Belfast city centre

Ship Of Fools

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Liz Truss’s Titanic hit not one but a series of icebergs (described previously in Broken Promises) and announced her resignation as leader of the Conservative party, and therefore as UK prime minister, on October 20th, triggering another leadership contest, with the previously-defeated Rishi Sunak back in the running in addition to – for a day, at least – former PM Boris Johnson; the third person shown is Penny Mordaunt. In the end, Sunak went unopposed (WP) and left the lifeboat to join the circling sharks: Putin, strikes, NI Protocol, energy costs.

This is the fourth in a chronicle of the Truss premiership by Ciaran Gallagher (web) in Hill St: And In The Blue Corner … (Truss vs. Sunak) | It’s A Knockout! (Truss wins) | Broken Promises (Truss crisis). Many of the pieces were later mounted in the courtyard of the Dark Horse bar – see the entry in the Paddy Duffy collection.

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Broken Promises

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The newspaper front pages reporting the “90-minute shouting match” between the resigning UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Prime Minister Liz Truss (third image, below) were barely dry when Truss herself resigned yesterday. The main cause was the September 23rd “mini-budget” that promised to scrap the 45% personal tax rate entirely, lower the 20% to 19%, and keep the corporate rate at 19% instead of having it increase to 25% in April 2023 – these numbers are seen on the pages falling from Truss’s hands, above – without explaining how the reductions would be funded. Over the next three weeks these positions were reversed – “volte face”, Truss’s flip-flops, and the two-headed Truss; all part of a pattern, artist Ciaran Gallagher (web) suggests with Truss’s clothing: she was originally in the Lib Dems before joining the Conservatives in 1996 and supported ‘remain’ in the Brexit vote (WP).

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng went on the 14th. Braverman resigned over a breach of the Ministerial Code – sharing an official document on migration from her personal e-mail account – but got in a few digs at the Truss government as she left. (WP)

The Tories hope to put a new leader and PM in place within a week. Rishi Sunak, Terminator-style, says “I’ll be back!” and is – as of today, at least – the bookies’ favourite (BBC).

For Larry the cat – who was previously pictured sitting on the steps outside Number 10 but has gone from the mural – next week’s prime minister will be his fifth.

Previous versions of this mural: And In The Blue Corner … (from the Truss vs. Sunak leadership contest) | It’s A Knockout! (when Truss won)

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It’s A Knockout!

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It’s A Knockout ran from 1966 to 1982 and entertained millions both live and on television, with teams from neighbouring towns playing ridiculous games in over-sized foam-rubber suits (plus jaunty theme music by Herb Alpert). It was based on a French show that was based on an Italian show, and so broad was its appeal that Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Great Britain (and, once, a team from “Northern Ireland”) – took part in an international version, called Jeux Sans Frontières. (Here’s a ‘best of’ compilation.)

The Conservative party leadership election ran for 54 days, with a series of debates and twelve hustings involving candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak (here are summaries of all twelve hustings, including the one in Belfast), ending mercifully on September 5th with party members electing Truss. In Ciaran Gallagher’s (web) repainted mural (see previously, And In The Blue Corner …) Jacob Rees-Mogg declares Truss – in the Union Flag top and England shorts – the winner while Boris Johnson (still nominally the Prime Minister but who took two holidays, to Slovenia and Greece (HuffPo)) counts out the bloody-nosed Sunak, skipping over the No 10.

In the middle of the mural, Larry (the cat) wants to “Bring back Julian Smith!” Smith was NI Secretary 2019-2020. The task has (eventually) fallen to Euro-skeptic Chris Heaton-Harris, Conservative MP for Daventry (web). He replaces Shailesh Vara, who lasted 62 days, the shortest-lasting NI Secretary ever (BBC).

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And In The Blue Corner …

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This is the completed version of the Sunak-Truss mural – including Larry The Cat (ig) – in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter. The two candidates fighting to get through the door to No 10 Downing Street are, in the ‘Leave’ corner, wearing gold gloves, and sponsored by Prada, which is where his expensive loafers came from (Yahoo News) Rishi Sunak, and in the ‘Remain’ corner, wearing Euro gloves, and sponsored by Claire’s, which is where her 4.50 earrings come from (Nadine Dorries’s twitter), Lizz Truss.

“Round 8” above the ring indicates that the Belfast hustings (in the Culloden on Wednesday 17th) for Conservative leader were the eighth in a series of twelve. The News Letter has a blow-by-blow account of the meeting. In classic journalistic style, ITV reported on the hustings from in front of the mural (video).

Painted by Ciaran Gallagher (web) with funding by Willie Jack of the Duke Of York and Harp Bar (Today Post).

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Alternative Ulster

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“Where is our Alternative Ulster?” Alternative Ulster was a fanzine (Fb | Musical Revolutions) and later a magazine (Issuu) and radio show covering the Belfast music and arts scene until March 2012; the name was then used for the Stiff Little Fingers’ song (youtube) in 1978.

By Verz (Fb) and Belfast One (web) in Fountain Street, Belfast.

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Wind-Up Merchant

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Work by Leo Boyd (web | ig) – and five other artists – is currently showing in The National in High Street. Today’s post shows 2019’s ‘Belfast Romances’ – still rolling in Victoria Street – featuring many familiar Boydisms: When Urban Love Goes Wrong, Belfast Kitty Hall, DeLorean cars, Godzilla – “The monster created by atoms gone wild! Escaped from Belfast zoo”, and the wind-up police land-rover.

“Approved by DC Tours“

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You Beaut

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North Street Arcade was burned down in April 2004 – see Who Burnt Us Out?. Since 2012, there has been street art at both its North Street and Donegall Street ends, the latest (from September, 2021) being this piece by Danni Simpson (ig) in Donegall St.

For the girl with owl left over from the previous Matt Sewell street art, see Only When The Dusk Starts To Fall (along with A Bird In The Hand and Carnival Of The Animals).

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