George Osborne’s tale of saving a bagpipe school from cuts on the request of the late Queen wasn’t as endearing as he seemed to think
The Political Currency podcast pairs up ‘frenemies’ Ed Balls and former Chancellor, George Osborne – the chief architect of the failed Conservative austerity policy that saw UK services and living standards slashed.
In the latest episode, Osborne had an anecdote about a royal intervention. He seemed to find it endearing.
How Queen Elizabeth stopped @George_Osborne from making cuts to the Highland bagpipe school
Listen to Political Currency: https://t.co/TeZdSYV87C pic.twitter.com/RnI4M9gHpC
— Political Currency (@polcurrency) November 5, 2023
The monarchy love-in raised some questions about priorities, as people remembered the services that weren’t saved by a quiet word from Her Majesty at a million-pound-plus banquet.
1.
Meanwhile dozens of Accident and Emergency units and more than a thousand Sure Start centres still got the chop https://t.co/GUUTN9skGy
— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) November 6, 2023
2.
At least the bagpipe school was spared. Shame there was no one as influential to advocate for SureStart, the youth centres, the working poor, the libraries, the NHS, the FE colleagues, the English language classes, the local councils, young people etc. etc. https://t.co/Qfd7xHFA7X
— Ben Kentish (@BenKentish) November 6, 2023
3.
This story is bleak.
I think Osborne thinks it’s charming. It’s horrific.
If only we could have stopped him cutting public services to the bone. https://t.co/4K7IEyZvoN
— Jemma Forte (@jemmaforte) November 6, 2023
4.
What jolly japes as the desperately needed SureStart centre on the White City Estate near us was closed due to a lack of bagpipes & the Queen not being about https://t.co/EHH9CKrjcf
— Tom Jamieson (@jamiesont) November 5, 2023
5.
This is a great podcast because it's basically two awful humans laughing and joking about some of the most heinous shit you can imagine with mo comprehension it comes across badly. https://t.co/YXdpaj6ISR
— Tom (@TPGRoberts) November 6, 2023
6.
Like the queen couldn't have funded the bagpipe school herself about 50 times over?
— Penny Blackburn (@penbee8) November 5, 2023
7.
Why did he immediately cave? Seriously. Why was a bagpipe school saved from austerity cuts simply because the Queen made a fuss?
I know the answer to that question – we all do – but really, the forelock-tugging sycophancy of it. https://t.co/Hs7jl6Br7T
— Ros Taylor (@rosamundmtaylor) November 5, 2023
8.
If I had my way, a bagpipe school would be fucking Napalmed pic.twitter.com/ZHy4i0NOxM
— Kevin Caswell-Jones (@poshkev1963) November 6, 2023
9.
What do we call a country in which you have more chance of funding to play the bagpipes than to live I wonder https://t.co/ILnCHKF4Fc pic.twitter.com/3A3o7QR5jc
— Mr Demos of Pnyx (@gem_ste) November 6, 2023
10.
I try to be good humoured about British politics but this is everything that’s rotten in the system: the architect of austerity saving money for the Queen’s hobby – and then having a jolly good joke about it on a podcast with the guy whose job it was to oppose him. https://t.co/ibWhOR79TE
— Frances Ryan (@DrFrancesRyan) November 5, 2023
11.
Thousands protesting on the streets against Tory austerity meant nothing but a quiet word from the unelected head of state has hugely more influence. We’re not a serious country. We need fundamental reform to progress as a nation.
— Colonel Panick (@FlackJimmmy) November 5, 2023
12.
"Let Them Play Bagpipes" instead of "Let Them Eat Cake"
— Solomon Hughes (@SolHughesWriter) November 6, 2023
13.
We're all in this together, eh.
— Martyn Brunt (@MartynBrunt) November 6, 2023
14.
That's such a heartwarming anecdote. Looking forward to hearing other lovely stories of how the rich looked after their interests while George's austerity killed people.
— Amjad Khan (@SmartCircleComm) November 5, 2023
Finally …
https://t.co/4cuMm5rwXk pic.twitter.com/j6fVry5Ui4
— Colin the Dachshund (@DachshundColin) November 6, 2023
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