To think there should not be a snap General Election...

[Flashbangandgone]

...after Theresa May's victory. It seems that the Lib Dems, Greens and even Labour's election coordinator think so, but surely with the UK needing stability after Brexit, Labour being in the worst possible place to be a credible opposition, and the public only recently voting (1 year in GE and weeks ago in referendum) surely it's the last thing we need. Besides, I couldn't stand another months of electioneering...

[MrsPatrickDempsey]

But Claire - we don't strictly vote for a PM, do we? We vote for our own MP.

[PeppaPigTastesLikeBacon]

I can't be arsed with more bloody door knockers

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

We never vote for the PM; I can never understand that argument, it's wrong.

[Flashbangandgone]

ThroughThickAndThin

Unless you live in Cameron's Witney constituency, you couldn't have voted for the PM. We live in a parliamentary democracy... The PM is not the President!

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Well yes exactly OP

[sirfredfredgeorge]

Parliaments are now fixed terms, so you'd now need a 2/3rds majority to call an election now, that's not going to happen, the SNP wouldn't want it (they hold almost every seat they contest) the Labour party wouldn't want it (Corbyn is a liability) so LibDem's probably do, but there's only a few of them. So even if the Conservatives wanted an election, they couldn't call it, but of course, they'd be mad to want it, it would just be an expensive annoyance to them.

[Motheroffourdragons]

I'm just concerned that we now have a PM not even elected by the party running the country.

[MrsJoeyMaynard]

I think Labour need to sort out their leadership squabbling before any general election happens. Plus the last thing we need right now is more political instability.

And as for all the I didn't vote for Teresa May stuff - well, I can't, as I don't live in her constituency. I also didn't have the opportunity to vote for David Cameron for the same reason. Most people in the UK are in the same position as me there.

[Motheroffourdragons]

Interesting though I just heard on the news that she was s big voice against Gordon Brown not having a democratic mandate when he became PM in similar circumstances. Perhaps she will do the decent thing.

[PigletWasPoohsFriend]

Interesting though I just heard on the news that she was s big voice against Gordon Brown not having a democratic mandate when he became PM in similar circumstances. Perhaps she will do the decent thing.

Which he didn't do.

Labour really shouldn't push this. If there is a snap election the current state of Labour could see them lose a large number of seats.

[anorakgirl]

ClaireVoyante please can you give evidence for your statement. I am nowhere near May's biggest fan but would like some clarification on your claim

[tilder]

We don't individually vote for a pm. We do vote based on a current cabinet and pm, or shadow cabinet etc, plus manifesto. As well as our constituency mp.

Things they are a changing. Massively. More than a little mid term cabinet reshuffle. She does not have the mandate for this for the next 4 years. I would like an election. To give a mandate and produce some policies going forward. As she said Gordon Brown should do.

Agree the state of labour, the lack of lib dems and the self interest of the snp makes this a little tricky.

[Brightnorthernlights]

Could you link or clarify your statement about young children, Clairevoyante? I think that is a very damning statement to make about anybody and would think you need to link supporting evidence or withdraw it if you have confused TM with somebody else?

[Motheroffourdragons]

Piglet,I agree labour are in no position but I do believe she doesn't have the backing of enough people either. In fairness to Gove and I hate him myself, but AL leaving the race before today would have left him the opposition, and then there would have been a contest under the rules.

[Flashbangandgone]

I'm guessing Clairvoyant's comments are some idiotic extrapolation from Theresa May's qualified comments about Sharia Law having some benefits, which makes as much sense as concluding that because I was a Remain voter, that therefore I love the EU, and as Germany's in the EU, and they were Nazis, therefore it follows that I love Nazis and want to exterminate all Jews!

[hastheworldgonemad]

Oh for fucks sake the bloody last thing we need is more naval gazing.

We need to get her as PM and move forward to steady the markets and negotiate brexit.

Any election now would wipe labour off the face of the earth and don't even mention the ridiculous Lib Dems who campaigned for fixed term governments

move on and be grateful Andrea has dropped out.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

I didn't vote for the Conservatives during the last GE so it makes no odds to me per se that TM is now the Prime Minister rather than DC.

Andrea Leadsom being PM would have had me signing every petition going, the woman is a idiot.

I believe that TM will negotiate well and fairly, bringing us through Brexit (sigh) as well as anybody possibly could.

Never thought I'd be a TM fan, but these are strange times.

[Motheroffourdragons]

See, I don't trust this whole thing at all. First of all we had Boris and Gove campaigning for Brexit when they didn't really want it, and Cameron resigning the next morning, when they won. Boris was jostled out by Gove, in an apparently backstabbing gesture in the leadership contest. AL then seemed to be the only possible Brexit opposition to May who was for remain. And now she has gone too.

It looks to me as if the whole thing has been orchestrated.

So on balance either they rerun the leadership contest or a general election is called. It can be done in exceptional circumstances and I think these times are exceptional.