Paucity of Brexit-friendly talent in the Tory ranks is the main factor in this IMO. And Johnson’s team choosing candidates they hoped would be easily controlled.
Maybe, but the guy didn't exist politically until 2014, he was a Hedge Fund manager in 'the City' and out of nowhere he's given the candidacy for one of the safest Tory seats in the UK, became an MP in 2015, he's Chief Sec under Javid 3 years later and goes from being a complete outsider to Chancellor of the Exchequer when he leaves. Compare that to even the shadiest Tory MPs and that's blisteringly quick.
I'm not saying he's been parachuted into Government by Billionaires to look after their interests, but if Billionaires were going to parachute someone into Government to look after their interests, it would look a lot like this.
Eldest has a uni friend who is in Tory HQ this week.
Apparently the Treasury have no idea what is going to happen with inflation or the economy, or how to being them under control.
Not exactly surprising.
Johnson must've known he was a Hi Risk Anus
With Starmer having gone full gammon will this leave a Premier Sunak the sensible option of rejoining the single market?
No chance at all. Despite what he said in his resignation letter all rishi wants is to make the rich richer. The eu might make that more difficult so can't see him wanting it
Glad to see the back of him and his taxe rises.
didnt even get to see in his NI cut today, NI allowance has risen 3k today ,
Am I the only who's thinking this guy is a shoe in for PM?
I was watching BBC News when Ed Vaizey said this. Easier to link the tweet than trying to remember the quote myself. Made me chuckle.
https://twitter.com/suicideresearch/status/1544416845989662720
Glad to see the back of him
Uh, not yet, or at least unlikely.
shermer75
Free Member
Am I the only who’s thinking this guy is a shoe in for PM?
First thing I thought when resigned was that he had picked his moment to distance himself from Bozo in order to get ready for a leadership attempt at some point.
^ this.
I thought he was out of the frame after everyone realised how staggeringly rich he is, and his lack of charisma became more apparent.
But he's played his hand the best he can by trying to force an early leadership contest, which might leave him as the "least worst" option in many minds.
When in doubt, see what the bookies think...
https://www.oddschecker.com/politics/british-politics/next-conservative-leader
When in doubt, see what the bookies think…
I'd never even considered Penny Mordaunt!
Tough one, his wifes non-dom isses and hidey hidey taxy taxy will be an angle of attack from the other parties. As will the fact he's stinking rich anyway. He also had his hand all over this cost of living stuff and all the tax rises etc.
Hopefully we're over the fact in this country he's not a while but possibly not in some rabid Tory seats.
Whilst I don't think he'll be brilliant as PM I shudder at some of the other options.
Every one of the top contenders to replace Johnson is imo more right-wing than Johnson, in one way or the other. Eg Sunak on spending/austerity and Ben Wallace, the supposedly leftie Johnson loyalist, on gay rights and welfare payments.
Johnson has no ideology. He follows whats best for him and what seems like a good idea
#READY4AUSTERIT!
Proper austerity.
Defeatists!
Sunak as PM provides an excellent opportunity. Tory support has collapsed to a 200 year low. Never in UK history has the Tory Party ever polled less than 30% in a general election, they would have seriously struggled to achieve that had there been a general election today.
The wealthiest person in UK politics making "difficult decisions" affecting millions, during a cost of living crises in which ordinary people are struggling to feed themselves and keep warm in winter, is highly unlikely to boost Tory support.
The man with a tax-avoiding billionaire wife is the third prime minister since the last general election, he has no personal mandate from the UK electorate.
The Tories won the last general election on a promise of no austerity, they have no mandate for a different set of economic policies which involve cuts in public spending.
Opposition parties need to relentlessly denounce the illegitimacy of the 3rd Tory prime minister in 2 months and any attempt to introduce austerity without a mandate.
They need to mobilise public opinion so that any resistance on the part of the Tory government to put their policies to the British people simply increases their unpopularity.
The Tory Party is on the ropes like never before in history, they are extremely disunited and undergoing a crisis of ideology - the current Tory Chancellor of the Exchequer intends to increase taxes when less than 4 months ago he was passionately arguing that they should be slashed. The previous Tory Chancellor tried to do precisely that. They are disunited on basic economic policy. The public has no faith in their ability to maintain economic stability.
Now is not the time to sit back and let a Tory Party which is on its knees like never before get up.
Wowsers.
If we collectively say 'you win', will you adjust your approach?
Some people argue because they want to say something that they don't believe has been said.
Some people argue because they want to say something.
Richard Nixon once said to a friend, "You'll never make it in politics, you just don't know how to lie".
That was Boris' great skill, but I don't think Rishi has it.
So when we get Sushi Runak, will he be doing another mini budget as they seem to be like busses these days.
as they seem to be like busses these days.
Which bus are you referring to? The ones that have blatant untruths printed down the side, the ones made of cardboard to distract the media from reporting something else, or the ones a desperate PM throws their chancellor under to try to save her own (fleeting) time in office. So much choice!
Whatever your politics having a non white PM is a step forward
Back to politics, I think there's a good chance he'll crash & burn, especially if he tries to push more austerity, be interesting to see if he's able to get that voted through, will be toxic to red wallers, a few lunatic MPs ( fabricant, dories etc) will never forgive him for knifing Johnson
Overall I think he's a tougher opponent for Labour than any of the others, especially Johnson would've been.
He made several blunders as chancellor, seemed knee jerk libertarian over covid, which is a red flag.
Interesting times
I forgot to include in my long list of record breaking disasters currently facing the Tories the shortest-serving Prime Minister in UK history.
And with a new leader who was firmly rejected by their own membership less than two months ago, the Tories must surely be in the paradoxical situation of never being weaker than now despite being in government with a healthy majority.
And with a new leader who was firmly rejected by their own membership less than two months ago
In a vote that was much closer than predicted?
Whatever your politics having a non white PM is a step forward
Not as much as it might seem imo.
All non-white Tory MPs appear to have one thing in common apart from the fact that they aren't white - they are all on the right of the party, and some of them extremely right-wing.
I don't think that this is a weird unexplainable coincidence. The Tory Party has historically had racism deeply ingrained in it. As a consequence any Black or Asian party member wishing to progress in the party is faced with this handicap.
A Black or Asian party member standing before a Tory selection meeting has to offer something which overcomes this handicap. The obvious asset is their total commitment to pure conservativism and the zeal of a convert, that is the quality that is most likely to defeat a more liberal white One Nation Tory opponent.
With that in mind some of the big champions of the UK's deeply racist immigration and border policies have been Asian - Patel and Braverman.
Exactly half of all the candidates in the previous Tory leadership election were Black or Asian, all were from the right of the Party - if that is really a step forward it isn't a huge step forward imo.
Having said that it looks very likely that before the end of the day a European country will have an Asian practicing Hindu Prime Minister, which is particularly remarkable when you consider that last week Italy chose a fascist to become Prime Minister.
And today is Diwali, how fitting for the UK to chose a Hindu as PM today.
The first non-white PM in Uk history is certainly a thing to be lauded but a Tory millionaire non white! Do the two cancel each other out?
Sunak as PM provides an excellent opportunity.
And lets not forget, this is the man who couldn't beat Liz Truss when his campaigning skills were tested out in the real world. In that campaign he came across as an aloof, out of touch patronising elitist, which is hardly surprising given his personal circumstances.
Penny's team doing their best to emphasise her sound economic skills.
Whatever your politics having a non white PM is a step forward
Spare a though for all your friends and work collogues who have south Asian mums, who are going to get absolutely rinsed for their lack of ambition when Sunak becomes PM
Having said that it looks very likely that before the end of the day a European country will have an Asian practicing Hindu Prime Minister,
Not sure if he’s a practicing Hindu, but Ireland have had Leo Varadkar.
After her performance on Kuenssberg yesterday, I really couldn't say what Mordaunt's agenda was as she failed to answer a single question. I can only assume as a result that she has a sackful of deeply unpopular policies to unleash.
FWIW, I think Sunak would be a greater electoral liability for the Tories and I'm surprised that the PCP aren't backing Mordaunt.
He doesn't seem to be driven by hatred, just greed .That is a slight improvement.
And lets not forget, this is the man who couldn’t beat Liz Truss when his campaigning skills were tested out in the real world. In that campaign he came across as an aloof, out of touch patronising elitist, which is hardly surprising given his personal circumstances.
As much as I hate the DM there's an interesting piece by Dominic Lawson who poses the question that although Sunak is further to the right than Johnson he (Sunak) just wasn't white enough for the membership..
An aside - I think anyone debating with Truss would be bored & could quite easily be misconstrued. If nothing else he was right that her economic plans were going to be a fing disaster.
Not as much as it might seem imo.
All non-white Tory MPs appear to have one thing in common apart from the fact that they aren’t white – they are all on the right of the party, and some of them extremely right-wing.
Some truth in this..
I'll concede that having a non white PM will project a more progressive image of the UK to an international audience for the first time in quite a few years but im not sure how much of a positive it is domestically.
The narrative is hardly the same as if it were David Lammy, or even Sajid Javed getting elected to run the country.
Some truth in this..
I tend to think that the overwhelmingly similar trait that these folks (Rishi, Braverman, Patel) share is probably wealth and a somewhat privileged upbringing which has influenced their politics
if that is really a step forward it isn’t a huge step forward imo.
Having said that it looks very likely that before the end of the day a European country will have an Asian practicing Hindu Prime Minister, which is particularly remarkable
Make your mind up!
Labour have already said that they'll end non-dom status (announced back in April, and one of those policies confirmed at their Party Conference), which just happens to make them "ready for Rishi". Expect that to pop up quite often if he does become PM. He'd better have been practising a better response than "leave my wife alone" and "to smear my wife to get at me is awful" when non-dom status is brought up in questions to him.
Ready for Rishi to press the ground-zero button on the real economy?
The paper thin veil of competence dressed up as good for the country.
Will he be seen as competent while schools and councils are broke, ambulances queue outside hospitals, the old and the sick die during a cold snap, the working poor are choosing not to eat so they can feed their kids...? It's going to be a hard winter, made worse by him and his party... portraying "competence" at this stage is going to need far more than Hunt's unrolling of Truss&Kwarteng's gambling budget that wasn't a budget. What is Sunak's plan...? Will he get to be PM without having to even give us an outline of what he wants to do? [ spoiler - yes, he proabably will ]
Make your mind up!
I have made up my mind. A European country having a Hindu as Prime Minister is quite remarkable, indisputably imo.
And not least because another European less than a week ago chose a fascist to be their Prime Minister.
Does it represent a huge step forward for Black and Asian people in the UK? No, I don't think so. It represents a small step forward perhaps.
Did Priti Patel becoming Home Secretary and the subsequent racist asylum rules which she implemented represent a huge step forward for Black and Asian people? No, I don't think so.
