Next Tory Leader.

I don't suppose the Tory party members would make a much worse choice than Tory MPs would, given that they only have a bunch of Tories to choose from.

There is an interesting letter in today’s paper from a Dr. Dorian Gerhold, who argues that putting the choice of a Prime Minister to Tory Party members, is both unprecedented and unconstitutional.
“The choice of PM has always be determined by the MPs.
MPs have no right to delegate that choice to party members, removing the decision from the elected and accountable to the unelected and unaccountable and thereby cutting the wider electorate out of the process.
The unprecedented spectacle we are about to witness, is in effect a referendum on Brexit and overall government policy in which only a tiny minority of people who have paid £25 to the Tory party to vote”

Not only is this a tiny minority but totally unrepresentative if the country at large. Average age 72, largely white and male.

Please don’t confuse choosing the PM with party leader. It is entirely different. As the choice of party leader, however they are chosen is then along with the manifesto put up for election. This will be the second unelected PM.

Totally unconstitutional in my view, although May was chosen only by Tory MPs and what a poor judgement that was.

crystal......what age are you? Are you an escapee from Mumsnet?
The average age on GN is pretty old too.....are we all past it with nothing to say?
‘The Shires’ is always said with contempt ( as in what! Some people have comfortable lives! )
There are loads of counties ending in shire btw.

Typical blue rinse

www.thenational.scot/news/17646820.scots-furious-with-bbc-as-ex-tory-msp-appears-in-question-time-audience/

The average age of Conservative party members is 72 - these are the people who will choose our next PM. “Blue Rinse brigade” is a generic term to indicate the ladies of said party , usually from the shires. Probably outdated as blue rinses aren’t so popular these days, but still used in many a journalistic piece- as in the “Boris is a knee trembler for the blue rinses” above. Personally I think Donald Tusk rather suave.

With Boris (The Buffoon) Johnson as front runner to replace May as Prime Minister that would bring into play an interesting scenario should he gain that position?

In that, he may have to go for a "no deal" Brexit to keep all who supported him in the leadership happy. However, a "no deal" Brexit would not be passed by the House of Commons as already demonstrated, and therefore Johnson may have no other option than to seek a General Election and put the matter back to the electorate.

Should that be, the rank and file in the Labour party that brought forward the Conference policy on Brexit of seeking a General Election as first priority will have been proven right.

In that, those in the Parliamentary Labour Party that have doubted these many months the wisdom of that grassroots decision will perhaps once and for all "get out of the way" and let the new decision-making structure of the party take its course.

Perhaps we would then see a number of much needed deselections in the Labour Party in front of that General Election, and in the Conservative party also.

Dangerous times I feel.

I've just read that Johnson is way ahead in the polls. Can anyone honestly say that they would feel proud having him represent this country on a world stage. His shirt was hanging out of his trousers today. As for some of the disgusting things he has said over the years [eg f**k business]. Is this the best we can do for heavens sake....

mary and kitty

Naughty step

Grandad1943

That’s s really good post needs thinking about. You are right of course

Who are the back bone of both Tory and labour.

Both have changed I think.

maryeliza <sigh>. Of course I understand how statistics work!

kittylester Quote [ grandad1943, I knew that. Who is the current blue rinse brigade?] End Quote.

kittylester, I do not believe that the "blue rinse brigade" exists today in the way it did between the mid-1970s until approximately the millennium. During that time Britain's right-wing press were premiere in addressing the women members of the very strong Conservative party associations in the country as such.

In the above, I believe it was drawn up as a term of dedication and strength in the Conservative Party Structure, which indeed was the truth. For at that time those women were the organisational backbone of the associations and were extremely active, and in many ways did the job that the Trade Union Branch activists carry out at Labour party constituency and district level at the present time.

Unfortunately, the decline and increasing age of Conservative party membership has meant that the influence and stature those women once held in British politics is no longer there, perhaps unfortunately for the whole body politic in the United Kingdom.

I may need help

Na he’s too flabby!

Vince for me everytime. Although I think John McDonald is looking rather natty these days

Boris an knee tremblers.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/17/tory-boris-johnson-leadership-candidate

You clearly don’t understand how statistics are used kitty. More likely does not equal all <sigh>

I wonder looking at the candidates so far, if the Tories will ever manage to produce a leader better than incompetent?

I can never get the blue/purple rinse thing! It’s like punk rock for the elderly. I plan to just go blonder and blonder.

And, older Tory voters do not all have blue rinses, maryeliza. Generalisation is a bad thing.

I'm female, live in the Midlands and have never had a blue rinse in my life.

My mother in law had a pink rinse and voted Liberal if that helps.

Older Tory members are not very similar to older Labour Party members kitty. The former are more male, more Southern and of higher socio-economic status for example. There are more than ‘slightly’ different views between them as regards the best way forward.

oh dear, missed it. I was out with someone with pink hair.

If you saw last night's QT, you might have noticed a lady with a blue rinse in the (carefully selected) audience.

When she spoke it was clear she was a Tory, but it later transpired she was a former Tory MEP.

Lilac or crimson, mycat!

I love it.

Do people have blue rinses now?

My dd has rainbow hair for a while! Looked hideous and thankfully she’s since dyed it again.

grandad1943, I knew that Who is the current blue rinse brigade?

Older Tories are very similar to older labour party me.bers just with a slightly different view of the best way forward.

It's a judgemental term.

Recent polls say both labour and Tories will face massive losses in the EU elections!

24% of the vote between them

Mmmmm