IDEALLY, electability should be all about policy and not optics, but let’s face it, we don’t live in such a world. When party members chose their leaders, very few scrutinise the candidates’ manifestos, and instead vote for the person who ‘feels’ right – in other words, the person who is going to get their party into power.
Hi Walt. Have you been overdoing the sherry? Whilst agreeing with your views that making a person of her background a party leader and PM would be a good, progressive move for the country, she is not the right person to be selected to do so. She has a reputation for being a good performer in the Commons, yes. But she also has a reputation amongst her Civil Servants for being extremely dogmatic and unwilling to compromise. The optics may be good, as many thought they were for Johnson, but look what happened there. Very capable as she is, she needs to mature. If she does she could be another excellent SofS. If not, another Dorries. Cheers, mate.
I'm all for Kemi & would cheer her to the rafters. She certainly ticks all the optics boxes. Wouldn't we all like to "skip a generation" as well; our current government have done little or nothing to inspire or even stress the importance of politics to Generation Z.
I've taught the history of the women's suffrage campaign for over 15 years & today's undergraduates are clueless as to the reasons why Victorian women began the battle for the vote. They might have heard of Emmeline Pankhurst, or seen Millicent Fawcett's statue in London, but they don't see the relevance of politics today. A conversation in my local coffee shop only yesterday underlined this clearly. Regardless of gender, the group of young baristas had no interest in Johnson's resignation. "They're all the same," one young guy said. His female colleague chimed in with "no-one cares about us, why should we care?" It's not just the Tories that are out of touch, it's most politicians.
After 3 months of study my students had at least learnt something of politics & the law & why their voice mattered. Whether it's Kami or another who takes us into the next election, what I'm most concerned about is that the electorate might not bother to vote at all. Everywhere they see sleaze, backbiting, leaks & lax morals. Many of our young people are deeply moralistic, & support all manner of sustainable development projects & climate change activism. Is it any wonder they are turned off by modern politics?
I'm not entirely sure I agree with some here that the Tory grassroots wouldn't go for Kemi. She's hugely popular at party conference (when she 'opened' for May before May's truly disastrous conference speech marred by coughing and the stage falling apart, she showed total command of the situation and got a very strong response), while the culture wars posturing that annoys me is catnip to normal Tories.
You make an excellent case for Kemi. (All Tory leaders clearly have to have short, memorable names now, so 'Kemi' it is.) And under normal circumstances I'd find it hard to argue. But this time around, things are surely slightly different. It's not a big secret that this winter, the UK is likely to experience serious cost of living issues, massive increases in fuel and energy costs, possibly yet more inflation, industrial action, social unrest, geopolitical instability, pressure on the Union, and the possibility of an out-and-out crisis if e.g. China blockades Taiwan. This is all before the new PM even has to face the electorate!
It's for that reason that, for once, I'm less interested in someone who either matches my ideology (no one ever does, anyway) or who has some obscure kind of appeal to me, than someone who is simply good in a crisis. That means someone experienced — a cool head — decisive, intelligent, confidence-inspiring. I will gladly put up with some slightly dodgy views or annoying features to achieve these things, because I really do think the situation is that bad.
Is that person Kemi? Her lack of experience in a crisis worries me a bit. But then I don't have any easy, off-the-shelf alternative for you either. Anyway, what I can say is this: Kemi should certainly find a role in any cabinet, and a prominent role at that, because one thing I hope we have learned from the Boris personality cult and its implosion is that there's something to be said for a more collegiate style of governance, in which all sorts of different talents can and must come to the fore — but once Kemi has proved herself in a context like that, there won't be any holding her back.
Alas the blue rinsers an gammons are not going to vote for her. I don’t have a vote and I don’t rate any of the usual offenders , most of them tolerated Johnson for far too long. I would pick Penny Mordant, from what I know of her she seems a straight shooter. And as an aside hard no to Steve Barclay, born again Christian, absolutely not.
I get your point completely, but I fear that the 90,000 largely ageing, white Tory party members who will choose the next PM will never agree with you.
Oops. This is not a good look. https://tinyurl.com/2kh28vc9
Hi Walt. Have you been overdoing the sherry? Whilst agreeing with your views that making a person of her background a party leader and PM would be a good, progressive move for the country, she is not the right person to be selected to do so. She has a reputation for being a good performer in the Commons, yes. But she also has a reputation amongst her Civil Servants for being extremely dogmatic and unwilling to compromise. The optics may be good, as many thought they were for Johnson, but look what happened there. Very capable as she is, she needs to mature. If she does she could be another excellent SofS. If not, another Dorries. Cheers, mate.
She must be reading this Guy as she’s announced her candidacy in the Times today.
I'm all for Kemi & would cheer her to the rafters. She certainly ticks all the optics boxes. Wouldn't we all like to "skip a generation" as well; our current government have done little or nothing to inspire or even stress the importance of politics to Generation Z.
I've taught the history of the women's suffrage campaign for over 15 years & today's undergraduates are clueless as to the reasons why Victorian women began the battle for the vote. They might have heard of Emmeline Pankhurst, or seen Millicent Fawcett's statue in London, but they don't see the relevance of politics today. A conversation in my local coffee shop only yesterday underlined this clearly. Regardless of gender, the group of young baristas had no interest in Johnson's resignation. "They're all the same," one young guy said. His female colleague chimed in with "no-one cares about us, why should we care?" It's not just the Tories that are out of touch, it's most politicians.
After 3 months of study my students had at least learnt something of politics & the law & why their voice mattered. Whether it's Kami or another who takes us into the next election, what I'm most concerned about is that the electorate might not bother to vote at all. Everywhere they see sleaze, backbiting, leaks & lax morals. Many of our young people are deeply moralistic, & support all manner of sustainable development projects & climate change activism. Is it any wonder they are turned off by modern politics?
I'm not entirely sure I agree with some here that the Tory grassroots wouldn't go for Kemi. She's hugely popular at party conference (when she 'opened' for May before May's truly disastrous conference speech marred by coughing and the stage falling apart, she showed total command of the situation and got a very strong response), while the culture wars posturing that annoys me is catnip to normal Tories.
You make an excellent case for Kemi. (All Tory leaders clearly have to have short, memorable names now, so 'Kemi' it is.) And under normal circumstances I'd find it hard to argue. But this time around, things are surely slightly different. It's not a big secret that this winter, the UK is likely to experience serious cost of living issues, massive increases in fuel and energy costs, possibly yet more inflation, industrial action, social unrest, geopolitical instability, pressure on the Union, and the possibility of an out-and-out crisis if e.g. China blockades Taiwan. This is all before the new PM even has to face the electorate!
It's for that reason that, for once, I'm less interested in someone who either matches my ideology (no one ever does, anyway) or who has some obscure kind of appeal to me, than someone who is simply good in a crisis. That means someone experienced — a cool head — decisive, intelligent, confidence-inspiring. I will gladly put up with some slightly dodgy views or annoying features to achieve these things, because I really do think the situation is that bad.
Is that person Kemi? Her lack of experience in a crisis worries me a bit. But then I don't have any easy, off-the-shelf alternative for you either. Anyway, what I can say is this: Kemi should certainly find a role in any cabinet, and a prominent role at that, because one thing I hope we have learned from the Boris personality cult and its implosion is that there's something to be said for a more collegiate style of governance, in which all sorts of different talents can and must come to the fore — but once Kemi has proved herself in a context like that, there won't be any holding her back.
Alas the blue rinsers an gammons are not going to vote for her. I don’t have a vote and I don’t rate any of the usual offenders , most of them tolerated Johnson for far too long. I would pick Penny Mordant, from what I know of her she seems a straight shooter. And as an aside hard no to Steve Barclay, born again Christian, absolutely not.
I get your point completely, but I fear that the 90,000 largely ageing, white Tory party members who will choose the next PM will never agree with you.