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To kick start the UK, the Labour Government has set out a series of practical steps – such as wrapping the National Debt in cling film to “keep it fresh” and applying a strip of duct tape to inflation. Said the Chancellor, 'These are meaningful measures — now if you’ll excuse me, I need to blow the lint out of the stock exchange.'


By turning the economy off and on again, it is hoped that we can reboot it in Safe Mode— although we are unlikely to reload public services. Tough measures include putting the housing market in a bowl of warm water to “loosen it up” and trying to reset wages by poking a paperclip into a tiny hole.


Said a Treasury spokeswoman, 'We will tighten the fiscal screws with a butter knife, give the budget a gentle tap with a wooden spoon and try to glue productivity back together.' She paused. 'It was suggested we stick a pound coin under the nation’s wonky table leg and prop up the economy — but that was felt to be a bit risky, as we are down to our last pound.'





Today we’re with Sally Preston, a psychic with a drink problem who has been helping Her Majesty’s Government set economic policy by conversing with the ghost of Margaret Thatcher.


Sally gives me an appraising look. 'You’ve lost somebody close to you. Is the letter H significant?'


'No', I say, then immediately feel guilty as she seems so vulnerable, swigging away from her bottle of Jacob’s Creek chardonnay. 'Oh, I used to have a hat'.


'That’ll be it', she tells me, before slumping back into her chair, seemingly half asleep.


'Are you here about the economy?'


'Yes', I lie. Sometimes an investigative journalist has to push the boundaries.


Sally takes another drink from her bottle and her eyelids flutter manically. 'Margaret is in the room. She’s saying something about National Insurance'.


'Does she want it to go up? Down?'


'Down!' she says, suddenly leaning forward and fixing me with a terrifying glare. 'And fracking. Ronald has told her it’s for the best. Frack the whole country'.


'Is Reagan there too?' I ask.


'Of course. They’re an item now'.


'What about interest rates?'


'That’s enough for today. I’m tired'. Sally hauls herself upright and scans around for the door. I’m tempted to ask about ghost sex but force myself to stick with economics.


'We need to know. Should they go up? How do we avoid recession?'


Sally is already halfway to the door, staggering a little. 'Privatise something. The NHS. Privatise the NHS. Oh, and she says the Oxford comma is an abomination. Get rid of it'.


And she’s gone. Britain’s leading economic adviser has left the room leaving only a faint aroma of chardonnay and piss, and I realise what the H was all about. Horseshit.



First published 26 Sep 2022


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Electricians have poured cold water - never a good idea when electricity is involved - on the new Prime Minister's call for a 'circuit breaker' for the entire country. 'It's just not practical,' said Des from Bromley, while putting in a new light above his neighbour's bathroom sink and asking to be paid in cash. 'I can barely keep up with calls as it is. Who's going to install this 'circuit breaker'? How big will it be? Where's it going to be put?'


Those questions remain unanswered, though there is much speculation that the Angel of the North will become the Circuit Breaker of the North. Many say she already looks like a giant electricity pylon with her arms outstretched.


The Prime Minister made the circuit breaker pledge while addressing supporters in Downing Street, a statement reading 'I know people at home are fed up with their smart TVs saying 'power off in three minutes. Press OK to continue watching'. No one understands this. I hear you and I want to be honest with you – the fuses we have been using are not good enough, and we need to be better. Whether three-pin or those awkward two-pin ones for your toothbrush, our plugs deserve to be better, and they will be. This is the moment we pledged a giant circuit breaker that will look after every home and workplace in the country, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years – a new political model and a new economic model.'


To provide 'breathing space' to alleviate the cost-of-living crisis, the Prime Minister has also promised a free Bunsen Burner for every council home in the country. The move has led to speculation that Burnham is modelling his ideas on state schools of the Seventies and Eighties. This view is backed up by Burnham's announcement that members of his Cabinet are to be called prefects. Each Cabinet minister will also have their own locker.



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