by Rab Bruce’s Spider

Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot

Twitter: @RabBrucesSpider

Rishi Sunak certainly caught everyone by surprise by bringing back David Cameron as Foreign Secretary. It changed all the headlines, partially obscuring the news that Suella Braverman had at last been sacked. Whether any of this will change Rishi Sunak’s standing is doubtful. Cameron is tainted by Brexit, Austerity and, in Scotland, by introducing EVEL the day after the IndyRef, thus shattering all the earlier promises. As for his ability to deal with foreign Governments, he didn’t do too well when he was PM, so it’s doubtful he’ll do anything more than spout platitudes for the TV cameras. At least he’ll do it in a smooth, smarmy way, with all the confidence of a fraudster, so he might give us plenty of quotes to save for posterity.

And what of Suella Braverman’s replacement, James Cleverly? Well, he’s apparently a loyal Tory, always prepared to regurgitate the Party line on anything. Whether he’s competent enough to hold down such a senior role remains to be seen. If he is, he will prove to be the exception in this appallingly incompetent Government. One thing you can be sure of is that, even if he presents a less vicious and inhumane face to the public, he’ll carry on with the vicious and inhumane policies the Tories love so much. Still, he might settle things down a little after the havoc of Suella Braverman, just as Rishi Sunak has, on the face of things, settled matters down after the chaos of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Except, as we all know, the chaos, greed and incompetence continue, just with a better public image.

As for Suella Braverman herself, no doubt she will soon stir things up as she attempts to put herself at the head of the fascist wing of the Tory Party. Of course, she’ll have some competition because Liz Truss won’t fade quietly into the background, and if Nigel Farage does decide to rejoin the Party, Suella Braverman’s chances of becoming leader will be severely diminished as the rabid Brexiteers line up behind Farage.

It would be nice to think that this sort of in-fighting will spell the end of the Tory Party, but it’s been going on for a long time already in one shape or form, and they are still clinging desperately to power.

There’s an old Chinese curse which says, "May you live in interesting times". At the moment, it feels like someone has cursed the entire UK with that fate. If only Scotland had a way to escape the madness.