Anyway - From the BBC:

Rishi Sunak: The most urgent problems facing the new prime minister

Fixing the economy

by Faisal Islam, Economics Editor

Rishi Sunak enters No 10 having made very few promises in his leadership campaign, but as chancellor he warned about the danger of rapidly rising prices. A key challenge for him will be what to do with the Energy Price Guarantee - the subsidy scheme to help homes and businesses cope with higher gas and electricity bills. Under Liz Truss, the scheme was set to last for two years. New Chancellor Jeremy Hunt then announced that the guarantee would only last until April. We know Mr Sunak was also cautious about offering the scheme beyond that point. But a typical household energy bill - now £2,500 - could rise to more than £4,000 next spring, sending inflation rocketing. Meanwhile, Mr Sunak had guaranteed that benefits, tax credits and pensions would rise in line with the recent inflation rate of 10.1%. But with a huge borrowing gap of £30-40bn, it is not clear whether that promise still holds.

At the moment, the financial markets trust Mr Sunak, which makes the economic repair job he has to do easier. Markets have sent government borrowing costs lower and this in turn could lead to more favourable mortgage rates. It could also mean we see the Bank of England raise interest rates by a smaller amount.

Ferdia: I expect it will be a case of sink or swim in the new year (they are conservatives after all).

Where to make NHS savings

by Nick Triggle, Health Correspondent

With record numbers waiting for hospital treatment and the threat of strikes over pay and winter just around the corner, Mr Sunak will be firefighting from day one. Any attempts to introduce his own policies and vision are likely to have to wait. During the summer, Mr Sunak spoke on several occasions about waste and bureaucracy, floating the idea of a vaccine-style taskforce to improve efficiency, and charging patients £10 for missed appointments. There is scepticism within the health service about the merits of these ideas, but they suggest he will take a tough line in terms of savings - perhaps not cutting the budget, but asking the service to do more with the same amount - and try to get on top of the backlog faster than has been timetabled for so far.

Key to this will be tackling delayed discharges - the patients who are ready to leave hospital but cannot because of a lack of care available in the community. The fact Mr Sunak was willing to raise National Insurance contributions - a move now scrapped - to help increase investment in the NHS points to this being an immediate area of focus.

Ferdia: this article is dumb, they simply dont know what to do with the NHS. savings is not what they need, they need to provide quality service.

Workers striking over pay

by Theo Leggett, Business Correspondent

Tens of thousands of workers have already downed tools this year, among them train drivers, dock workers, mail employees, criminal barristers and telecoms staff. University lecturers have just voted for strike action, while nurses, junior doctors and teachers are among those considering strikes. Although most disputes involve a range of issues, the common factor has been pay. Price rises are pushing up the cost of living, and wages have not been keeping up. So unions are flexing their muscles to demand more money for their members. But if companies pay their workers more, they may have to charge higher prices for what they produce or sell - meaning higher prices for everyone. A government already struggling to balance its books is unlikely to want to pay public sector workers much more either. But the new prime minister will be desperate to avoid the current bout of industrial unrest gathering momentum.

Legislation to limit the impact of transport strikes is already on the table. But it is likely the priority will be to solve the problem at source - and that means controlling inflation.

Ferdia: this is a wait and see, im not expecting much positive here.

Supporting Ukraine and defence spending

by James Landale, Diplomatic Correspondent

UK policy towards Ukraine will not change under Mr Sunak. While standing for the leadership in the summer, he said he would maintain Britain's backing and make an early visit to Kyiv. "If I become prime minister, I will redouble our efforts and reinforce our policy of total support for Ukraine that Boris has so ably led," he said. But continuing to give Ukraine military support in the long term will cost money, and there is uncertainty over Mr Sunak's approach to defence spending. Ms Truss promised to increase defence spending from 2% to 3% of national wealth - measured by gross domestic product - by 2030. But Mr Sunak has said that target was "arbitrary" and "not a plan".

He may also have to face the challenge of supporting Ukraine when doing so becomes less popular politically. With rising energy costs exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis, Mr Sunak may have to persuade voters their financial discomfort is a price worth paying to defend Ukraine.

Ferdia: I dont expect cuts to defense spending in england.

Northern Ireland Protocol

by Chris Andrews, BBC NI

Rishi Sunak faces the same problematic Northern Ireland in-tray which awaited Ms Truss in September. There is still no Northern Ireland Executive, and the legislative assembly cannot function. Talks continue on the Northern Ireland Protocol, but, as yet, there is no resolution which would satisfy the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). It has blocked normal government in Belfast in its protest against the protocol, meaning a key deadline looms large. Unless the DUP drops its demands or emergency legislation is rushed through by 28 October, then an election must be held within 12 weeks - which could mean a second assembly election in the space of a year. During hustings in Belfast in August, Mr Sunak pledged to progress a bill to override much of the protocol, but his preference would be a negotiated compromise.

Without imminent progress, Stormont's power will shift from local ministers to the secretary of state and civil servants within days. Festive cheer could be in short supply unless someone blinks.

Ferdia: I dont expect a positive change. Scottish politicians are probably going to watch N Ireland very carefully.

This post was edited by ferdia on Oct 25 2022 07:38am

BBC:

Tonight the signals are that Rishi Sunak doesn’t want to rock the boat on the thorny issue of post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland. He’s kept two key players in position; James Cleverly as Foreign Secretary and Chris Heaton-Harris as Northern Ireland Secretary. It’s a delicate time; we’re just days away from a deadline to restore power-sharing in Belfast.

Meanwhile talks have been quietly rumbling on with the EU on how to try and fix problems with the treaty known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, which Britain and the EU have signed up to. It was never likely Sunak would seek to escalate the row with Brussels right away or - conversely - show that he was ready to compromise. But, assuming he can keep his job in No 10, the new PM will eventually have to choose between those options. This is because it is vanishingly unlikely that the European Commission will ever agree Britain’s purest set of demands for re-negotiation.

Do they have seperate prime minister for United Kingdom and a prime minister for each of England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland or is just one?

Actually neither.
I try to keep my stuff short and easy to digest.
I type one sentence per line for the same reason.

A clever person can say anything w/o saying it.
Hence, I have no fear of being banned.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (to give it its full name) is a "sovereign state" that is formed of four countries: Wales, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, which is situated on the island of Ireland.

England is a country. It has a "Prime Minister" it "co-runs" Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, to a degree.
Wales is a country. It has what is known as a "First Minister". It is run by both Wales and England.
Scotland is a country. It has what is known as a "First Minister". It is run by both Scotland and England.
Northern Ireland is a country. It has what is known as "First Minister". It is run by Northern Ireland and to a degree by England.

Ireland is a country, it has what is known as "Taoiseach" and is not run by England, and should not be confused with Northern Ireland.

Ultimately, Brexit MAY lead to Scotland breaking away entirely from England, and in time (10~20 years) Northern Ireland MAY do the same.

if you call Ireland part of England, it would be like saying Ukraine is part of Russia.

Hope this clarifies!

This post was edited by ferdia on Oct 25 2022 03:15pm

yea I meant Northern Ireland, lots of ministers then.

Northern Ireland is quite odd. Due to the armed conflict which occured in the past (and ppl want to keep it in the past) there is a "shared" rule, between both "sides" in the north. This means that the Loyalists(the DUP party "lets stay with England") and the Republicans(Sinn Fein "oh we want to be with Ireland") are in power, TOGETHER, in the north, AT ALL TIMES.

What has happened this year is that, after Brexit, the Loyalists (the DUP political party) have said, no we will not be in government - we are happy we are out of the EU but we dont like the brexit treaty. Everyone else is like...but, you voted to leave, the treaty was signed, wtf is wrong with you? Anyway, as they are not taking up their responsibilities, it means that neither can the Republicans. If this does not change by THIS FRIDAY, it means that there will be a transfer of power from Northern Ireland, to England, and in the meantime there will be new elections in Northern Ireland. Regardless of how many seats the DUP would lose (a few!) they would still need to be in power, unless another Loyalist party gets more seats then them and could then join the Republicans to form a government.

What is expected to happen is time will run out and a new elections, all of which plays into the hands of Sinn Fein who long term will use this (and their growing political power in the republic of ireland to put forward a motion for a united ireland (which if done too soon would probably spark violence in the north, again.

All I know about Northern Ireland is that its kind like Eastern Germany economically compared to Ireland (as Western Germany), and that their football league is so bad that English league 2 is probably better.

This post was edited by Lvivz on Oct 25 2022 04:01pm

their standard of living is above that of england, oddly, but i dont disagree with your sentiment.