Off Topic The Race to be Prime Minister

As usual in these contests, the unexpected candidates come out of the woodwork and what would appear to be absolute certainties to win strangely disappear. This is a serious debate because it will affect all of our lives for many years to come.
If someone wants to put a poll in here I have no objections.

Theresa Mary May has been the Home Secretary since 2010, becoming one of the longest serving Home Secretaries in history.
After announcing her candidacy for party leader, May was the favourite among the public in a Sky Data Snap Poll; 47% of the people who were polled on 30 June 2016 said May was their choice.
By 1 July, May had received considerable support within the Conservative Party, including endorsements from over 100 MPs, far more than her nearest competitor. May's supporters include a number of cabinet members

Andrea Leadsom leapfrogged Michael Gove in the race to No 10 after Iain Duncan Smith said he would back her. His endorsement is likely to be replicated by a string of MPs who had backed Boris Johnson.
Bookmakers were quick to install Mrs Leadsom as their second favourite candidate after Home Secretary Theresa May.

Justice Secretary Michael Gove pitched on Friday to be the prime minister to take Britain out of the EU, a day after he destroyed the chances of another frontrunner, BoJo in what some colleagues called an act of treachery.

Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb and Business Secretary Sajid Javid.

If the Tories’ priority is to rid the party leadership of the ‘posh boys’ tag that stuck to David Cameron and George Osborne, Then the ’unlikely lads’ Crabb and Javid are a shoo-in.
They claim their backgrounds give them an extra insight into the needs of ordinary working people, and how to meet those needs.

Crabb, 43, was brought up in Wales by a single mother and protected her from his violent dad.

Javid, 46, is the Rochdale born son of a Pakistani bus driver.

Liam Fox the former defence secretary.
Bookies are tipping Fox, the North Somerset MP and Brexit backer, as an outside favourite to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister.He's currently fifth favourite for the position, with some bookies putting him at 16/1 odds

 

All the same to me I've never voted Conservative and I never will.

 

One of the two ladies I think, wouldn't trust Gove to sell me an ice cream and I don't think Liam Fox has the Backing, Andrea Leadsom will get the nod I think as I don't think they will go with a remain candidate

 

Well nobody would want to confuse you with facts if you have made up your mind.

 

I think May will win. She looks like a PM to be honest.

But I want Leadsom to win. I think someone who wanted to leave the EU should be in control. I know May said she will do what the public wants which is to leave the EU but I think she will compromise too much when negotiating a trade deal with the EU. The EU said now free trade deal if no freedom of movement. I think May will allow freedom of movement. Leadsom came across very well in TV debates and I think she will get a better deal for the UK from the EU than May will.

 

Just to confirm though, I am like seamge, I wouldnt vote for the Tories either.

 

So for you, it would never matter how unelectable the alternatives are? Just vote perhaps, regardless of all else, for the colour of the favour?
I've never held truck with the stigma of any particular party and always tried to keep an open mind. In my time I have cast my vote for who I thought would be my best local political representative and whichever party that I felt would make the best fist of running the country. Over the years I have voted for all three main parties. The majority of politicians lean toward the centre ground. I will say B.Liar never received my support and I was horrified when he was re-elected for the third term. He took over in '97 with a positive balance of payments and left the country totally in financial ruin. He proved that the government can always buy enough votes if they borrow enough money to lavish on the electorate. The number of war casualties speaks for itself. By the way, have you noticed he has never been knighted?
I agree that Leadsom came across very well in the Remain/Brexit debates. So did May at her press call after she put her name in the hat. I think it will be between those two.

 

I didnt vote at the last election. I thought the Tories shouldnt be in charge again. I thought Miliband would be worse so Labour wasnt getting my vote. The Lib Dems joining up with the Tories previously was always going to go against them as they went back on things where they made compromises to the Tories. Also I was never going to vote for the Greens thanks to the bitch involved stopping Sainsburys having the Mem. To me, none were electable at the last election. None were worthy of my vote. They were all as bad as each other.

 

You can't always agree with everything a government chooses to do. Lib Dems have always made stupid rash promises because they knew they would never be elected to power. OOps! 2010. So they had an unexpected voice in partnership with the Conservatives. Of course they had shot themselves in the foot because the majority of their mandate was a load of rollocks and they were exposed big time!. By 2010 Labour were about as popular as an irritated skunk in a Weatherspoons pub. So our lads in power decided to pull in the financial horns and make us all pay to make our country free of borrowed money interest rates and move toward self financing. Well try too anyway.
That seems to have backfired, because the UK, with it's high employment figures, better than average benefit system, minimum wage, Living wage, free schools, free NHS etc. seems to be the most popular place for immigrants to want to come and live.

 

I cant see the EU saying that there will not be an open trade deal. Just before the referendum one of the German car bosses stated that if Britain left the EU it would cost the German motor industry 1.8 billion pounds per year, they might try stalling it for awhile to get a better deal but in the end I believe they will have to trade with us or a lot of their companies will have serious financial problems
Can you really see the EU saying there will be no trading with Britain, no German, French, Italian cars wine etc. and don't forget most of the American car companies are now owned by Fiat, companies like Jeep and Chryslar. The EU cannot afford to lose that amount of business and their loss would be greater than ours

 

I think we have pulled a Master Stroke by delaying the decision on Article 50 to post September 9th. The EU hierarchy are posturing at the moment, whilst the malcontents are gathering momentum. Everybody is left with loads of time to consider the true consequences of the Brexit vote. I know nothing of Marine Le Penne's right wing politics, but in her recent interview with the BBC she stated that France has 7 million unemployed and 9 million below the poverty line. I believe that a lot of those people might feel that the UK has done something right and the EU has got it wrong.
It's time for EU to make changes.

 

Farage, Murdoch and PM contender Liam Fox having a nice chat together at a party!

 

A democratic vote was taken on June 23rd and the result was to LEAVE the EU, why should we keep delaying the exit process, if we overturn this vote there will be no use in voting in the future because if somebody doesn't like the result they will try and over turn it. The vote was democratic, if it is altered in any way then the democracy that soldiers in two world wars fought for and Women gave their lives for at the beginning of the last century will be wasted and democracy will be dead in this country

 

I don't think anyone will ever over-ride the vote to leave the EU. What is important is that we need to get the best deal we can for when we are actually no longer a member of the EU.. The EU have serious concerns that any one of the remaining 27 member states may either follow our example or enforce rule changes which strengthen our position when a new relationship with Europe is hammered out. Eg. we need to get an acceptable arrangement for pensions and healthcare etc.for the UK expats living in EU countries and accept reciprocal arrangements for the 3 million EU folk who have set up home in the UK.

 

The fact that Theresa May doesn't seem so bad tells you all you need to know about just how bad the other candidates are!

 

I have voted Liberal, Liberal Democrat, Social Democrat, Green, Labour and even UKIP over the years; but could
never bring myself to vote Conservative. I could rationalize but it's more to do with extreme nausea at the very
thought of it!

 

'The fact that Theresa May doesn't seem so bad tells you all you need to know about just how bad the other candidates are!'

A shame the Opposition is in an even bigger mess at this important time.
May will get it but I'd prefer Leadsome, a committed leader of Brexit.
May will appease, the last thing we should do.
The EU is a busted flush and will implode in the near future.

 

I guess the world's still going on out there...but you would never know because since June 23rd everything seems to have become inward looking and one big mess.

That's why I enjoy following the mad world of football...

 

The problem is the football has gone too quiet over here!
I noticed in your comment the reference to June 23rd
It should be for ever known as June the two thirds.
In Scotland, two thirds of the eligible voters did not vote to remain in the EU
Neither was the majority vote to Remain, a call to resurrect the Scottish Independence issue all over again.
For the UK, two thirds of the eligible voters did not vote to leave the EU.
But those that did use their vote, voted to leave and that's the end of it!
Statistics are a funny old game aren't they?

So we are down to two ladies for PM.
But politics come in a dirty underworld.
Gove is out. Probably due to his devious tactics re BoJo.

Now Andrea Leadsom is getting the treatment
First we get attacks attempting to undermine her track record over twenty five years in the financial and business markets in Europe.
The establishment in the form of the Times has now stepped up the negatives by misrepresentation of her personal comments regarding her children and Teresa May's very unfortunate lack of them.
Is it that if you get Leadsom you most probably get BoJo?
As a Leadsom supporter said 'Teresa may; Leadsom will'

 

Leadsom has withdrawn. Will the Tory Party find another candidate to challenge May?
Perhaps we will get BoJo after all!!