Breaking the Brexit deadlock and stewardship of the nation’s economy and finances? Britain is on the brink of breaking a deal with the EU over Northern Ireland. Britain is at the bottom of the list of G7 economies. Officials are scrambling to recover the billions Britain allocated to bogus companies during the pandemic. What will be your legacy, Mr Sunak? …writes Anasudhin Azeez
Till yesterday, I don’t know Rishi Sunak, the ex-chancellor of the exchequer is a Bollywood fan! The resignation letter is the finest proof. It contains all the elements of a Bollywood film. Like the character Veeru (played by Dharmendra) from the blockbuster movie Sholay announcing his love for Basanti by perching on the water tank, Rishi announces his resignation from No. 11 Downing Street.
“This may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning,” said Sunak in his resignation letter.
The standards he is talking about is taming inflation and controlling the spiralling cost of living. Inflation is nearing 10 per cent since the Ukraine war and there is still no concrete action on supporting the so-called “working families of Britain.”
Complaining about the lack of support from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Sunak said, “I have been loyal to you, I backed you to become the leader of our party and encouraged others to do. I have served as your Chancellor with gratitude that you entrusted me with stewardship of the nation’s economy and finances. Above all, I have respected the powerful mandate given to you by the British people in 2019 and how under your leadership we broke the Brexit deadlock.”
Breaking the Brexit deadlock and stewardship of the nation’s economy and finances? Britain is on the brink of breaking a deal with the EU over Northern Ireland. Britain is at the bottom of the list of G7 economies. Officials are scrambling to recover the billions Britain allocated to bogus companies during the pandemic. What will be your legacy, Mr Sunak?
Sunak is breaking the cardinal rule of diplomacy. Don’t disclose too much! You are getting exposed. Politics is not for serving a person with gratitude. It is serving the nation and its people – especially the hardworking families (the most popular catchphrase of British politicians). It is not for taking or gaining but for giving and serving. There is no slot for ‘Me’ in this game. Only We – The People, the electorate. But the Eton Tories and their cohorts at Westminster turned that into a circus. Booze, babes and bribes. One rule for the ruling class and one rule for the “hard-working” class.
The Eton class and the people who made millions from the city failed to feel the pulse of the public which is struggling to survive. Rishi will be remembered for his photo at a Sainsbury gas station filling a borrowed Kia. That was the peak of his popularity and aiming to win the heart of Britain with 5p tax rebate on fuels. A multi-millionaire on Kia Rio. Hypocrisy has its limits!
What went wrong with this smart, young, bright politician from the Asian community? Instead of Veeru, he is more of Icarus. The Greek mythological figure lost his life by flying too close to the sun with two sets of wings made of feathers glued together by wax made by his father Daedalus.
Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, as the wax would melt. However, the advice went unheeded. Icarus was so intoxicated by the experience of flight that he went higher. As the wax in his wings melted, he tumbled into the sea and drowned.
The saying “don’t fly too close to the sun” is a reference to Icarus’ recklessness and defiance of limitations.
Poor Mr Sunak. He ignored the advices of his mentor Lord William Hague who left his Yorkshire seat of Richmond in 2015 to give a chance to this bright young man from the city. When his mentor took a stand against Brexit by saying it is “tantalising, interminable and dangerous”, Rishi embraced Brexit and defend the Boris Brexit policies built on populist slogans. He was on a HoHo tour in city studios to justify the Boris policies. As an insider, he knew he is working against a big financial hub like London where he thrived and accrued his millions.
He was properly rewarded with the plum post of Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He was moved into the chancellor’s seat in 2020 February, when Dominic Cummings was looking for a “loyal” person to replace the bickering Sajid Javid.
The elevation put Sunak, the son-in-law of a tech billionaire from India — Infosys Narayana Murthy — to another pedal. The furlough schemes he introduced to save millions of jobs fuelled his popularity and he was very close to grabbing the plum seat at No. 10 as Johnson’s popularity dwindled over Partygate and work culture.
Rishi was the most popular to replace the prime minister. But the exposure of his wife’s tax status put the young chancellor in a precarious situation. Other exposures like his flat in Florida, PPE Scams in which the Tory class looted the treasury of billions, evaporate his popularity. ‘Dishy Rishi’ — a moniker he earned for a generous scheme to bring the eaters to back at restaurants, become ‘Toxic Rishi’. His family moved out of No.11 to a converted mews house in London.
That was Rishi’s Icarus moment at Westminster. He sweats at TV studios defending his family. His wife was forced to amend her tax status which cost millions.
Technically Rishi is paying the price for his ambition to become a politician. Voters are closely monitoring the Westminster drama. Rishi is leaving along with the person whom he replaced. Sajid’s second coming as health secretary was short-term. Politics is not a place to fix somebody’s personal agenda, but to put the national interest first and support people in distress.
The Eton class and the people who made millions from the city failed to feel the pulse of the public which is struggling to survive. Rishi will be remembered for his photo at a Sainsbury gas station filling a borrowed Kia. That was the peak of his popularity and aiming to win the heart of Britain with 5p tax rebate on fuels. A multi-millionaire on Kia Rio. Hypocrisy has its limits!