?
Video Courtesy: YouTube/7News Australia
Fallen for Felicity with Words
Frequent churning is desirable for a fund manager, not for a prime minister. Terrible if the latter’s churning produces pathetic results. Mr Sunak appointing a provocative hard-right Braverman home secretary was bad. Now, he has named Mr Cameron, a non-performer and a crisis-creator, as his foreign secretary. This is worse. If Mr Sunak cannot tell a detrimental drug from a disease, how will he be able to run an ailing Britain?
The unfolding tragedy now is an eye-opening revelation. Mr Sunak judges fellow politicians by their appearances and words. Their ability to perform is a distant consideration. He fell for Ms Braverman’s tempting toxic talk. He has now fallen for Mr Cameron’s felicity with words and ease of wit. As someone who lost his office after the Brexit referendum debacle in 2016, will Mr Cameron be able to fix the issues tormenting Britain and Mr Sunak?
Policies Were Glorious Contradictions
Exit the bickering blunderbuss and enter the bungler. This is nothing but replacing a problem with another problem, that too with a bigger one. What was the criteria behind Mr Cameron’s selection? His track record as Britain’s prime minister is nothing to rave about. Does Mr Sunak view messing up the nation’s foreign policy as a necessary qualification to become his foreign secretary? He seems to and this is why he is in for a big trouble very soon.
Prime minister Cameron’s bungling is legendary. He trusted the unreliable Chinese too much. He got so close to Vladimir Putin that he couldn’t condemn Russia’s invasion of Crimea. Essentially, his politics was a confused jumble of liberalism, centrism, conservatism, anti-populism and anti-immigration, all mired in a mucky mess. His prime ministerial policies were glorious contradictions. He supported strict checks on immigration, but backed European Union’s immigration policies.
Visible Desperation Tells a Lot
These conflicts of interest cost Britain its place in the Union. Not surprising that Britons will take ages to forget how he bungled Brexit. The referendum was Mr Cameron’s Himalayan blunder. Today, he is back as foreign secretary and Mr Sunak seems to appreciate his track record as prime minister. It does not cease to befuddle even an average economist how Mr Sunak could repose faith in someone whose policies were lousy beyond doubt.
Mr Cameron bungled taxation. He dithered on investments. He was blind to crippled infrastructure. He ignored crumbling schools and hospitals. Finally, he ‘vamoosed’ when Brexit landed on his face as a big egg. How would someone who refused to stay on to make amends post-Brexit be trusted as foreign secretary now? Mr Sunak will not answer, but his visible desperation tells a lot on his naivety about people.
Expect her to Spew More Fire
When this artlessness leads to a drug that is worse than the disease, can a fall be far behind? Mr Sunak’s Conservative Party cannot be in a better position when its prime ministerial figure is fumbling. After 13 years, the Party is looking lost. A general election is due next year. The Party is trailing behind the Labour in opinion polls. With Mr Cameron back, voters will re-live their Brexit pains. The cost-of-living crisis will make the pains acute. https://poliphoon.com/rishi-sunak-is-stuck-in-his-rut/
The pains apart, Mr Sunak will now have to contend with a wounded Breverman. She is known to hit back ferociously when prodded. Now, she has been provoked too. Post-sacking, she will not vanish from the Party. Contrarily, she will be the contender to replace Mr Sunak, if the latter loses in the general election. Expect her to spew more fire now and utter more divisive words to win the entire hard right to take them along. https://poliphoon.com/the-suella-storm-in-sunaks-stable/
The Poliphoon’s Last Word
Ms Breverman will then paint herself as a martyr and eye her Party’s leadership. Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister, wanted Ms Braverman sacked after her opinion piece in The Times. Elated after her exit, he declared on social media: “Never has someone been so unfit for public office as Suella Braverman……….….” Surprisingly, he failed to mention prime minister Sunak and foreign secretary Cameron.
