Tory leader - place your bets

[thirdcrank]

Should anybody be concerned that this is objectivising women, I'll mention that both Her Majesty's Britannic Buffoon and the deputy leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition have lost quite a lot of poundage recently, which suggests that men are having to think about their vital statistics too.

[Tangled Metal]

I hadn't realised there was a woman standing so thought you had got turned on by Boris on a frock.

My mistake, it's Esther McVey. She went on I'm a celebrity as a standing mp and got onto trouble with her party for it. That reality TV show raised her profile such that she got more qt appearances out of it. She's more a bit player and right wing end of the Tory political spectrum I believe. Zero chance of getting the job IMHO. Also not very nice IMHO because of her opinions. Certainly if you're right wing tory voter finds her distasteful then you Leftie lot will positively froth at the mouth to condemn her of age did win the job. (No offence meant, just saying even I hope she gets dropped quickly in the hustings).

well she would restore the TV licence free for over 75s if she became leader. She mentions here some policies that dont sound too bad eg cut foreign aid by £7bn ( only thing is what she would spend the £7bn on though)

https://twitter.com/EstherMcVey1

So the tories handed the cost of free licences for 75+ year olds. Then BBC sees if as a way to reduce costs to cancel it but for those on credits. Now a tory leadership candidate says she'll take back the costs of the free licences from the BBC so they're not cancelled. Circular journey.

Only one issue, she'll be dropped before the party gets to vote on the final two. She's only doing it to get noticed. A cabinet post is her goal so she can promise anything.

[Oldjohnw]

I hadn't realised there was a woman standing so thought you had got turned on by Boris on a frock.

My mistake, it's Esther McVey. She went on I'm a celebrity as a standing mp and got onto trouble with her party for it. That reality TV show raised her profile such that she got more qt appearances out of it. She's more a bit player and right wing end of the Tory political spectrum I believe. Zero chance of getting the job IMHO. Also not very nice IMHO because of her opinions. Certainly if you're right wing tory voter finds her distasteful then you Leftie lot will positively froth at the mouth to condemn her of age did win the job. (No offence meant, just saying even I hope she gets dropped quickly in the hustings).

I don't believe she was ever on 'I'm a celebrity' - that was Nadine Dorries. McVey was a TV presenter and is currently in a public row with Lorraine Kelly. I have no idea what about. She is, however, engaged to one of the most unpleasant tory MPs of all time, Philip Davies, and she has been in trouble many times for making extreme, untrue and unpleasant comments both inside and outside of Parliament.

[mercalia]

One of the tory candidates is getting desperate for votes?
But even the cat shows disdain for him?

desperate

[reohn2]

Not far off the truth even in jest

[reohn2]

Hoping the red trouser and chinze brigade dont elect Boris which will make us even more of a laughing stock.

Al

I think most of us agree with that, with the unfortunate exceptions of a majority of the 120,000 members of the Tory Party.

Who'll choose the next PM without a GE,and will then wield great power over an electorate,who never voted for such a PM,after who the previous PM didnt have a majority but relied on on 10 DUP MP's to prop up the worst government the country has ever seen in living memory.
Meanwhile the Brexit supporters believe this is taking back control,taking back control can mean 60,001 choose the direction the country goes in for the next three and a half years and at a crucial time in the country's history.

Demockracy has it's finest hour.
No wonder the world laughs at us

[kwackers]

Who'll choose the next PM without a GE,and will then wield great power over an electorate,who never voted for such a PM,after who the previous PM didnt have a majority but relied on on 10 DUP MP's to prop up the worst government the country has ever seen in living memory.

Worth seeing what Boris himself has to say on the issue:

“It’s the arrogance. It’s the contempt. That’s what gets me. It’s Gordon Brown’s apparent belief that he can just trample on the democratic will of the British people. It’s at moments like this that I think the political world has gone mad, and I am alone in detecting the gigantic fraud.”

“They voted for Anthony Charles Lynton Blair to serve as their leader. They were at no stage invited to vote on whether Gordon Brown should be PM… They voted for Tony, and yet they now get Gordon, and a transition about as democratically proper as the transition from Claudius to Nero. It is a scandal. Why are we all conniving in this stitch-up? This is nothing less than a palace coup… with North Korean servility, the Labour Party has handed power over to the brooding Scottish power-maniac.”

[JohnW]

Hoping the red trouser and chinze brigade dont elect Boris which will make us even more of a laughing stock..............No wonder the world laughs at us

Don't they just?

[Cugel]

One of the tory candidates is getting desperate for votes?
But even the cat shows disdain for him?

desperate.JPG

I do not care for the unclean leer of that bloke as he contemplates the puss's position. Someone call the RSPCA before he grabs it! Pigs are one thing but really!

Cugel

[661-Pete]

Several people on this forum - especially those of the Brex**it persuasion - have complained about ad hominem abuse - mostly in the Brex**it thread.

However, Tory leadership candidates have no compunctions about laying into those they disagree with:


I wonder if the Speaker can 'name' MPs who misbehave outside the House? Or what would happen if she repeats this abuse within the Chamber?

[Tangled Metal]

Current tory membership is at 160,000 and they vote for leader of their party according to their rules. They decide between two candidates. Whilst technically that could mean 80,001 to 79,999 voting gets someone into number 10 it's more likely to be higher for one candidate.

However this has always been the same. The May became pm based on membership vote but wasn't elected until a year later. Gordon Brown was never elected but lasted at number 10 as pm for some time. Major was pm without election until he won the election.

Why is it only an issue when it's the other side that's benefiting? Seriously, why do people never complain when their guy benefits? If it's an issue then after a general election the government in power could present legislation to stop that. It has always been possible to stop that happening but once in new governments never change election law unless it's in their favour. It's not really in their favour to change his aspect.

You could always start a petition. However first thought would possibly be political self interest by doing so. You're a Labour supporter who thinks a ge will get Corbyn in.

[Mike Sales]

Why is it only an issue when it's the other side that's benefiting? Seriously, why do people never complain when their guy benefits?

Or indeed when they themselves benefit? Still, I'm sure Boris won't be embarrassed by the speech of his that Reohn2 quoted above. Nothing embarrasses him.

“It’s the arrogance. It’s the contempt. That’s what gets me. It’s Gordon Brown’s apparent belief that he can just trample on the democratic will of the British people. It’s at moments like this that I think the political world has gone mad, and I am alone in detecting the gigantic fraud.”

“They voted for Anthony Charles Lynton Blair to serve as their leader. They were at no stage invited to vote on whether Gordon Brown should be PM… They voted for Tony, and yet they now get Gordon, and a transition about as democratically proper as the transition from Claudius to Nero. It is a scandal. Why are we all conniving in this stitch-up? This is nothing less than a palace coup… with North Korean servility, the Labour Party has handed power over to the brooding Scottish power-maniac.”

[Tangled Metal]

Quite right, I think it's good to highlight hypocrisy in political life. It's the tory's turn to be highlighted as the hypocrites on this matter. Sooner or later it'll switch to Labour being the hypocrites on this.

The only way to change it is through legislation similar to the fixed term act. Where only a vote in Parliament can stop a general election following a change in leadership of a party in government. Will the tories do it? Or will the next Labour government do it? I would never bet for either to do it. So at the end of a particular party's reign in government you'll always get a pm without the mandate given by a GE. Live with it now because it'll benefit your lot next cycle.

[mjr]

The only way to change it is through legislation similar to the fixed term act. Where only a vote in Parliament can stop a general election following a change in leadership of a party in government.

Does anywhere do that in law? I know in some countries an election following a change in the majority leader generally happens in practice because the prime minister is basically what holds the ruling coalition together (in some cases, such as Italy at present, the prime minister leads neither party in the coalition and is a consensus candidate of them).

[Mike Sales]

The only way to change it is through legislation similar to the fixed term act. Where only a vote in Parliament can stop a general election following a change in leadership of a party in government.

Does anywhere do that in law? I know in some countries an election following a change in the majority leader generally happens in practice because the prime minister is basically what holds the ruling coalition together (in some cases, such as Italy at present, the prime minister leads neither party in the coalition and is a consensus candidate of them).

In Britain we are held to vote for a candidate for our constituency. Elected M.P.s then agree on a P.M. We do seem to be moving towards a more presidential system, in our usual messy and undefined way.