Death of More Than a Monarch in Britain

Journalist Martin Fletcher is right saying that Liz Truss “has no moral right to be (UK) prime minister.”

As a previous day’s article explained, her public support is a near-rock-bottom 12% — based on a late August YouGov poll.

She was selected by Tory party members, not UK voters.

Her right-wing extremism bodes ill for the vast majority of Brits at a time of double-digit inflation and economic decline.

As Fletcher observes, she “represents only a tiny, secretive group of highly unrepresentative voters.”

Her hardcore neoliberal agenda aims to benefit monied interests and privileged Brits overall at the expense of the vast majority.

Britain’s so-called “democracy” was always pure fantasy, the real thing virtually banned.

If the worst of Truss’ extremism becomes policy, what little remains of a free and open society and rule of law may perish along with the death of its monarch after 70 years and 214 days as UK queen — from Feb. 6, 1952 – Sept. 8, 2022.

During her campaign for Britain’s top job, Truss “pandered to her party’s base” in lieu of extending outreach to the vast majority of ordinary Brits, Fletcher explained.

Any notably in the first of multiple round of voting by 357 Tory MPs, just 50 supported her.

In the final 5th round, she finished ahead of Penny Mordaunt by a slim 8 votes and Rishi Sunak by 24.

Over 200 of 357 Tory MPs opposed her elevation to the office of prime minister.

As Fletcher explained, she’s the first ever Tory PM to be selected without majority support of party MPs.

Her only “mandate,” a dubious one for sure, is from a majority of Tory party members in selecting her over Sunak on September 5 by a 57.4 – 42.6% margin.

Representing a scant “0.3 percent of the (UK) electorate, (they’re)  predominantly white, aging, male, wealthy, southern and Europhobic, but that’s all,” Fletcher stressed.

As bad or worse, their identity is concealed.

The Tory party snubbed demands for openness and transparency.

As for Truss, she’s beholden to key Tories and privileged Brits alone.

On Wednesday, the New Statesman publication slammed her “Trussonomics,” saying:

A free market ideologue, she “vowed to cut taxes by £30 billion, including the reversal of the recent National Insurance increase.”

“She also opposes the planned rise in corporation tax, from 19 per cent to 25 per cent, scheduled for 2023.”

Britain’s stagnant economy heading south isn’t because of “excess taxation.”

It’s from lack of enough investment, poor productivity and too little research and development.

Tax cuts for the rich largely drive stocks and other financial assets higher.

When earmarked for ordinary people, it’s spent on goods and services, stimulating economic growth.

According to the New Statesman:

“There is no reason to believe that Truss’ tax cuts will ignite growth that has been so lacking (though they might stimulate demand in the short term),” adding:

“Between 2011 and 2018, when UK corporation tax was reduced from 28 per cent to 19 per cent, there was only one year when the cost of the tax cut was matched by the increase in business investment.”

When told that her planned National Insurance cut would benefit the richest 10% of UK households by  £1,800 annually — compared to only £7.66 a year for the poorest segment of society — she railed against what she called too much focus on “redistribution.”

And her announced intention to cap annual household energy costs at £2,500 failed to explain that it’ll be financed by greater UK indebtedness — the longterm cost to be borne mostly by ordinary Brits — instead of a windfall profits tax on energy firms.

At a time of soaring inflation and overall hard times getting harder, “Britain needs a prime minister (who’ll) mount a concerted assault on social ills while nurturing a politics of the common good,” said the New Statesman, adding:

Instead, the UK public has right-wing ideologue Truss, a figure with “no vision of the good society or collective flourishing.”

“She unashamedly subscribes to an arid view of individuals as utility maximizers rather than fellow citizens.”

“Far from delivering economic and social renewal that the UK desperately needs, Trussonomics may herald a new period of discord…conflict” and greater public misery than already.

And this Fletcher indictment, saying:

Truss is “not my prime minister.”

She’s “not our prime minister.”

She’s “prime minister only of a tiny, secretive group of highly unrepresentative voters who have chosen ideological purity over pragmatism…”

They “knowingly awarded power to the candidate the public wanted least.”

In Britain, the US and throughout the West, “democracy” is for the privileged few at the expense of the great majority.