So Andrea Leadsom dropped out of the race for PM, leaving Theresa May the presumptive winner. But all this happened only because Cameron announced his resignation, which I thought wasn’t going to take effect until September. Even if it were accelerated, wouldn’t basic decency allow the man more than one day to move his family out of their home?
The man likely has a horde of servants to pack and move all of his stuff to whichever of his other houses he’s planning on living in. It’s not like when us peasants are packing things ourselves and then borrowing our buddies pickup to get the bed to our new apartment. I would be unsurprised if the service the Cameons hired will be done in six hours or less.
He’s getting the boot because he’s not the PM anymore. Obama doesn’t get to stay in the White House after he’s no longer president. It’s just that in the USA, the handover is more regimented with the dates, while it’s a bit looser in the UK.
If twere done, twere best done quickly or something like that.
When a change of power becomes fact it’s really best for all concerned that the old guy get off stage as fast as practically possible.
Cameron resigned on June 24. His party lost the referendum, and under the rules/traditions of the British parliamentary system, it’s time for a new leader. It’s not as if the Cameron family will be forced to live with relatives in Canada.
24 Jun 2016
Updated 13:16, 24 Jun 2016
By Mikey Smith
*David Cameron says he wants a new Prime Minister in place by October.
Good morning everyone, the country has just taken part in a giant democratic exercise, perhaps the biggest in our history.
Over 33 million people from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar have all had their say.
We should be proud of the fact that in these islands we trust the people for these big decisions.
We not only have a parliamentary democracy, but on questions about the arrangements for how we’ve governed there are times when it is right to ask the people themselves and that is what we have done.
The British people have voted to leave the European Union and their will must be respected.*
They have known for 3 weeks that they were leaving.
Having hired a moving service when I moved houses, those guys are packing machines super quick nothing was broken. Some of the best money I every spent was not doing the packing myself.
Cameron is showing by example, that if the UK wants out of the EU, how quickly someone can leave their position.
Picture in today’s paper of the removal guys at No 10. No servants - just a professional team, not doubt fully vetted, who will sort it in an afternoon.
In any case, No 10 is fully furnished so most of what has to be moved will be clothes and small personal items. No doubt Samantha will be on hand to supervise while David does his final duty as PM.
This was the best possible result - a smooth handover without too much of that “lame duck” that afflicts American Presidents. “The king is dead - long live the queen.”
Meanwhile, the opposition tear themselves apart over their choice of leader, with bricks through office windows and members of the NEC accused by other members of being like “scab” miners.
Since this mainly a political question but not really a debate, let’s move it to IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
In the Westminster system, the PM doesn’t have any inherent executive authority. The PM has authority because he/she leads the party in power in the Commons. As soon as Cameron announced his resignation he was just marking time until the new party leader was selected. He said October originally because he thought there would be a leadership contest. Since the new leader has been selected, there’s no point in waiting - he’s getting out of the way so she can take over right away.
A 24 hour turn around is common I think in Britain when the PM loses the election and the new PM come in. (In Canada, the transition is a bit slower - usually a couple of weeks after the election.).
He wasn’t pushed, he jumped.
Cameron forecast September on the assumption that there would be a contested leadership election. Once it was clear there wouldn’t be, why wait?
No. 10 is never expected to be anyone’s forever home - it’s a rather grand office building with a small residential flat in the attics (and in fact the Camerons, being a family, use the larger accommodation in No. 11, the official residence and office of the Chancellor of the Exchequer). Although his London home is currently let out, he has a house in his constituency, and nobody would begrudge him and his family a[nother] decent holiday.
And yes, if a PM is turfed out in a General Election, they would usually know early on the Friday morning and be out on the Saturday, so that the new PM can be in on the Sunday and at least the main Cabinet posts filled and ready to go for Monday morning.
Cameron owns two homes. Both rented out. They may have to rent a place until reclaiming their private homes.
This article mentions the Cameron’s used their own money to upgrade the kitchen.
There’s actually two apartments. The 10 apartment is smaller. The one at 12 is bigger and better suited for families with kids.
I wonder which May will use? It’s just her and her husband.
Quote
When they first arrived at Downing Street, the couple moved into the top floor Georgian flat above Number 10.
But at the time of Florence’s birth, they were planning to take up residence in the more spacious flat above 11 Downing Street.
The early arrival of their new baby forced the family to move next door sooner than they had planned.
Another factor, from Cameron’s point of view, is that a smooth coronation for Mrs May contrasts markedly with the ongoing turmoil in the Labour Party, which looks like dragging on until the party conference in September, and even then may lead to some entertaining conference punch-ups like the old days pre-Blair.
We started this process with the Tories looking like a circular firing squad, and suddenly they’re the ones that look relatively organised.
Sheesh! Can’t you Leadsomers just let go already?!?
One of the differences between the US system and the Westminster system is that it seems to take an incoming President a couple of months to go through all those binders of women and men to pick the Cabinet and a few layers of the bureaucracy directly under the Cabinet secretaries.
A new PM in the Westminster system doesn’t need that time, because the Cabinet is selected from the party caucus in the Commons. The PM normally has been working with them for a few years at least, so should have a good idea of their strengths and weaknesses, plus the internal party politics (who has a strong claim, what regions need to be represented, and so on). The new PM already likely has that sketched out going into the election, with contingencies for new candidates getting elected and incumbents getting turfed in their constituencies.
And, the new PM doesn’t change the public service, so no need to be looking for new people there, either.
Cameron is still an MP, right? Doesn’t he really need to live in the London area in order to attend sessions of Parliament? Or did he resign from Parliament, as well?
Yes, he’s till an MP.
No, an MP can live wherever they want. Don’t even have to live in their constituency.
Cameron’s constituency home is in Dean, Oxfordshire, which is only 80 miles or so from Westminster.
Well, no, I didn’t mean legally, just logistically.
How do MPs afford to live in London? I know this is an issue for some members of Congress in the US, given the high cost of living in Washington. Several Democratic Representatives and Senators shared a house, and I think one Representative lived out of his office.
Doo doo, doo doo dooo…right!