Despite the new Tory Chancellor being flavour of the month, he has most definitely been given the most poisoned chalice in history.
A flat lining ecconomy, which has now officially shrunk over the first quarter of the year and is sure to shrink much, much further in Q2, Rishi Sunak refused yesterday, agree that we would be in recession at the end of the 2nd quarter ??
Now, I know that the current government like to put the most positive possible spin on everything, resorting to blatant lies where neccessary but, come on Rishi, you know that we are in the deepest darkest pile of cack and absolutely, a recession will be confirmed soon enough.
The only question is just how long and how deep the recession is going to be.

Well yes, of course a recession is coming. We're already in it. You can't - for all intents & purposes - shut down the entire economy for months and not expect a recession of some form.

The consensus is that it'll be deep and fast [size=85*avoids dirty joke*[/size. Massive drop followed by rapid recovery as businesses get back to work. Although some sectors - hospitality and certainly aviation and overseas travel in general are likely to be slowest to recover. The difference is this isn't a consequence of some financial/economic cock-up, this is a 'black swan' event. The consequences of 2007 rolled on for over a decade and it could be argued we never fully recovered.

As for 'spin', you know for a fact that if yesterday he had said, "well yes Laura, I expect the deepest recession in 100 years", the headlines and news reports would be huge, damning and would cause nothing but panic, stress and probably contribute to the coming drop, as we saw in 2007 when the media motivated thousands to empty Northern Rock. No politician in the world is going to make a statement like that. What he HAS said is that it's "very likely" we are in a "significant recession", which I think we all know.

The "deep and fast" analogy was at a time when most people believed that there would be a period of lockdown, followed be a quick re-opening of most businesses.
Although this is very early days, many (but, not all) of the countries that have started to allow some movement of people, have already seen cases climbing again and for me, it looks more like we will be "yo-yoing" for a little while and a quick rebound looks far less likely than the optimistic murmurings of 3 months ago.

Although I know what you are saying about "careless talk" having some negative effects, Sunak may have been better placed, starting to prepare people for the inevitable, after all, he knew yesterday (and long before then) that a recession was the biggest certainty in economic history, for the very reason that you mentioned.

Now, it's all about how on earth the wheels of commerce can begin to turn, without killing another 40, 50 or 100,000 UK residents.

It's little wonder that Johnson's road map to recovery only showed the first mile and a half, with everything else blurred out, so as not to disappoint.

All I can say is thank god the tories are in control. I dread to imagine the mess labour would make going forward

Yeah. Thank God we've got a proper left wing government in charge. The Commieservatives.

all the world is in the same boat. not much we can do but roll with the punches.

Recessions come & go & the country will recover eventually ,this time there are quite a few other nations in the same boat.

"In control", really ??
Is this roughly the same as "left to die" in an old folks home or, is there a difference

Good job labour aren’t in charge. The entire Jewish population of the UK would be banned from getting treatment for Covid 19

There is literally no evidence for the argument that Labour would’ve done worse. No evidence whatsoever. It’s such a tiresome deflection tactic from the Tories’ despicable display of so called leadership.

And the evidence that they would have dealt with it better is what - very easy for anyone to question people’s actions when not in the firing line, just watch Piers Morgan

They would have forced all the doctors and nurses to strike and then blame it on the tories like they always do lmao

Unfortunately the current government and its leader have a history of telling lies. This has been underlined by their manipulation of the death and testing figures. Consequently the public no longer believe anything they say. Johnson and Cummings need to go. We need truth and we need leadership.

Although I absolutely agree with your comment regarding lack of trust, it's simply not true that "the public no longer believe anything they say".
The vast majority still have Boris as the blue eyed boy, who has personally dealt with the virus and will lead us through all of this.
It's only when the media turn against him that his popularity will fall and/or, when he makes a gaffe that wont be easily forgiven.

You would think that having the highest number of deaths of any European country and having ignored those in care homes would see him under more pressure but, we are still in the relatively early stages of this thing and he will be judged on the "recovery" both from the virus and then, the major test, the ecconomy.
Most Tories are still claiming that their triple lock on tax rises will remain so, it does look like it will be pensions (tax relief) and property that will be under pressure, followed by yet another long period of public sector wage freezes, a great reward for those who have kept working through the "lockdown" period and serving the public.
Clapping on a Thursday and then screwing them over for the rest of the time, oh the irony (bare faced double standards)

Interesting you bring Piers Morgan into it. I bet he's really got the rabid right wing crowd in a dilemma. He seems to be the only one in the media holding the government to account, admittedly in his trademark shock jock style, but isn't this what they love about him? They've been cheering him on over the past couple of years, when he's been ridiculing the vegans and sticking it to the millennials; "well said Piers", "I like Piers because he speaks his mind", "he says what everyone else is thinking". Now he's calling out the government they're all, "Piers is nothing but a bully", "get him off the telly", "SACK HIM!". It was glorious to watch them losing their minds when he grilled Andrew Bridgen. "I'm writing to OFCOM, this isn't fair!"

Piers Morgan has gone from hero to villain, and the baying right wing mob have gone from snowflake bashers to snowflakes in the space of weeks.

It won't be long until they can go back to their beloved stereotyping. "Lazy pen pushers, stealing a wage from the public purse, in an inefficient, bloated sector".

There are already morons who believe that NHS workers not specifically working on Covid-19 wards are 'stood about doing nothing'. The sheer stupidity beggars belief.

I don't think they'll be happy until we're like the USA, and personally bankrupted by unexpected illnesses.

I'm looking forward to the excuses and yet more Tory nonsense of "we're all in this together" and yet, the MP's, having done very little for months, will be justifying their latest hefty pay increase because, its "what the pay review recommended".
How quickly Boris has forgotten that they very people that he owes his life to have been screwed by HIS party. Two faced ****

You aren’t suppose to remember he was part of the previous government. I suppose it’s the same for his Northern Ireland border guarantees, his social care plan that doesn’t now exist and despite being proved to be a lie his government’s instructions regarding care home which being the honourable man he is will apologise to Parliament for misleading them (sorry I forgot it is Johnson we are talking about of course he won’t apologise.

The problem Morgan has history - his performance at Levenson was less than forthcoming - so he can hardly crow at ministers when they don't give straight answers without looking hypocritical? His interview style is flawed - he thinks when he askes a question he should get the answer he wants and he struggles when he doesn't so he simply interrupts so the interviewee simply cannot get a word in. He is not alone - Maitliss, Gurhy-Murthy, Snow, Naga they are all the same - Dan Walker and Andrew Neil are in a different class.

His show lacks balance - it has an agenda and it pushes it mercilessly - they never have a guest/expert on that doesn't support their agenda, they don't show comparisons, an example - on Wednesday they showed Victoria station to show how busy it was, perhaps if they had shown how it was in February it would give some perspective - but that would defeat their biased agenda. Morgan suggest he cares about all these dead people its rubbish he is like all these stars he is a narcissist - in the words of JFK "don't ask what I can do for you, want can you do for me"

Unlike the Tories who are killing doctors and nurses through a combination of a lack of proper funding for the NHS and their ridiculous, failed “herd” immunity plan.

There is no evidence either way. All we can judge is how the current Government has handled it, which the death rate suggests they’ve failed miserably.

Correct. I couldn't give two shiny es what Labour, Lib Dems, Greens, UKIP, Brexit Party, Change UK, Monster Raving Loony Party or Lord Buckethead would have done. Let's focus on what the Conservatives are doing, becasue the apologists are just deflecting when they ask "what would X have done?"

I'm no fan of Piers Morgan, he's just a click-bait shock jock, but the volte-face of those who were praising him when he was grilling Extinction Rebellion, vegans, mental health advocates and millennials, who are now losing their poop because he's giving a few second rate Tories a hard time, is fascinating to watch. It's like watching a bully turn on his supporters.

Well let’s not pretend Morgan is a Tory fan - he was trying to run Boris into the ground come election time. Click bait is spot on, waits for the opportunity pretty much no matter who it is and then over runs them, he even does it with his side kick - very frustrating bloke

Morgan is only interested in one thing - Morgan.