... to think Theresa May is just a bit dim?

[EastMidsMummy]

She NEVER EVER answers the question she's asked and just blurts on with what slogans her advisors have trained her to say. She doesn't show an ability to think on her feet, be witty, clever, human or interesting.

For someone who is going to negotiate the most important deal of our lifetime, isn't she just a bit too... dim?

I find the 'leadership' on offer just now, with so many issues to address, utterly depressing. Corbyn seems to have found a bit of mojo but probably too late in the campaign. May just seems to want to beat everyone into submission by repeating 'strong and stable' with no substance to her at all. I want to vote for something, but I'm in a position where the only choice I can make is to vote against something. I'm voting against Theresa May. I really don't think this election is going to solve much - there are so many big issues that need a proper debate, and I'm just not seeing that.

Andy Burnham, Chris Grayling and Grant Shapps demonstrate a similar level of dim, if you want male examples.

And, to be clear, "a bit dim" here doesn't mean they are completely idiotic, it just means, as others have identified, that they aren't as sharp or as eloquent as they should be in high office.

TM? Awful.
But all the others are awful too.
So that doesn't leave us anywhere good, does it?

She has seething rage under the surface.

"Straight out of the Tory copybook though. Our campaign literature from them has been totally about slagging off the other parties"

You say that, I can make a comment that may equally be based in my bias, just as yours is, in yours. Close to 100% of the time I see someone saying "piece of shit", "witch", "scum", "filth" and talking about killing/smashing people here, on facebook, in real life it is from the kindly and heroic Labour support base

Most of the conservative voters you see responding seem to maintain a more respectful tone which actually takes some effort in the face of all that abuse, and Rotherham, Mid Staffs, Iraq, targeting cons seats for mass immigration, the deficit and so on, and have to be baited into being nasty back. You know, actual recognition that people have different opinions rather than saying the nastier things you could say.

I honestly think Momentum is dragging us towards the politics of a third world dictatorship, where it is just a ok to publicly state that those who vote for the opposing party are pieces of shit and there is only one acceptable world view. It has nasty fascist style overtones to it, to be honest.

Much worse than a bit dim.

She was home secretary and her hands are dripping with stinking blood.

TattyCat

The best ones do. Corbyn, Sturgeon, even fucking Farage all have far more about them than Theresa May.

Your comparisons are hilarious. The best? Hahahahaha!

No actually, the comparisons are all valid.

You can't be serious?! Is this a joke? Did someone actually describe Corbyn as 'best' ag answering questions? surely all if not most politicians dodge questions, it's rude and quite dim of you to assume she is dim because of it.

May is running scared and hasn't got the courage to show her true self. Reason? She is a hollow person.

Close to 100% of the time I see someone saying "piece of shit", "witch", "scum", "filth" and talking about killing/smashing people here, on facebook, in real life it is from the kindly and heroic Labour support base

You say that, but it's a) not language I personally use about anyone and b) I am not a Labour supporter. But our Tory candidate was quite happy to issue a leaflet in 2010, when a Doctor was standing against her, to call him Dr Death. Do you call that a 'respective tone?' I certainly don't.

The Dr in question isn't standing this time, and the Tory MP hasn't really got anything on any of the challengers, so she is now having to make things up.

And May - to most people's amazement - is not using her position as PM to address the nation in a warm and sincere fashion. She is a cold fish who doesn't even evade questions, she just trots out sound bites and slogans. She really is hopeless.

surely all if not most politicians dodge questions?

Yes, they do, but May just ignores them. She doesn't respond at all or shape an answer that answers at a tangent. She just ignores.

I wouldn't say she is dim if we're talking in terms of intellectual intelligence. However she is out of her depth and been promoted over her abilities. She is not a leader or statesman like - she is an ambitious politician who cares more about her self promotion rather than the good of the country.

She doesn't answer the questions because she can't answer them reasonably or accurately without damning herself and her party.

She took a calculated gamble based on opinion polls that it would be a Conservative landslide and she'd be elected unchallenged. She did count on Jeremy Corbyn being so well received once the right wing media weren't calling the shots.

Dara O Briain's tweet on 31st May about why she couldn't do the debate demonstrated how poor this woman really is:

twitter.com/daraobriain

Dim is being used too literally by some. But they are aware of that...

May is definitely "dim" in failing to use her position to her advantage. I have never seen any other incumbent wasting such great opportunities to connect with the electorate.

I used to hire and fire staff before my retirement. I employed more than one Oxford graduate, academic ability doesn't mean they have a clue in the real world. I remember one working as a team with a school leaver and the school leaver had more about him, was far more effective and the graduate was bumbling along doing what he was told.

There are all sorts of intelligence and some are more appropriate than others in particular situations. I am sure Theresa May is better educated than many other MPs but is she a better leader? One of the essentials for the leader of a country is to unite people, well in my opinion it is, and she can't do that, she doesn't feel like one of us, like she has a clue about our lives. I can't stand Farrage but he does have the ability to make a lot of people feel they can identify with him and poor old Theresa always looks uncomfortable and awkward. She isn't a natural leader and as someone said earlier she is trying to be a Thatcher but like Thatcher or loathe her you have to admit she could lead, Theresa can't and that isn't anything to do with being a woman. She reminds me of Sir Alec Douglas Hume, nice guy but too old fashioned for the 60s let alone the 21st century. I wonder how long she will last whether she wins or loses the election and I wonder who they are lining up to replace her.

makeourfuture As I'm sure you know, my "solid and boring" post was about TM's personality, but do feel free to twist my words if you feel it helps your argument.

And fwiw I don't think TM has a boring personality at all. She may be interpreted as that but she seems a perfectly normal, balanced, grounded, interesting person with interests outside politics to me. But heyho, let's just carry on slagging her personality off shall we? Better than talking about politics or anything like that.

She only has to get in with a slightly reduced majority and she will probably be out. I don't think she's dim - she is just a career politician with not much else to shape her really.

But heyho, let's just carry on slagging her personality off shall we? Better than talking about politics or anything like that.

She hasn't given us anything meaty to chew on though, has she? What is there to discuss about Brexit means Brexit, or A Red, White and Blue Brexit? What are her policies? With her 'dementia tax' - there will now be a cap, but she hasn't said at what level. Etc. Etc. What has she done except slag off Corbyn? Perhaps you were not the recipient of the delightful letter she sent out in seats where the Tories are under threat - I, I, I, me, me, me, and Coalition of Chaos under Corbyn. If she doesn't want personal attacks then she shouldn't have made the tone of her communications wholly personal.

Not dim. But not likeable, she shows no empathy and is obviously very uncomfortable during interviews. I am surprised with all the money the tories have, and all the PR experts etc that they cant school her in body language etc... She just comes over as awful and un-genuine. The Conservative party have as a whole shown contempt for the electorate, they couldnt even be bothered to do a proper manifesto. I think this will backfire on them.

She is way out of her depth as a leader.

But she never should have been leader. However I can't think of another one from the current crop with any sort of leadership quality anyway! When you think that this is the best that the expensively educated establishment has to offer...

She is an administrator, and a fairly dogmatic, repressive one at that.

The current focus on her work on security coupled with the cuts to police budgets is absolutely right IMO. Talk about chickens coming home to roost. She was warned in 2010, 2011.

She has no skill in communication, diplomacy or even political doublespeak to counter any of it.

She's also - like Brown - an unelected PM. She would never have been elected for herself in a campaign - we can see that now. And people don't like that.

"Solid" is not entering into Brexit with no plan. If you are going to open a sausage cart....you make a plan. Trying to look strong and stable, while making no plan, is neither strong nor stable.

And it is political.

All the intelligent politicians know that the job of Brexit PM is a career ender and would drop the job offer like a hot brick.

Grammar school and oxford university education does not come to someone a bit dim.

I think you've confused intelligence with personality.

She is almost certainly of above average intelligence. Be careful not to equate intelligence with competence though.