What do you think of Kemi Badenoch?

[WithAnXXHere]

As the title says!

I really like her. She's straight-talking, has had a real job, isn't slagging everyone else off, and has clearly worked for everything she has.

The only downside for me would be her lack of politics experience. But I'm sure she could hire the right people to help her if she became PM.

This. Totally agree. I feel like she is the right wing of the Tory party sneaking in their hateful policies under the guise of an on the very surface more "right on" candidate, ie black woman. Look beneath the surface.

The Tories are all about working hard, get a good well paying job, boost the economy etc. Well, bloody prioritise education then as that's the foundation. Don't make cutbacks.
Good investment in education means boost to the economy, less crime so less expenditure on policing and prisons, maybe less cost to the health service too as a ripple effect.
Politicians are so short sighted.

I feel your pain.

Mines Braverman so I was glad when she went. She's as awfully callous and right wing

I think she’s horrible. That’s really not something I say lightly. I’d forgotten how ugly right wing Tory really is.

Most of MN would vote for literally anyone if they “know what a woman is” and to hell with any of their other viewpoints. Although I have seen people saying they’ll vote for her purely on the basis of her race.

as a party member she’s too far to the right - won’t be getting my vote if she gets that far.

I don’t think it’s most of MN. The posters who hold that position are very active which I think distorts the discussion.

She's a Tory and very right wing even for them.

Didn’t she hack one of the Labour MPs website? And they kindly didn’t press charges?
amp.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/09/bafflement-over-tory-mps-admission-she-hacked-harriet-harmans-website

We need people who voice certain issues loudly. There are so many at issues to deal with that sometimes it helps to spotlight the ones people feel strongly about.
Knowing what a woman is a spotlight we need. As is not having lockdowns and vaccine passes, in my opinion.

She's great.

Her campaign launch speech showed much promise and, I think she has, genuine leadership qualities. I like her independent mindedness, her principled stance, her values and her young energy.

She’s fresh enough to still be untainted by the Westminster machine and would leave Labour dead in the water - they’d have no answer to a young, patriotic black woman who has made something of herself.

I really hope the Tory membership have the guts to make her PM.

Those complaining that she's too "right wing"...

Well yes, she is, and the right wing is rising, and why do you think that is? Why can't the likes of Labour win elections?

I'll tell you why, because the left has been silencing, ignoring, and arresting anyone who criticises them. They have alienated most of their voters based on stupid arguments about penises!

Kemi shouldn't be our best choice, but right now, there's no other choice!

Oh dear OP. Unless you are a Trumpian I've no idea how you can rate her.

And I don't understand why some women on here would rather have a GC PM at all costs, even if they fuck up every other aspect of womens' lives, and our children's futures.

Well said. Pus they've turned their back on their traditional voter base, and hitched their wagon to divisive, and much-hated identity politics.

I find her intriguing. She's articulate, intelligent, and comes across as far more human than the other candidates.

I have never voted Conservative and am definitely left of centre so her politics are very different from mine, but listening to the LBC interview yesterday I thought she gave a fair defence of her position and acquitted herself well.

Right wing or not, I'd love to see a young black woman in the top job. Better her than Liz Truss.

That sounds like you're complaining that it's one rule for white people and another for black people. But that would only be true if it was the same group of people making a judgment.

Badenoch doesn't really believe that racism exists, so she's quite happy to believe that a white person doesn't see colour.

Many black people have found that white people saying "I don't see colour" actually means " I've never thought about issues of racial discrimination because they don't seem to affect me so they don't actually exist".

It's possible that Badenoch has been somewhat cushioned from the worst experience of racism by her middle class upbringing and academic ability. But I think many black people would disagree with her.

Disagree. She's a fully committed culture warrior. Most of us just want a solution for the high cost of energy.

Letter from the former chair of governors at Jubilee primary school, where Kemi Badenoch was a governor here: www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/14/an-education-in-privilege-for-tory-leadership-hopefuls

I didn't say she was 'too' right wing. I said she was hard right wing. I doubt she'd disagree. She says she wants to reduce state action wherever she can. That's a perfectly legitimate opinion but I disagree with it. I think it's a simplification of modern life to have an idea that 'the state' is a malign external entity that can be fought off. 'The state' is us, social provision, pooled resources, the rule of law, the legal system.

I find her articulate, coherent and a good public speaker. I also think, at a purely personal level, if you found yourself sat next to her in the pub you'd have an interesting conversation and probably quite a lot of laughs.

However I also think politically she's rather didactic and a lot of her positions seem to be based on theory and what she's determined to be the case, rather than reflecting what large numbers of people actually think. Politics derived from academic positions rather than people's lives.

Oddly, I find her takes quite similar to really hardcore left/communists in that regard. Same 'the theory should trump the messy reality' position.

Also — and this really is a gut feel — I reckon her GC leanings are about as rigid as cooked spaghetti. If you think about it, at a conceptual level, it's actually at odds with her other positions on cultural issues, which tend towards the 'there's no structural X problem, the market (ie people) will sort it out themselves, so government should stay the fuck out of the way'. Why, then, should government suddenly get involved specifically on gender? It sticks out like a politically expedient sore thumb to me.

@Topseyt123 you’re local to me then as she’s our MP.

I have a child with Sen and if what has been posted on this thread about her and school and children with Sen is disturbing.

I don’t know much about her yet

Seems a bit low on experience for PM, an interesting in knowing more though and would have to decide on policies

It’s good if she can deliver well, just need the details on what she stands for

Badenoch doesn't really believe that racism exists, so she's quite happy to believe that a white person doesn't see colour.

I've heard her on this and she doesn't deny racism exists. However she certainly has a different view to many other POC and attracts a lot of criticism as a result.

She wants to get rid of "superfluous school staff", "peripheral activities" and focus on "whole class learning".

To me that reads as bin TAs, any school enrichment activities and leave students who are high achieving or struggling to not reach their potential or flounder.

DS benefitted from small group maths for those particularly interested or good at it.

DD had to wait 2 years for a place at a SN school (because they aren't sufficient places in my area - a whole other issue left unaddressed). Small group learning kept her engaged and making progress.

She was also a Minister throughout the Paterson, Partygate, wallpaper, Pincher, Russian report/money shenanigans and I don't recall her making a single criticism. If you want to benefit from towing the party line that also means you'll have to accept the criticism.

She used Oscar Pistorius in her video campaign.

That was Penny Mordaunt.