Dodgy Prime Ministers- how can we protect ourselves?

Possibly papaoscar but can you imagine the publicity machine that would swing into action?

And we only know the face they choose to show us when trying to get elected - then when they are in, they change their spots.

Is it any wonder that people just can't be bothered?

Party leaders are elected by party members , there is no other way, if once a party won an election it would be mayhem if people from all parties voted for PM.

When you look at the behaviour of most of those elected to be the head of government in any country, most of them make a complete pigs ear of it for ordinary citizens. Personally, I would like to know more about the ramifications of doing away with a centralised government and going back to local authorities being in charge totally - just keep Westminster for public safety and warfare issues.

Thank heavens that we have a Queen and not a President!!

Yes, I can see that the complexities of the separate election of the Prime Minister would probably make such a procedure unworkable. However, some democracies get round this problem by electing their head of state directly as well as their parliamentary representatives, and that seems to work. Others rely upon a system of elected federal government.

The problem with the UK is the lack of a proper, modern, constitution and reliance instead on a mystical hereditary monarchy together with a fudge of common law, acts of parliament and tradition. The role of the British PM is very loosely defined and leaves incumbents with powers to do all sorts of things - good and bad, almost like a President appointed only by his or her own cronies. That has got to stop.

Oh come on! Our Prime Ministers are saints compared with some.

I think the present one is doing his best and a lot of the bashing over the phone tapping business is just people jumping on the band wagon.

I was told a long time ago that it makes no difference who is Prime Minister because all the decisions are made at a Gentlemens club in London. Prime Ministers according to this reputable source are all just puppets

Look how DC has stuck to his guns over Juncker getting the President of the European Commission job. Must have been really hard for him. Especially having to go against Angel Merkel.

Members of parliament are elected by their constituents to represent them. A Prime Minister is the chosen leader of the party of MPs who have a working majority in parliament, and who have a policy most likely to be the one adopted.

A separately elected PM could be chosen for his public charisma rather than his commons leadership qualities, and could find himself leading a house with completely the opposite policies than his own.

It can happen in the states and could happen here (Latest film hero for President! Successful military leader for President!) so I believe the current system is best - the Head of State contacts the person most likely to have the numbers of elected followers to effectively govern the country until the next election. He/she checks that there are suitable people for all cabinet posts and if so becomes next PM.

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It is entirely our own fault. New Labour succeeded because Tony Blair was good at the schmoozing and spin-doctoring to the electorate and they fell for it and voted for him.

Every senior politician since has felt a need to out spin and out schmooze since, until now it has reached quite unreasonable and revolting levels, but we need to realise that until we individually do more to affect politics at a local level and take more interest in how candidates are chosen and who is chosen we stand no chance of getting the type of politician we would like to see in power.

@newist - and did the same source tell you that the Queen is really an alien reptoid, and that the New World Order control the entire globe and...

et cetera...

NO!!!

I was told a long time ago that it makes no difference who is Prime Minister because all the decisions are made at a Gentlemens club in London. Prime Ministers according to this reputable source are all just puppets

There was mention of that on the news yesterday - I think they said it was called 'Whites' (Whytes?) and it's a gentlemen only dining club that DC frequently goes to.

Did Mrs T disguise herself to infiltrate this exclusive club, then?

Well, it's odd you say that Ana. When I was studying sociology, there was a session about perception and the lecturer flashed up many, many images and we had to write male or female for each one - no pausing for thought, it had to be immediate reaction. Around 90% of us them wrote 'male' for Margaret Thatcher's photo

Just had a flashback to one of those Spitting Image sketches, with her and the cabinet all smoking and drinking round the table...

ooops

sorry if i posted wrong in here???

I did say i was new to gransnet and i posted a web site, I thought i was helping a person..

please accept my apology..

have a good day all of you.....

Not a problem busybee, we all make mistakes

The whole system is corrupt, look how they are manipulating the voting with a safe seat for Boris if he decides to stand with the intention of him becoming P.M.,also Cameron is amazingly barefaced, he shouted out about Junker being unfairly elected as he was not fairly voted for and nobody knew him, then he sends as our representative and unknown from the House of Lords.

More useful would be the restoration of the power of the Commons. Ordinary MPs have been progressively side-lined for decades in favour of government by committee in Cabinet and increasingly presidential Prime Ministers. Tony Blair and David Cameron, in particular, have never made any secret of their contempt for the House of Commons.

Sadly our democratic parliamentary system now exists in name only and we are increasingly governed by a bunch of self-servings crooks and establishment clones. We really need a new political party representing the interests of ordinary people, much like the original Labour Party used to do.