What’s your over-under on how many more PMs the Tories can go through before they lose legitimacy?
If it gets bad enough, would Charles become the first King in centuries to have to step in and force a new election by dissolving Parliament? [Ed: Technically this is true, but after some research, Elizabeth actually did this in 1976, so the spirit of my comment was misguided. But still, it’s a good question!]
In the internal politicking that led to Liz Truss, there were only a handful of potential candidates for PM. Truss, Sunak, Mordaunt and a few others that fell by the wayside after making it through the first round. Truss, Sunak and Mordaunt went on, then Mordaunt couldn't continue to compete, leaving Truss and Sunak.
The hard Brexit supporters backed Liz Truss. They knew her thinking on the economy and I guess they must have felt that it was a good way to go; why else support her? When she managed to shoot herself in the foot, Kwarteng in the heart and spatter the UK economy all over the walls, they scraped Truss off their shoes.
That brought them back to the point just before they chose Truss: with a limited number of possible candidates that the MPs might back. Of them, Sunak had been the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer and he was in the final vote for PM, previously. All of that probably stood him in good stead. He also appears able to think on his feet, present a reasonable and measured demeanor and can point to his wealth as a measure of success.
Truss by some accounts was vituperative and vindictive after she became PM. Some would equate that with her being female, ignoring instances when men do exactly the same thing, of course. (BoJo, anyone?) So, that may have weighed against Mordaunt, at least in the backs of some peoples' minds. Since Sunak was the one going head-to-head with Truss the last time, I think he became the one to beat this time. Johnson couldn't get the votes and it seems Mordaunt struggled to get them as well, so both dropped out, leaving the it to Sunak.
So I’m a little late to the party, but from my point of view it seems like Sunak is a good option for now. Putting the guy in no. 10 who was recently in charge of the exchequer seems like a logical move if the conservatives want to quell the chaos and make it to the next scheduled election end of 2024, beginning of 2025. I’m not exactly an expert in UK politics but things seem a bit testy right now so who knows how things shake out.
One question I have that I can’t sort out, is the currently party political chaos just a factor of specific 2022 factors, mainly post Covid economic crisis, or it is a larger comment on the post-brexit political landscape with long term implications?
I've been watching "A Different Bias" on Youtube and clips from some of the hosts of LBC (formerly London Broadcasting Company). The consensus seems to be that the Tories can pull this out IF they get someone who isn't too far out on the edge. However, if they annoy too many within their own party, Labour could call a no confidence vote and with enough disaffected Tories, cause the early election to occur. If a general election occurs, the Tories are out.
So, my guess is that the Tories have one chance and they had better get it right. Labour Leader, Keir Starmer, has already warned them against Boris Johnson. BoJo's privileges investigation is still upcoming, and it doesn't seem to look good for him. But, the biggest thing is all those letters of resignation that helped bring him down in the first place. His own party basically said, "You are unfit."
If they go with Suella Braverman, they are probably sunk as well. She also wants to cut taxes, cut services (or institute efficiencies, which ends up causing a cut in services), continue sending illegal immigrants to Rwanda and of course some silly thing about supporting Brexit opportunities.
In the internal politicking that led to Liz Truss, there were only a handful of potential candidates for PM. Truss, Sunak, Mordaunt and a few others that fell by the wayside after making it through the first round. Truss, Sunak and Mordaunt went on, then Mordaunt couldn't continue to compete, leaving Truss and Sunak.
The hard Brexit supporters backed Liz Truss. They knew her thinking on the economy and I guess they must have felt that it was a good way to go; why else support her? When she managed to shoot herself in the foot, Kwarteng in the heart and spatter the UK economy all over the walls, they scraped Truss off their shoes.
That brought them back to the point just before they chose Truss: with a limited number of possible candidates that the MPs might back. Of them, Sunak had been the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer and he was in the final vote for PM, previously. All of that probably stood him in good stead. He also appears able to think on his feet, present a reasonable and measured demeanor and can point to his wealth as a measure of success.
Truss by some accounts was vituperative and vindictive after she became PM. Some would equate that with her being female, ignoring instances when men do exactly the same thing, of course. (BoJo, anyone?) So, that may have weighed against Mordaunt, at least in the backs of some peoples' minds. Since Sunak was the one going head-to-head with Truss the last time, I think he became the one to beat this time. Johnson couldn't get the votes and it seems Mordaunt struggled to get them as well, so both dropped out, leaving the it to Sunak.
So I’m a little late to the party, but from my point of view it seems like Sunak is a good option for now. Putting the guy in no. 10 who was recently in charge of the exchequer seems like a logical move if the conservatives want to quell the chaos and make it to the next scheduled election end of 2024, beginning of 2025. I’m not exactly an expert in UK politics but things seem a bit testy right now so who knows how things shake out.
One question I have that I can’t sort out, is the currently party political chaos just a factor of specific 2022 factors, mainly post Covid economic crisis, or it is a larger comment on the post-brexit political landscape with long term implications?
I've been watching "A Different Bias" on Youtube and clips from some of the hosts of LBC (formerly London Broadcasting Company). The consensus seems to be that the Tories can pull this out IF they get someone who isn't too far out on the edge. However, if they annoy too many within their own party, Labour could call a no confidence vote and with enough disaffected Tories, cause the early election to occur. If a general election occurs, the Tories are out.
So, my guess is that the Tories have one chance and they had better get it right. Labour Leader, Keir Starmer, has already warned them against Boris Johnson. BoJo's privileges investigation is still upcoming, and it doesn't seem to look good for him. But, the biggest thing is all those letters of resignation that helped bring him down in the first place. His own party basically said, "You are unfit."
If they go with Suella Braverman, they are probably sunk as well. She also wants to cut taxes, cut services (or institute efficiencies, which ends up causing a cut in services), continue sending illegal immigrants to Rwanda and of course some silly thing about supporting Brexit opportunities.