Having a period of - well, austerity, shall we say - certainly humbles you.

During these moments of extreme difficulty we will all have to adapt in some way, because there are already many who live in hardship.

But that is the natural endpoint of austerity right there: punishing people for circumstances completely beyond their control. And Sunak is now promising to introduce what he calls the next generation of welfare reforms, including yet more cuts, justifying it by saying, “I worry very much about benefits becoming a lifestyle choice.” Which is a rich fucking statement from a rich fucking man who’d probably go into anaphylactic shock if he ever had to fly coach.

While the changes that are necessary are actually simple, they're painful, and require courage and sacrifice. Living standards will decline in real terms. Citizens will have to save more and consume less. Working lives with lengthen. For many, retirement will be revert to being a luxury. Taxes and charges for government services will rise to match the cost of providing them. There has to be greater emphasis on the real economy - the creation and sale of goods and services. Financial institutions need to return to their actual role of supporting economic activity.

The Fastlane process demands sacrifices that few make, to resolve to live like few can.

All of these are the sacrifices required for us to make it, and we have to be prepared to do so"

I think we just had to find a way to balance everything. We should also know that we’re going to make some sacrifices.

Hard times are a-coming, and people without useful, practical skills are going to suffer. Or suffer most.

People have to really suffer before they can risk doing what they love.

Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.

We have to demonstrate to the public that our commitment is protecting public services in the face of a spending contraction which is inevitable.

[T]hings we thought were permanent and stable are not. Soft totalitarianism is coming. It is time to prepare for the struggle ahead.

The attack on the Sri Lankans means we should brace ourselves for some tough times.

We will be forced to cut state benefits, support personal responsibility and demand higher personal contributions from each individual.