To be fair the Whigs did have a 'second member' for the constituency in 1834...
Westminster Politics
- Thread starter altodevil
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To be fair the Whigs did have a 'second member' for the constituency in 1834...
He actually might go you know. Like someone else said I don’t want the tories to replace him and have the new manager bounce and have a run of form going into an election, and then pretend the problems were from a different regime. Rishi has enough good will from the public as he gave people free money to get them back on track.
The idea of Johnson being ousted is strangely unappealing with Patel, Gove or the army of incompetent clowns as alternatives. The few that aren't hopeless are frankly worrying.
You either get clowns like Raab, Truss, etc. Or dangerous ones like Patel.
I think you're right. It will take an abnormally large amount of hoodwinkery and bullsh*tting on his part to stop this momentum steamrollering him.
Pretty much. Rishi Sunak looks somewhat vaguely human but it feels like that couldn't possibly appeal to tory voters these days.
Do you still vote for the Monster Raving Looney Party every other election?
Are they still a thing?
Some won't sleep tonight. Knowing Dom, he's probably trolling.
Ready made excuse to spend more time with the family as well
Great point.
Maybe. But what's the point of him holding centrist views where Priti is pushing through what she wants anyway?
I’m not even sure he is a liberal Tory anyway - he obviously positioned himself that way to win in London but it’s not obvious he has any guiding principles other than cynicism and expediency.
Hes definitely a ‘one nation’ Tory on their more progressive side but he’s more likely to do whatever it takes to stay in power. Given that he needs the red wall it will keep him more moderate as it stands, at least in economic terms in relation to the Tory party.
Rishi Sunak will be PM if Johnson is given the boot. I personally think Johnson is hoping for this. He can say he got Brexit done for all his rich tax-dodging mates and ride off into the sunset, leaving others to clean up his mess.
Don't rule out gove (with cummings in tow) having some kompromat ready to drop on dishy rishy if boris goes
Some people keep on saying Sunak will become PM. As well as the Indian community is generally well integrated here, is the country really ready to have a person of Indian descent and a practicing Hindu as PM?
Who was the last non-Anglican PM we had?
Who was the last non-Anglican PM we had?
Johnson is 3/4 catholic, he swaps round apparently. Blair converted after stepping down. As for Indians and Hindus, only a minority would care nowadays, I don't think it would hold him back.
Being a copper you would know all about nudge nudge wink wink, cough *mason* coughOh I get you.. nudge nudge, wink wink
Being a copper you would know all about nudge nudge wink wink, cough *mason* cough
Ahh the Greenwood fan club?
Would agree with that. He's not liberal in the slightest, but he's positioned himself to be somewhat popular with voters in the North (furlough, uplift in UC etc) which many of them wouldn't dream of. Economically liberal is perhaps more accurate.
Let's not forget the horrid woman who was prime minister before boris, and home secretary before that. Sinister crap going on there. Their whole judicial attitude is dark too, but then this country loves a wolf whistle. It's fecking weird how even US republican maniacs would wince at many of their policies.
But Blair officially converted to Anglicanism and then back to Catholicism after his political career was over and Johnson also converted technically to Anglicanism.
Not saying its a huge factor in peoples' decision or that there would be some major uproar about his religion but I'm not sure people would necessarily be as OK with it as we think. The conversions of those two leaders only makes me think even more that, rightly or wrongly, they thought it would be better for their political prospects to be an Anglican while running for office.
I think we broadly agree there is some impact, I'm just saying I don't think it would be crucial.
Britain has a catholic prime minister, going by the baptising of his children anyway, a muslim mayor of london, a hindu chancellor, and not long ago a jewish chancellor and jewish leader of the opposition. In terms of religion there's probably more to be positive about than not, at the moment at least. Personally I'm more against upper class public school knobs than anyone else, but it doesn't stop them getting in.
Boris is Catholic now. Back in Blairs day he has Northern Ireland to think about.
I don't think it would matter in the eyes of the country, but I think it could potentially matter in the eyes of the Tory membership, when they vote during the final round of a party leadership contest. I could see Sunak surviving the initially 'battle royale' stage of a leadership contest when only the MPs vote to narrow it down to 2 candidates, but losing in the final round when voting opens up to all party members.
I understand that in general the wider Tory membership is typically more right wing than its parliamentary MPs, and largely are more aligned with the views of someone like Christopher Chope, than someone like Tobias Ellwood.
I know it's more than 8 years ago now, but the Tory membership were absolutely furious with Cameron when he pushed for the Commons to vote for and then support legalising same sex and marriage (though he never would have done that had the Lib Dems not been in coalition with him).
I think Rishi’s big problem will be that he’s a super polished politician in the mold of Blair or Cameron. I’m not sure how that sells in the red wall. Boris’s popularity there is to a significant degree because he’s the opposite of that.
I don’t see another potential Tory candidate that isn’t in that mould.
I think Rishi is on the level of those two, he’s too good in a sense. I don’t think there’s another Tory that is on that level currently. Im not sure there is another Tory that could appeal to the red wall like Boris does really.
Re Rishi: I wonder if the new voters captured amongst the lower economic Asian community will be enough to offset the Brexit voting ones that will be lost by seeing a brown face
Hopefully Labour can continue to capitalise on the growing anger from the public towards the Tories, and do well polling-wise, although of course there's still a long time ago until the next election.
I'm still sceptical about whether Labour can even become the largest party at the next election (let alone win a majority). That's considering they are starting from a very low base in terms of parliamentary arithmetic (I think they currently only have 199 seats, 10 fewer than they had after the 1983 election with Michael Foot), they are basically dead and buried in Scotland (as long as the issue of Scottish independence dominates the agenda in Scotland there seems no way back for them there), and that Starmer still doesn't strike me a strong or charismatic leader (sadly charisma and soundbites are important in modern day politics especially).
I was slow on the uptake I know, but a few years ago the reality dawned on me that the Tories are basically the default party of government in Westminster, and that Labour only get 'their turn' in power when enough voters finally grow tired of the Tories and want a change.
I'm still sceptical about whether Labour can even become the largest party at the next election (let alone win a majority). That's considering they are starting from a very low base in terms of parliamentary arithmetic (I think they currently only have 199 seats, 10 fewer than they had after the 1983 election with Michael Foot), they are basically dead and buried in Scotland (as long as the issue of Scottish independence dominates the agenda in Scotland there seems no way back for them there), and that Starmer still doesn't strike me a strong or charismatic leader (sadly charisma and soundbites are important in modern day politics especially).
I was slow on the uptake I know, but a few years ago the reality dawned on me that the Tories are basically the default party of government in Westminster, and that Labour only get 'their turn' in power when enough voters finally grow tired of the Tories and want a change.
Sunak has the added advantage that no one really knows what his views are broadly. He's got good will for the programs he has managed as chancellor regarding the pandemic furlough and economic measures but it's unlikely anyone else would have done anything else differently in the scenario. And he's been wise enough to keep his mouth shut on issues outside his remit that are more controversial positions. There are times when he's on the media circuit non-stop but other times where he's gone silent because there is nothing to say.
Yes indeed.
Sunak is quite a polished performer although we have yet to see how well he manages the country finances in the medium term.
But he lacks any real charisma and is a bit too clean cut.
Boris on the other hand is the polar opposite. And to some, that is his appeal; he is different and seen as a cavalier.
Wow, the Tories are in trouble... and it was parties a year ago that have finally brought them down. Not the other heinous shite they did before. The UK public are a strange bunch
Basically corruption and screwing over people are okay. But the second they do something that the public themselves aren’t allowed to do then they suddenly get really cross (eg barnard castle).