Beliefs and minds

Minds can be changed.

Beliefs cannot.

And those with beliefs, generally, the more you try to change their beliefs the more they believe they're right.

Or something.

Belief in Brexit was just that, belief when all evidence and expert opinion was against you. So, true Brexit believers believed all the harder because, they must know something the experts did not. Or if they did, it was some kind of plot to keep the experts in power, or rich, Brexit is so wonderful, it will succeed.

It must.

Therefore, despit being part of a Government for 36 months that had as its core policies that taxes must rise to promote growth, Truss and her Cabinet now believe the opposite, that cutting taxes, for the rich, will promote growth.

There is no evidence for this.

No plan.

Other than saying the words, the mantra, over and over again. And repeat the mantra to every question.

As with Johnson, when beliefs meet reality, reality will always win out, and there is either a climbdown, a u-turn or simply blame someone else for your own policy failings.

Remember, this budget was declared by people and newspapers that should have known better as the best Conservative budget since 1986 and a "true" Conservative one at that.

In 1986, the richest people in the land were paying 60% tax, and were apparently happy. Tax cuts only came in the last couple of years of Thatcher's third term.

To have growth, there has to be stability: no more trade war with Europe, there has to be harmonisation with the EU and other key markets, to reduce costs in compliance and ease of movement at borders. Just the opposite to what Truss and co are now proposing.

One can only shudder at what reality might do to that belief.