'It’s like a Russian doll of idiocy': James O’Brien slams government over problems it 'created and denies'

12 October 2022, 13:54

'Its like a Russian doll of idiocy!'

In a scathing monologue, James O’Brien accused the government of “failing to prepare to process the problems that they have simultaneously created and denied”.

This comes after a tumultuous few weeks for the UK economy saw the value of the pound fall, drops in pensions and surging mortgage costs amid growing concerns about a looming recession.

READ MORE: Mortgages, pensions and the value of the pound: How the economic turmoil might affect you

James began his monologue by admitting that “there are other stories around today but I have a strong sense that we should not be talking about anything else".

He added: “I struggle a bit with that sense when I don’t see all of the media screaming from the same rooftops.

“But of course, as I keep reminding you and I’m going to have to keep reminding you probably forever, most of the media in this country gift-wrapped and sealed with a kiss, precisely the problems and the catastrophes that the country is now facing."

“Remember more money for the NHS, remember less red tape?” James asked.

“This is where it goes like a Kafka story, there is loads more red tape as a direct consequence of Brexit.”

A new report by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee warns that UK regulators are "struggling to recruit and retain the skills they need to regulate effectively" following the UK’s exit from the EU.

The Competition and Markets Authority, Food Standards Agency and the Health and Safety Executive are all facing difficulties adapting to expanded roles after Brexit.

The Committee identified that consumers are at risk due to a shortage of vets to monitor food safety and animal welfare in abattoirs, toxicologists to assess food risks and chemical safety, and lawyers and economics to enforce competition law.

James said: “The Public Accounts Committee [is] warning that the government’s poor preparation and planning have combined with international, political realities to expose UK consumers and businesses to greater risks and costs.”

He added: “There’s nothing more important than that in the context of public accounts or in the context of British business.”

“The reason why the government has not prepared or planned for these problems is that the government is still in denial along with 52% of the British media, well 80% of the British media - they’re still denying that these problems exist", James remarked.

“Liz Truss stands up in public and talks about cutting red tape and nobody says, but we are massively increasing the amount of red tape”, he continued.

“We’ve become a third country with our biggest trading partner, and that means we need loads more regulation in order simply to carry on doing what we were doing before with no friction at all.”

James recalled a conversation with a previous caller, Sarah, who expressed concern about medical supplies coming into the UK for her disabled son after Brexit.

Continuing, he added: “The Health Secretary Executive is warning that Civil Service budget cuts, which Rees-Mogg is dancing around the room boasting about, are also likely to impede their ability to adapt to a post-Brexit regulatory environment."

“They’re denying the problems exist, failing to prepare a system that can process the problems, and then promising to reduce the number of people charged with providing the system that they’re failing to prepare to process the problems that they have simultaneously created and denied.

“It’s like a Russian doll of idiocy. Every time you open another one, there’s another one inside”, James said.

"They need help fixing problems that this government created and denies."

“If I’d flogged you this, I’d probably be talking about coronations and environmental protesters”, he explained, before admitting, “except I wouldn’t cause I’m too honest.

“I’d be self-flagellating myself on the radio, apologising to you every single day for ever treating someone like Nadine Dorries or Jacob Rees-Mogg or David Davis or Andrew Bridgen or Andrea Leadsom like valid contributors to public discourse.”

He added: “For pretending that somebody like Digby Pudding Jones had the first idea what he was talking about when he flogged this absolute nightmare to an utterly undeserving country.”