The race has started for the quick route to no 10.
Boris is a clear favourite with the bookies and Gove's chances look to have gone up in smoke.

Who do we think will get to sit in the big chair and who would do the best job of leading the country.

Boris is popular but, does anyone really think he is up to the job.
He's like a daft version of Trump.

Runners and riders :

Michael Gove
Matt Hancock
Mark Harper
Jeremy Hunt
Sajid David
Boris Johnson
Andrea Leadsom
Esther McVey
Dominic Raab
Rory Stewart

A long list but not much of a choice.

Also, there is something really uncomfortable about scrapping free TV licences for the over 75's and promising tax cuts for the wealthiest members of society.

Rory Stewart seems pretty popular with the media, and seems pretty sane, although I've not heard much in terms of policy, and his stance on Brexit will no doubt alienate him from many of his own MPs

He seems pretty popular with centrists who want to stop Brexit - but that won't make a jot of difference to the attitude of the golf-club dwelling Tory party members who will decide the outcome of this sub X-Factor contest; he'll never make it to the final 2 on that basis. Aside from which, his voting record belies the caring conservatism he's trying to portray in his creepy videos.

It seems increasingly likely that we'll have Boris Johnson anointed as the 2nd Tory PM with no GE and no mandate - a process which he railed against himself when Gordon Brown succeeded Blair.

In a country which calls itself a democracy, what's happening now is a complete embarrassment; which will be compounded if we end up with Johnson as PM - he's a very dangerous man, who by the accounts of his own colleagues, is unprepared, lazy and thick.

I understand your frustration Bren, as it appears that there will now be some form of "hard Brexit" but, the rules allowing the PM to be changed within the term of a Parliament have been around for some while, with both Labour and the Tories having "benefited" from not having to go to the country.
Even if Labour were in power wit a similar parliamentary split, we'd still be in a right fecking mess and even with the "peoples" vote option, I think this could run for a fair bit longer.
With the latest figures showing a severe slowing of the economy, we face a bumpy ride for some little while.
With employment figures massaged pretend that the UK is in a decent economic position and the US ecconomy stoked up like the engine of The Flying Scotsman, this could have a very sad ending, whether we are "in" or "out" of the EU and still, all of our politicians will blame each other, rather than admitting that it was "the referendum what did it".

Hasn’t he proposed to bring back national service?

Yes, but it would be called 'citizen service', and wouldn't involve military service. Basically, young people would meet and work with other young people from around the country for a few weeks in order for them to meet people from different cultures and backgrounds. The view is that it will help to heal the division within the country and the youth some life skills.

It's almost like magic isn't it - because the solution isn't to fund schools and essential services in local communities, or to deal with the massive and growing wealth inequalities in this country, or to ensure that inner city kids from poor backgrounds have access to the same opportunities as the children of the well-off, or to provide free uni education, or to ensure that young people can get secure work and somewhere to live; just make them work for free for a couple of weeks, and all will be well.

The man's an idealistic idiot - and a liar; for all his posturing about No Deal, he voted to allow it yesterday; party before country, always. Rory is a Tory.

I'm surprised that none of the candidates had re packaged the "short sharp shock" remit from the 80's.




The Tory elite is so far out of touch with the "common man" it's just increddible and the very fact that despite so many years of austerity and a growing crisis in mental health and care for the elderly, they STILL advocate tax cuts above all else. Greed is good

A good variation on that would be for MPs and parliament to move north. Ideally into a spartan office building with accommodation located at least one train or bus ride away.

Nah, make them commute accross The Pennines every day ??
If ever a rail service needed an upgrade, the trans Pennine routs should be top of the list.

Alternatively they could try out a new prison.
I understand that drug taking is rife "inside" so many of them, especially the leadership contenders would fit right in

Then, throw away the key and get some decent folk to run the country

Sounds like the Tories are hatching a plan to "elect" Boris unopposed, as they are nervous about "blue on blue" debate. Truly shocking.
These are their own rules that they are wanting to ignore, not something imposed by a 3rd party

You can be sure most home counties kids would miraculously develop bone spurs which would prevent them from participating.

I can't understand the need for televised debates when only the party members can vote on the next PM. It won't be a public vote like the referendum or a GE. Why inflict it on everyone else ?

So that their lies are out in the open, and they can be held to account? Not that it matters much these days. MPs seem to be able to spout whatever nonsense they like without being challenged.

The Donald and Bumbling Boris, leaders of the free world.
Beam me up Scotty!

Just looking at an atlas and I'm pretty much as far away from these two "bastions of democracy" as I could be.......thank the gods.

They do have plenty of common ground, at least in the way that they conduct themselves in the political arena.
Both with swear that "black is white" and then deny having said anything.

Boris tries to cover over his racist views by describing them as "mistakes" when he's called out.
Some of his language when describing Muslims or "Black" women has been bloody disgraceful.

What did the world do to "deserve" these two clowns

I’m starting to miss Theresa May already, red lines, hostile environment and all.

Strange how silent the Brexiteers are over the threat to democracy when 0.0005% of the population are currently deciding who will 'lead' this country for the next few years.

The Conservatives’ mandate is very weak and the new leader taking it on second hand is not going to be in a strong position. His party won’t allow a deal, Parliament won’t allow no deal, a general election would be massively unpredictable with the Brexit Party and committed Remain parties taking votes from the Conservatives and Labour, and a second referendum would likely be close enough to not solve the problem. Stalemate.

Clumsy, ugly and potentially disasterous as it will be, maybe it needs someone like Johnson to bring it to a head, and see how it falls out. Or maybe he’ll just tie himself and us in even more Gordian knots.

We really have made a right pig’s ear of this.

I'm not disagreeing with much of that. Johnson doesn't give a toss; he lies to his family, lies to the populace & will be immune to any fall out. Seeing supposedly ethical colleagues lining up behind him to be seen to be supporting the victor & secure a prominent position in the new cabinet is vomit inducing. It reaffirms to me Brexit is all about forriners not democracy.

I have yet to meet a politician who doesn't lie to the populace when it suits, What Brexit has reaffirmed to me is that we don't live in an open democracy as some will advocate, we live in a parliamentary democracy, god help us with this shower what ever party.

I have to believe there are good people on all sides; far more on the left obviously....

I agree with that & this is what the dischuffed & disenfranchised should be putting their frustrations into. Taking central power from London & giving it to the regions for all but national & international strategic decisions. Getting people to believe they can truly influence politics.

Writing about the Labour prime minister Gordon Brown, who took over from Tony Blair without an election, this is what Boris Johnson said;

“It’s the arrogance. It’s the contempt. That’s what gets me. It’s Gordon Brown’s apparent belief that he can just trample on the democratic will of the British people. It’s at moments like this that I think the political world has gone mad, and I am alone in detecting the gigantic fraud.”

“They voted for Anthony Charles Lynton Blair to serve as their leader. They were at no stage invited to vote on whether Gordon Brown should be PM… They voted for Tony, and yet they now get Gordon, and a transition about as democratically proper as the transition from Claudius to Nero. It is a scandal. Why are we all conniving in this stitch-up? This is nothing less than a palace coup… with North Korean servility, the Labour Party has handed power over to the brooding Scottish power-maniac.”
“The extraordinary thing is that it looks as though he will now be in 10 Downing Street for three years, and without a mandate from the British people. No one elected Gordon Brown as Prime Minister”

“Gordon Brown could appease public indignation over that, and secure the democratic mandate he needs, by asking the public to vote at once on him, on the new EU treaty, and on the implications of the devolutionary settlement. Let’s have an election without delay.”

Couldn't agree more, add to that Labour won't allow a deal what ever as it might be as a way of getting a general election. It was said on Politics live today that the only thing Johnson is hoping to renegotiate with the EU is the backstop. So it looks like the status quo will continue.