[Since this is politics, I’m puting this in GD rather than the Pit. Mods, feel free to move if you deem it fit.]
The Tories are a complete shambles, aren’t they? ‘Dave’ Cameron has come completely unstuck. But with a General Election in the offing, who are they going to put in his place? And how can they replace him? Osborne and Maude are damned by association, Redwood’s a Vulcan. David Davis, last year’s loser? Boris ‘buffoon’ Johnson? Liam ultra-right-wing Fox? Hague the vague?
What a shambles. Democracy only works well when you have an effective opposition.
So, who do you see as an effective leader for the Tories for another 4-5 years of opposition? (Absent a major scandal, I really don’t see how the Tories have any hope of winning any election held in the next 2-3 months.) I could go for Boris, purely on the basis of character. He has something of the air of Churchill about him.
I don’t see it that way at all. I don’t think the Tories have come unstuck, I think they’re just made to look amateurish by a superb government/labour machine which outflanks them at every turn. ‘Dave’ Cameron is their best hope IMO.
So it’s the “floating voters” in the middle who make the difference.
Call Me Dave and Gorgeous Gordon have similar policies - Brown has appropriated many traditional Tory policies and phrasing, and has deliberately brought Tories into his “Govt of All The Talents”.
Most voters still go for “better the devil you know”, meaning they’ll stick with Labour.
Michael Howard tried the “right-wing nasty party” approach at the last election, and got thumped. Personal attacks on Brown won’t succeed against someone so stubborn and thick-skinned… there’s not much the Tories could accuse him of that Blair’s team didn’t try last year.
So I think we’re stuck with Gordon’s Gophers for the time being - I’m not sure there’s anyone who could do a better job than Call Me Dave, but the Tories need to re-position themselves to take advantage of any future Labour catastophe.
Perfectly serious. He’s one smart cookie, and he passes the character test superbly (not that he’s without flaw, mind you). And, as you say, he’d work the comedy angle big time. The Tories are heading for another 4-5 years - or more - of opposition and they need someone who can lead them through that.
I pity our hordes of American dopers who won’t have a clue how amusing that is. Definitely Boris!
(It’s a series of ads on the trains and TV and probably radio as well, for Churchill, a car insurance company. They feature a talking animated bulldog. They are of course very annoying. Or would be if I watched TV anymore.)
I think it’s a bit unfair to suggest just changing Cameron will sort out the problems.
Bear in mind the history of the Conservatives collapsing post-Maggie / having uncharismatic leaders like Major and Davies / getting a reputation for sleaze (Aitken etc) / facing the slickness of Blair (before he turned into an Iraq-based disaster).
As for Boris … he’s obviously great fun at parties. However he doesn’t display any grasp of politics or shrewdness. Consider his gaffes over Liverpool etc.
It’s hard to be elected Prime Minister when people are constantly laughing at you.
I disagree: it seems to me that the Tories need a leader who will sort them out, not necessarily one who will return them to power. Ironically, it’s likely they had one in Howard but they didn’t give him the time.
It’s interesting that you feel confident drawing generalizations among different English-speaking countries’ Conservative parties – even though there’s no Conservative International, AFAIK, and Conservatives are on principle more nationalistic than the other parties. I’m not expressing skepticism, mind you; I’m sure the UK and all the British settler states (except for the U.S.) have related, perhaps even intertwined, political histories. But it’s interesting.
British politics. David “Dave” Cameron is the leader of the Conservative Party. He’s very…pretty, very up with people, and he comes across as left of Labour.
eta: He’s keen. That’s his problem. Conservatives shouldn’t be keen.
The disturbing part? He might actually win that. Sadly, lurking behind the buffoonery he’s actually a pretty right-wing guy, so it’s not like we’d be getting a fool but a neutral fool. I think he’s probably the most electable (for both Mayor and PM) MP the Tories have right now, and I hope he never gets near either.
I don’t think that’s right - the die-hard Tory voters will turn out to vote for anyone who isn’t Labour: however big a prat they think he is :dubious:
Be careful of underestimating Boris. When he speaks he comes over as bumbling and hesitant but his written stuff - books and articles - are intelligent and well argued, whether or not you agree with his conclusions.
