Sajid Javid next PM?
Discussion
El stovey said:
maybe providing a more electable alternative to Rees Mogg.
Many people are more electable than Rees Mogg. Rees Mogg is clearly bright, and more cerebral than many politicians, but electable as PM? No.And before everyone jumps in, I know we don't directly elect our PM, but people do vote for parties based on perception of who will get the top job if that party wins a majority.
El stovey said:
Conservatives have an internal battle in direction between one nation conservatives like May and Thatcherites like Rees Mogg and possibly Javid.
Under May and Cameron the conservatives are a centrist party and winning elections. Many conservatives don’t think these are traditional conservative values and want a more Thatcherite right wing leader and direction.
So I’m asking if this is a good idea having a Thatcherite leader or will it make the conservatives unelectable?
Right, thanks. What do you think Maybot is naturally?Under May and Cameron the conservatives are a centrist party and winning elections. Many conservatives don’t think these are traditional conservative values and want a more Thatcherite right wing leader and direction.
So I’m asking if this is a good idea having a Thatcherite leader or will it make the conservatives unelectable?
What the Tories need is someone who has conviction, can articulate it and will act on it.
In short, they need a leader. And a leader who can articulate a vision for the UK in the next 10 years while weathering criticism without bending to it.
Since Thatcher, love her or hate her it's been a succession of opinion poll following PMs who've drifted to the centre of politics and now the government doesn't have a direction at all. Polls and social media dictate everything and conflict is avoided at all costs; centre left, centre right - I can't tell the difference.
When you allow social media to determine policy (and worse, policy U-turns) then you know you're in trouble.
Whether the next leader is Thatcherite, One-nation, white, black, Muslim or anything else matters less than having someone who people feel they can follow.
Which is what's so depressing, because I fear that will never happen - there's so much infighting and division now that anyone who puts their head above the parapet gets no time at all to shine before they're brought low by an opposing faction.
In short, they need a leader. And a leader who can articulate a vision for the UK in the next 10 years while weathering criticism without bending to it.
Since Thatcher, love her or hate her it's been a succession of opinion poll following PMs who've drifted to the centre of politics and now the government doesn't have a direction at all. Polls and social media dictate everything and conflict is avoided at all costs; centre left, centre right - I can't tell the difference.
When you allow social media to determine policy (and worse, policy U-turns) then you know you're in trouble.
Whether the next leader is Thatcherite, One-nation, white, black, Muslim or anything else matters less than having someone who people feel they can follow.
Which is what's so depressing, because I fear that will never happen - there's so much infighting and division now that anyone who puts their head above the parapet gets no time at all to shine before they're brought low by an opposing faction.
Mark Benson said:
What the Tories need is someone who has conviction, can articulate it and will act on it.
What they need... What any party needs is someone capable of controlling the squabbling factions. No matter how much you hate Corbyn, he does rule Labour without a doubt. May is a figurehead, not a leader and I fear Javid will be the same. A likeable face on an unlikeable organisation is doomed to failure if they cant control the squabbling.
Randy Winkman said:
I quite like him but he was strangely ineffective as SoS in the department for business before going (demoted?) to communities & local government. I say strangely because he was bigged-up about his high-powered business background but then didn't actually appear to do anything.
I think the ability of anyone who's had to put the time and effort in to becoming a politician of really understanding business (especially the SME economy) is finite. To the point that I think this part of government needs a radical shakeup, with all parties agreeing to work alongside a panel people with proper business experience.As for the Conservatives, what they most definitely do not want (yet again) is either:
- A 'thatcher clone' which sadly, May resembles too much, or
- Another public school gammon
Tory members are not representative of British society and have history of rejecting leaders who may be more electable in favour of weirdos, as they were back then, like IDS, Hague etc. Javid would probably do well among the electorate as a whole but would the overwhelmingly old and male Tory members really vote for him?
BlackLabel said:
Tory members are not representative of British society and have history of rejecting leaders who may be more electable in favour of weirdos, as they were back then, like IDS, Hague etc. Javid would probably do well among the electorate as a whole but would the overwhelmingly old and male Tory members really vote for him?
I agree, they are cretins who know nothing about PR and public opinion.It is not just in regard to selection of leaders and key members, but also in terms of scoring serious points against their opposition in the media. There have been numerous examples where any competent party would have gone for the jugular; just one such being the abject paucity of criticism of Gordon Brown's pension reforms.
BlackLabel said:
Tory members are not representative of British society and have history of rejecting leaders who may be more electable in favour of weirdos, as they were back then, like IDS, Hague etc. Javid would probably do well among the electorate as a whole but would the overwhelmingly old and male Tory members really vote for him?
The selection of leader is MPs vote then the top two go to the Members to decide, so it's not as straightforward as if the members don't like him they won't end up with him. All that has to happen is that the MPs choose him and someone else, and the someone else then throws in the towel. There wouldn't then be a vote between the third candidate and Javid because the third candidate is no longer in the contest. There was no membership ballot re May for the same reason. Without the members having a free choice they're far more likely to vote for someone they don't want, because they want the other even less as well.
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