In Ñspel: The Guardian view on Sunak and the strikes: misreading the mood of the nation

‘At prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Rishi Sunak challenged Keir Starmer to back even tougher anti-strike legislation.’ Photograph: Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/AFP/Getty Images
‘At prîm̦inistr’z qsćnz on Wnzde, Riśi Sūnac ćalinjd Cir Starmr t bac īvn tufr antīstrîc lejsleśn.’ Foṭgraf: Jesica Teilr/YC Parḷmnt/AFP/Geti Iṃjz

Ɖ Gardịn vy on Sūnac n ɖ strîcs: msrīdñ ɖ mūd v ɖ neśn

(Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 7 Dec. 2022)

Ɖ prîm̦inistr z sīcñ confṛnteśn wɖ ɖ yńnz in ɖ b’lif h wl rīp a p’liticl rword

Wnzde 7 Dsmbr 2022

Ɖ  rplesmnt v ɖ haplis Liz Trus bî Riśi Sūnac wz wîdli asymd t heṛld ɖ rtrn v a “groun-up”, maṇjirịl stîl v poḷtics t Dǎnñ Strīt. Wɖ ɖ marcits dyli pḷcetd bî Jeṛmi Hunt’s ōtmstetmnt, sm sīńr Tōriz īvn bgan t wuri ɖt Sūnacịn stbiḷti n fiscl orʈ̇doxi wd b tù borñ a platform on ẃć t fes Lebr at ɖ nxt ilex́n.

Bt it trnz ǎt ɖt, ǎtsd ɖ Siti, Brítnz r’nt bord bî Mr Sūnac’s flejlñ premịrśp; ɖe r fyrịs n insrjnt. Rel n postl wrcrz, nrsz, ambyḷnswrcrz n sivl srvnts r cuṛntli planñ t g on strîc in Dsmbr. Ɖe me b jônd bî tīćrz n jūńr doctrz in ɖ ny yir. In ol, mor ɖn a miłn membrz v ɖ wrcfors me wɖdrw ɖer lebr in ɖ līd-up t Crisṃs – numbrz reṃnisnt v ɖ “wintr v discntnt” in 1978/9. Ɖs z dspt lowr levlz v yńnmembrśp n far mor strinjnt rūlz guṿnñ strîc ax́n.

Dzastṛsli, aftr biyñ buḟtd intu U-trnz on hǎsbildñ n onśor windfarmz bî intrnl parti rvolts, Mr Sūnac apirz t si ɖ strîcs az a ćans t cnfǎnd ɖoz critics hu akz him v biyñ wìc. At prîm̦inistr’z qsćnz on Wnzde, h ćalinjd Cir Starmr t bac īvn tufr antīstrîc lejsleśn, t b intṛdyst nxt yir. Az ɖ transportsecṛtri, Marc Harper, hz admitd, ɖs wl nt afct industrịl ax́n ɖs wintr, bt ɖt z nt ɖ pônt. Ɖ guvnmnt’s cuṛnt straṭji z t ẃip p a confṛnteśn wɖ ɖ yńnz in ɖ b’lif ɖt ɖ public wl b on its sîd.

Ɖs “hu guvnz?” aproć feṃsli endd badli fr Edẉd Hīʈ, hu lost an ilex́n cōld on ɖt besis in 1974. Bt Mr Sūnac no dǎt prifŕz t dwel on Marġrit Ʈaćr’z trîumf in 1979, ẃn ɖ arğmnt ɖt yńnz wr “holdñ ɖ cuntri t ransm” – a lîn rpitd bî ministrz ɖs wīc – cntribytd t a Tori landslîd. Unforćṇtli fr ɖ prîm̦inistr, ɖt wz ɖen.

Bî ɖ end v ɖ 1970z, mć v ɖ popyleśn agrìd ɖt yńnz hd bcm tù pǎrfl. Forti yirz on, az Mr Sūnac proṃsz t leɉslet t “pṛtct” ɖ public, popylr simṗʈi fr ɖ rît t strîc hz acć̣li groun sins Jūn. Ɖ rīznz fr ɖt g bynd ptiklr dspyts, n dīpr ɖn ɖ cuṛnt cost-v-livñ crîsis. Ɖr z a wîdspred n akṛt public pspśn ɖt, sins ɖ craś, ɖ cuntri hz witnist a būm in unrnd-aset wlʈ n pe at ɖ top, cmbînd wɖ stagnetñ or fōlñ riyl-trmz wejz fr olmst evrwn els. A deced v undr-invstmnt in ɖ public sectr hz olso fyld a pspśn ɖt mć v ɖ cuntri jst dz’nt wrc proprli eni mor. Rsponsbiḷti fr ɖs dsfuñśnl stet v aferz z dīmd nt t lî wɖ 1970z-stîl militnt tredyńnists, bt wɖ s’xesiv Cnsrṿtiv guvnmnts.

F onli fṛm an instñt v slf-preẓveśn, a wîz admiṇstreśn wd rec̣gnîz ɖs bacdrop n ngośiet, n compṛmîz, acordñli. Ahd v a wintŗseśn ɖt strîcs wl onli dīpn, ɖs wd olso b ɖ rît ʈñ t d fr ɖ cuntri. Bt fr nǎ, Mr Sūnac’s fiscl cnsrṿtizm mīnz h wl nt cǎntinns sć an aproć. Instd, h apirz dtrmind t f’mnt sośl strîf in ɖ hop v îṣletñ Lebr n ynîtñ hiz ǒn parti wɖ sm retro reṭric. Ɖt z msgîdd n irisponsbl oṗtynizm, nt groun-up poḷtics. It olso sirịsli msrīdz ɖ mūd v ɖ neśn.

Instroduction to Ñspel

"House by the Railroad," Edward Hopper, 1925

04/06/2023

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