Who has been the UK's worst PM?

Another well said for Keffie12 and eagleswings. We haven’t had a decent, trustworthy, intelligent pm since Blair. I marched in the not in my name don’t invade Iraq protests. We knew it was an disaster and the consequences would be felt by our children and grandchildren.
Despite this, Blair’s government did positive things, especially sure start, education, community centres, every child matters and more.
Twelve years of Tory misrule and Johnson has the brass neck to thank Blair and brown for their ‘abject failure’ to invest in nuclear power. He’s so trumpian, it would be funny -if only it was

Well said CVD66, and Keffie12 I would also welcome back Tony Blair in a heart beat, over this present shower pretending to rule our country - and its not over yet. Sigh.

Boris Johnson to be followed and in joint place with the next Tory P.M Lis Truss.

I was not a Labour voter back then. I would have Blair back in a heartbeat over this lot of corrupt politicans

I'm fascinated at the hatred for Tony Blair. Yes the WMD issue was horrific (I nearly left my now husband over this) but actual UK military deaths =179! As for him 'opening the flood gates' on immigration, Britain has a fantastic broad culture due to its extensive history of welcoming migrants to its shores. In respect of many local countries, UK is way down the table in accepting immigrants !
Deaths in Falkland wars = 255
Covid deaths due to appalling care home policies and generally bad decisions: over 185,000 (highest in Europe)
For me Johnson has dragged this country to its lowest position in the world through his own appalling actions as well as progressing Brexit which few outside the UK can see benefits to. We are going to live with the consequences of Johnson for many years to come, the corruption, the cronyism, massive increase in food banks and now people being forced to choose between heating or eating, the ruination of our beaches, ....I could go on but it is too depressing. What a world we are bequeathing to the next generation!

Inept, dishonest, incompetent and corrupt - the lot of them.

There's not one left that I have any respect for.

Johnson is certainly a strong contender for worst PM, but I think you'd have a hard time nominating a worse government as a collective. I can't remember a time when I've had no respect for any member of a government cabinet before. They are all either inept or worse, corrupt. In previous governments, even when I've voted against them, there have always been some individuals who have commanded respect for their integrity, even if I didn't share their policies.

I have been considering this and I have to say that Johnson is the worst one in my lifetime. He has made a mockery of the position of PM with his ridiculous lies. I hear today that the claim to build 40 hospitals is a figment of his imagination and yet he has repeated this nonsense many times in Parliament. I can't think of another PM who treats the job with such distain.

I don';t know how many Gnetters listen to LBC.

It features opinionated chat show hosts,

Nick Ferrari first thing in the morning is right wing but not ultra right.

James O'Brien is left wing but still sends his children to private schools.

Sheila Fogarty comes across as a floating voter

Eddie Mair is perhaps centre left and acute in his attack on the likes of Boris Johnson. Did you see his standing in for Andrew Marr interview when he said to Johnson "you're just a nasty piece of works?" Spot on Eddie. Unfortunately he has announced that he will be leaving LBC - a great loss.

Andrew Castle - very right wing and brexity , probably voted for Farage.

Rachel Johnson - sister of Boris

Matt Frei - not sure, possibly LibDem

Camilla Tominey - mainstream Tory

David Lammy - Labour

Iain Dale - "one nation" Conservative

It is a good formula for chat show radio. You can tune in to the host you like or the ones you disagree with. The callers either agree or disagree with the host and some of the callers are exceptionally well informed.

I'm not paddyanne, but can I reply?

But the majority of voters did not opt for independence at the last referendum. True. But consider this - we might have changed our minds.

I thought that another one could not take place during this generation. You're mistaken there; a marketing slogan doesn't count as a political commitment. (See "£350 million a week for the NHS")

However, if there is a majority of Scots wanting one sooner, You don't get to make up your own rules; most seats in the Scottish Parliament are held by independence supporting parties that had the referendum in their manifestos. Ergo...

I am unsure of the cost £16 million. Drop in the ocean.

such a referendum would not be high on the UK agenda. High on ours though.

Interesting reply. But the majority of voters did not opt for independence at the last referendum. I thought that another one could not take place during this generation. However, if there is a majority of Scots wanting one sooner, then I think they should have one. I am unsure of the cost and whether the UK government has to agree, but if the Scots government funded one and arranged it fairly could that happen? Currently, the economic situation is dire and the Country is
awaiting a new PM so I think such a referendum would not be high on the UK agenda. What do you think paddyanne54?

Anniel Ian Dale has said that Nicola Sturgeon was "the most impressive politician I have ever interviewed " That from a staunch unionist!
Of course the people who have voted for her and her party culminating with the largest number of votes for ANY party since devolution,know full well how capable and yes,impressive,she is .Despite the MSM constant running down of Scotland and Ms Sturgeon ...MSM is run by and peopled by the right wing so we expect nothing else.

MaizieD

Petera

I wonder, reading this thread, whether if asked which recent prime minister you would like to take over now (say from Wilson onwards and including Johnson) it would get a similar range of responses.

Harold Wilson, I think.

I think I might agree, although for someone who had been an economics lecturer the 'pound in your pocket' quote is a bit odd. I also read somewhere that he didn't smoke a pipe in private but did it in public to promote a 'man of the people' image (although I haven't double-checked this so it may have been a fever dream). But spin was alive and well in the 60s.

Petera

I wonder, reading this thread, whether if asked which recent prime minister you would like to take over now (say from Wilson onwards and including Johnson) it would get a similar range of responses.

Harold Wilson, I think.

I wonder, reading this thread, whether if asked which recent prime minister you would like to take over now (say from Wilson onwards and including Johnson) it would get a similar range of responses.

1) Boris Johnson: liar; law breaker; incompetent; entitled; narcissistic; puts personal & political gain before country.

2) David Cameron: initiated the referendum that led to UK leaving the EU, because he was too weak to stand up to the real leaders of the Tory party - the ERG. Put personal & political gain before country.

3) Margaret Thatcher: started the privatisation of the Uk which contributed to the dire economic situation we’re currently experiencing.

Theresa was constantly undermined by the Unionists right wing and Brexiteers, in the end Johnson had to accept a deal no better than TM could have had. Let’s face it if the deal TM was offered was accepted she could not possibly have been worse than Johnson.
Her majority was too small to govern effectively

What about Theresa May? She was not a good PM. Neither was Boris Johnson. Brown was not a shining star but even though I am a Conservative I thought Tony Blair was fine. Admittedly his family became millionaires but both Callaghan and Healey did well for themselves. Margaret Thatcher will go down in history as bringing major social and economic change to UK. How you regard her depends on your personal politics and life. I have little hope for the future either with Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak. I still have not voted! Keir needs to develop his personality but surely everyone realises there is very little political difference between the two major parties.

For Scottish members may I recommend Ian Dale’s All Talk at Edinburgh Festival as he is having a conversation with Nicole Sturgeon. He also interviewed Angela Rayner and said everyone enjoyed it. I will listen to both when he releases them. I listened to his interview with Rory Stewart as I think is rather wet, but I found his interview really interesting and today I listened to the Podcast The Rest Is Politics with Rory and Alistair Campbell ( an unlikely duo) and enjoyed it. Their podcast is the most popular in the charts.

So I think Boris and Theresa May but most have strengths and weaknesses and Keir or one of the Tories do not fill me with confidence,

Boris Johnson followed closely by Mrs Thatcher

I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one.

Anniebach

What power Blair had, to force other countries into Iraq,

Why did it have to be Blair? The driving power was America.

Thatcher and Johnson - not much to choose between them.

A lot of the views expressed here reflect the political opinions of their authors, which is understandable.

It seems to me that with one exception, each Prime Minister thought that he or she was doing his/her best for the country, however much we might disagree with what they did while in office, and they respected the constitution, such as it is, and the supremacy of the House of Commons as elected by the people.

The exception is of course Johnson, and I can honestly say that he is the only Prime Minister in my lifetime that I have actually despised.

A Conservative canvasser knocked on my door today, and I told him that while how I voted was my business, he could take it that I would not vote for our local MP, who had been prominent in getting Johnson elected party leader.

Just in my lifetime there have been two appalling PMs

It would be easy to say that Boris Johnson was the worst because he wanted to damage our country and was lazy. corrupt and incompetent.

However in my opinion he has not been as damaging as Margaret Thatcher who wanted to damage our country and was hard working and competent.

Well, if you're looking for corruption, Walpole was a corrupt Pm; operated in a way very similar to Johnson; bribing MPs with promises of sinecures, honours and lucrative positions in return for their support. I don't think he made too bad a job of running the country, but you have to appreciate that up until the extension of the suffrage and the entry of fewer MPs with close familial or friendship ties to the elite, whoever was PM was running the country for the benefit of the wealthy elite. It was really quite different from the more recent past.

Immorality? Palmerston was one for the ladies and indulged in a bit of bed hopping on country house visits. I believe Lloyd George was no saint.

Indifference to the wellbeing of the population? Well, most of them were until it was forced upon them that most adult males were in no fit state to be enlisted in the army to fight in our rather frequent wars... The poor physical quality of recruits worried them greatly come the Boer War.

Mendacity? I'm not sure of. I think they were mostly quite honourable men in the days when 'honour' was more highly thought of.

I'm afraid that Johnson still outdoes every single one of them,

(I read 18th/early 19th C history at uni)

Agree