Which prime minister would you want in charge at the moment?

[Xuli]

You can chose any PM from recent memory, say about the 1979s.

After a convo with DH this morning we agreed that Blair might have managed this crisis the best, not that it's probably a great bunch to choose from...

Thatcher was a chemistry graduate so would have got the science. Blair would have done well.

@glowworm93

I think Theresa May or John Major.

I'm not a Johnson fan but I do feel.sorry for him. This is the worst possible time for him to be PM. Plays to absolutely none of his strengths (and he does have some IMO).

And the situation we find ourselves in really highlight his weaknesses.

Gordon Brown.

Brown would be my choice.

@glowworm93 I genuinely wouldn’t waste an ounce of sympathy on him - his recruitment and retention of Cummings, a man so odious in every way, shows Johnson doesn’t give a flying fuck in a high wind about any of us.

He’s a deeply repulsive and unpleasant individual - something he’s demonstrated time and time again. He deserves the pasting he’s getting and some.

@RunningWaterfall

I wonder if Johnson would have been quite as awful if Dominic Cummings wasn’t his adviser?

He wouldn't have become PM in the first place without Cummings.

Being unoriginal I'd say Blair and/or Brown.

But... how much better things would seem if Obama was in the White House as opposed to the current evil narcissist?

Blair is one of the most slimy gits this country has ever seen in the Parliament, let alone amongst PMs.

Thatch.

Seeing as New Zealanders are getting included-

Helen Clark.

Her government balanced the budget, paid down debt, established a contingency fund, established a NZ-owned bank, implemented a tax transfer scheme and renationalized the railways.

Left the government books well able to deal with the GFC.

Uncharismatic, hard-working, no-nonsense, badly Thatcher with a heart, and twice as effective as Jacinda Ardern (who we're lucky to have as PM).

Boris Johnson

Blair is not a statesman, he’s a war criminal

@VickySunshine

Blair is not a statesman, he’s a war criminal

What Daily Mail nonsense. He acted with UN agreement at all times.

Coronavirus has caused far more deaths ( more in USA alone than in Iraq). Johnson is responsible for far more avoidable deaths than the Iraq war.

Blair’s a liar, and he went to war knowingly lying to justify it. The man should be prosecuted. Not running the fucking country again.

In this order -
Jacinda Ahern
John Smith
Barak Obama
Gordon Brown
John Major
Tony Blair
anyone but Boris or Thatcher

@Bluntness100

Blair’s a liar, and he went to war knowingly lying to justify it. The man should be prosecuted. Not running the fucking country again.

He’s actually one of the most honest people I know. He may well have been misinformed deliberately, but he acted in good faith. The investigations since have born that out. No evidence of any crime or any lying at all. It’s right wing media scandalising to disempower and return a Tory government.

I can't believe the number of people saying Brown. He left the country in economic ruin!

Thatcher would be my vote, but I am an 80's child, so not entirely surprising.

Thatcher.

Blair/Brown. But Theresa may would have been ok.

I've never voted tory but I'd take Thatcher in a heartbeat over these clowns. Gordon Brown would be my first choice. Can we go international, Merkel is doing a good job. Obama would also be great.

John major

@Baaaahhhhh

I can't believe the number of people saying Brown. He left the country in economic ruin!

Thatcher would be my vote, but I am an 80's child, so not entirely surprising.

@Baaaahhhhh are you suggesting that Brown was responsible for the Global Recession in 2007-08? www.history.com/topics/21st-century/recession

As I recall he mitigated those events:
www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/feb/21/gordon-brown-saved-banks

And as for the austerity measures over the last 10 years that have closed children's centres, made child benefit non-universal, reduced welfare spending,cancelled school building programs, reduced funding for local government, police, courts and prisons. But suddenly this Conservative Government seem to have plenty of money to splurge on eat out to help out, contracts resulting in faulty PPE (what happened to that Turkish pile of PPE?) & recalled faulty tests (Randox) and really oddly almost re-nationalising the railways! Oh and let's not forget the escalating cost for HS2:
The costs of HS2 were estimated in 2010 to be between £30.9 billion and £36 billion; in 2015, this estimate was combined with the cost of rolling stock to give a budget of £56.6 billion. Oakervee's review in 2019 estimated the project would cost between £80.7 billion and £88.7 billion. Can't wait to see what that bill finally comes in at!

Blair
Major
Brown

In that order.

Mumratheevergiving. Depends what you read I suppose. I would highlight pension raids, and gold sell offs as two particular low points:

• Analysis recently published by the Office for Budget Responsibility reveals that one of Gordon Brown’s first decisions has cost workers £118 billion from their pensions.

• It was called one of the worst investment decisions of all time

@xuli no problem. Happy to satisfy my own curiosity re tally

I can't believe the number of people saying Brown. He left the country in economic ruin! no he was falsely held responsible by the tories for the effects on the Uk - which he largely and skilfully mitigated - of a GLOBAL financial crisis which was mainly caused by USA fiscal mismanagement - so if you want to blame a politician look at George W!

This current govts financial mismanagement is far more concerning! In their isolationist attitude we're cutting our nose to spite our face!

Long since been proven that their being "better for the economy" is nonsense!

Graylings mistakes alone have cost the country a minimum of £3bn!

Blair, Thatcher or May for me