Theresa May

[dandarez]

Kermit power said:

don4l said:

Elroy Blue said:

Teflon Theresa. One of the most incompetent Home Secretarys ever. Despite everything she touched becoming a shambles, nothing ever stuck.
She's lucky her opposite number is Corbyn. Anyone with half an ounce of competence would take her to the cleaners.

I have a suspicion that as time passes you will come to like her.


She publicly declared herself as a Remainer, but then she appointed Liam Fox, David Davis and Ian Duncan-Smith to her cabinet. It would appear that she was probably a Leaver all along.

More likely she just wanted them as scapegoats when the st hits the fan...

Remember.

Sometimes scapegoats go ...more often than not it is those who appoint who go.

[mondeoman]

Can't say as I share Don's enthusiasm.

[craigjm]

Garvin said:

Immigration : Committed to gaining control of immigration by the government.

Shes been responsible for the last 6 years so what kind of commitment was that?!

[Murph7355]

On Brexit she's taking the sensible approach thus far. The media and the salivating public wanting answers "now now now" should STFU. They've quite evidently never been involved in serious negotiations. Whether she and her team can pull it off time will tell. Castigate her then (or not).

Faith schools - no place for govt funding IMO. Faith schools of any denomination should be privately funded only and subject to rigorous inspection.

Grammar schools - am in favour of these. We have to start accepting that kids learn differently and are good at different things. We also have to get rid of the chips on this country's shoulders around "elitism". We are heading, and have been heading for 20yrs, down a path of mediocrity at best. It's not good enough.

I thought she was pretty good on the Marr show, though didn't see it all.

[TonyToniTone]

don4l said:

I'm surprised that we don't already have a thread about this great woman.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1621290

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=154...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=160...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=160...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=851...

& more...

[elanfan]

I'm still a little on the fence but I guess time will be the judge, it's still very much early days though I hope she has a backbone.

Talking of backbone. Does she have a bad back as she walks as though she's st herself?

[Strocky]

I'm in love (after tonight's pronouncement)

[All that jazz]

I find her approach refreshing after so many useless PMs. As mentioned by others she's certainly canny. Instead of giving endless soundbites and hot air like other politicians she keeps her head down, has a good think behind closed doors on what best to do then Bam! : "Right, this is what is going to happen. Deal with it". Admittedly, not much of this has actually been put into practice yet but she's certainly making the right noises and is coming across as being very convincing if she doesn't follow through in the end. I'm particularly pleased with her handling of Brexit thus far.

I do share concerns like others over faith schools which I don't agree with at all and am also not forgetting her pet project of privatising the plod which I don't agree with either and is understandable why the resident plod here are so bitter about her. Remains to be seen how she will turn out but considering the relatively short time she's been in office she's certainly got stuck in and is doing OK imho. The country needs a 'doer' and not a 'talker' right now and she's the best person for the job.

[Tryke3]

Welshbeef said:

hairyben said:

Her names officially mud in this house as mrs H best friend - a supremely talented musician with muliple high paying work and tour offers has, after years and a probabe 6 figure spend, given up fighting the home office for residency and gone back to australia. He exactly the "kind" person we want but how he has been treated by the home office run by May is disguisting and illegal to the point hes being pressurised and has good grounds to sue and I'd be (out of character) 100% behind him in this.

Aside from that though I'd say she seems quite savvy which does set her apart from most of the dredge of westminister.

I don't get the first bit.

A musician isn't a job "need" for the UK.
Brickies
Plumbers
Plasterers
Electrician's
Drs
Etc

So if it was a strict choice between a needed skill set vs a very nice to have culture then clearly it's going to go the way of specific need.

Prime example of why people should not be allowed to vote

[JagLover]

greygoose said:

Apart from being a woman I can't really see much similarity to Thatcher yet, May hasn't actually done anything despite don4l's excitement.

This

She currently has favourable press coverage, and talks a good talk, but hasn't actually done anything.

[JagLover]

dbdb said:

I suspect Theresa May's period in office could have a similar trajectory to that of Gordon Brown, though not necessarily for the same reasons. Brown enjoyed a long honeymoon period in which he was regarded as having an iron grip and a golden touch. It didn't last and his leadership descended into shambles.

I can see this also happening to Theresa May. Brexit has set her an impossible task. Opinion is almost evenly split, deeply held and thoroughly entrenched both in her political party and in the country. There was a time when only anti-EU opinion had any fire to it. The vote to leave has ended this with those wanting to have remained in the EU now just as fervent as the ones wanting to leave it have long been. Pleasing both will be very difficult to do; if she manages it, she will deserve the sobriquet 'Great'. I do not believe she will.

Time will tell, but I don't personally see her as being strong. I believe she will cave in to the Right wing of the party and deliver a Hard Brexit. The realities of that may or may not have carried the day on the day of the vote - I cannot know - but I suspect that it might not be so popular in two or three years time. Either way, even on the best-case, it will involve a huge amount on infighting amongst the Tories and Tory voters, just as it will across society. It is quite wrong to suggest that May enjoys the support of all Conservative voters and the political centre ground generally for a Hard Brexit - or some of her other policies - and if she shifts Hard-right politically as she currently appears to be doing - despite all her mellifluous One-Nation words.

52% voted to regain national sovereignty and control over our own borders. If the only way to achieve that is a "hard" Brexit then so be it.

To present this as some sort of "fringe" interest is highly misleading. We didn't vote for the continuation of open borders and for laws to continue to be opposed on us, now with no input from us.

[don4l]

JagLover said:

greygoose said:

Apart from being a woman I can't really see much similarity to Thatcher yet, May hasn't actually done anything despite don4l's excitement.

This

She currently has favourable press coverage, and talks a good talk, but hasn't actually done anything.

She has managed to wind up the lefties far quicker than Thatcher did.

It took two years for the left to realise that their dreams were shattered under Thatcher.

Theresa May only took two weeks.

When Trump is president, we will probably join NAAFTA within a few weeks.

"Back of the queue", my arse.

[FN2TypeR]

I very much doubt that The Hair will be the President of the USA.

[Esseesse]

don4l said:

When Trump is president, we will probably join NAAFTA within a few weeks.

So we can outsource our remaining manufacturing to Mexico?

[ATG]

Troubleatmill said:

I would much rather it was her than the 5 non elected EU presidents

We can at least vote her out of power.

This kind of comparisson is daft. It's like comparing a row boat to an aircraft carrier. The UK PM has power, EU presidents have virtually none. It's also not even a choice between one or the other.

[Tryke3]

ATG said:

Troubleatmill said:

I would much rather it was her than the 5 non elected EU presidents

We can at least vote her out of power.

This kind of comparisson is daft. It's like comparing a row boat to an aircraft carrier. The UK PM has power, EU presidents have virtually none. It's also not even a choice between one or the other.

Doesnt sound so dramatic does it ? I mean the great unwashed cant get angry if they actually knew what they were talking about

[turbobloke]

ATG said:

Troubleatmill said:

I would much rather it was her than the 5 non elected EU presidents

We can at least vote her out of power.

This kind of comparisson is daft. It's like comparing a row boat to an aircraft carrier. The UK PM has power, EU presidents have virtually none. It's also not even a choice between one or the other.

It's an excellent comparison - we can indeed vote as a national electorate to boot TM out, we cannot do the same for unelected (by us, directly) eurocrats.

Thank goodness we're on the way out!

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/european-council...

[V8mate]

Smollet said:

I find her stance on promoting faith schools is a massive step backwards but I think she's arguably the right person for the job apart from that.

Yep, this has been my stand-out 'WTF?' moment.

And I was somewhat disappointed by the confirmation of the Hinkley C decision too.

Haters are always gonna hate, and everyone can always the country better than the person in charge, but she mixes ideology with practicality well and she's decisive, and I like that in a leader.

[hornetrider]

don4l said:

I'm surprised that we don't already have a thread about this great woman.

We do.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[ATG]

turbobloke said:

ATG said:

Troubleatmill said:

I would much rather it was her than the 5 non elected EU presidents

We can at least vote her out of power.

This kind of comparisson is daft. It's like comparing a row boat to an aircraft carrier. The UK PM has power, EU presidents have virtually none. It's also not even a choice between one or the other.

It's an excellent comparison - we can indeed vote as a national electorate to boot TM out, we cannot do the same for unelected (by us, directly) eurocrats.

Thank goodness we're on the way out!

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/european-council...

Did you actually read your own link? Senior UK civil servants wield far more power than an EU president. Do we complain that they're not directly elected? No. We don't even directly elect our own bloody PM. UK population is about 65,000,000. How many people voted for May at the last election? About 35,000, and they didn't even know they were voting for a PM.