... to think the new Government may have to stick to the centre ground?

[BowermansNose]

I have seen two broadly competing theories about how Boris Johnson will govern with his large majority.

The first is that with such a large majority, he will have carte blanche to do whatever he likes, which will be to enact strongly right wing policies.

The second is that now he doesn’t need to bow to the hard right of his party, and desperate to stay in power, he will have to deliver for the new Conservative constituencies, such as the traditional Labour seats in the North. This will bring him back to the centre.

My first feeling is that the latter is more likely. What do you think? Will his majority moderate the new government?

I think the man is a lying, criminal psychopath who will act in the best interests of himself and his cronies.

What Bigearring said.

What big said.

I was thinking the same. I actually think the David Cameron/George Osborne combo were more right wing in some cases (and "austerity" was a handy way to cut the size of the public sector and cut services). They were more liberal on things like gay marriage but that doesn't make them liberal generally, they were just good at appearing reasonable.

This regime is obviously going to be more right wing on things like immigration but in terms of public services and investment in infrastructure, they might be more centre-ground (of the Tories, not of the political spectrum generally).

I do hope this majority moderates the government, I have heard and read some of his new MPs' backgrounds and they don't seem like the sort of people who would be completely unreasonable, including an ex-teacher and an employment barrister.

So I am prepared to keep an open mind. If he gets rid of some of the more obnoxious people in his Cabinet like Priti Patel, we may be in business.

My parents, slightly disillusioned tories, are hoping, as OP is, that Johnson will return to a centrist position (it is true he was historically so)

But he's also keen to swing with the mood of the times and as the right wing nationalism thing has worked out well for Johnson and the Mail and the Sun will support it (as will, I suspect those new Labour constituencies for whom nice liberals have done nothing, even though Johnson won't do any better), he's going to roll with it I reckon.

If they can get through that election campaign with 'poor people too stupid to leave a burning building' and disabled people 'should work for less because they don't understand money' I feel that they can do what they like and people will still vote for them.

The tories aren’t strong right wing for a start. If they are, then Corbyn was strong far left but yet they keep denying it. Can we please give him a chance? Sick of labour voter’s hyperbole. He will want to keep these votes he’s gained.

They'll stick to the neo-liberal status quo, even post Brexit, don't expect a reduction in immigration.

I don't think he will, I think he knows he has no intention of helping the people that voted for him, that's why he is scrambling to make that amendment pass so he can stay in for ten years without another election. I think that food bank trends will continue to rise (as they have done for nine years) I think other people know this to. I volunteer for the hygiene bank and one of my donation points said they've been busier than normal this weekend and it's overflowing so I need to collect. We all know what's in store.

He is a coward and prepared to act unlawfully and still been voted into power. He can do what he likes which I am sure involves increasing the riches of him and friends and screw the rest of us.

Which amendment so that he can stay in power for ten years?

Maybe I’m being a bit optimistic / naive here, but I’m interested to see the effect of Sedgefield and Blythe Valley Conservative MPs

The voters many in the north have voted Conservative, including young people I have met to the stop various insanities.
The whole trans obsession, 99% of the population consider this insane, the whole changing rooms and identity crap needs to be reversed.
The political correct obsession needs to be reined back
Also many northern voters agree with Boris about ‘postboxes’

I think Boris will try to do both. I think he is a moderate Tory by nature (albeit a lazy lying one) but he wants to stay in.power the most, so.it will be a balance. If staying in power involves appeasing the right wing of his party, he will do it no matter how damaging he thinks a policy may be.

At the moment, staying in power for him is about keeping the new Tory voters in the the North of the country on sidr., so he will introduce policies to help with that which is a good thing. We may get some good things happening for some.parts of the country which have been ignored for years. I really loathe him as an individual but that doesn't mean he won't do.some good.

Most human beings are complicated creatures and reducing them to a stereotypical trope ( Etonian, upper class buffoon) whilst emotionally satisfying if you dislike someone, is not particularly helpful or accurate.

He had to go hard brexit/right to appease the ERG, who he will now throw under a bus (buh-bye, Jacob R-M), and to stay in long term he will recognise the needs of the Labour constituencies who voted for him, and their importance next time around and go centre.

Also soft Brexit, because he a) has to try to keep Scotland/NI and b) doesn’t give a shit about the imperialist swivel-eyed racists who wanted to kill the economy for good with a hard Brexit.

He doesn’t give a shit about anybody, but he is at least bright enough to know that a soft Brexit is less harmful (and less likely to result in his new voters starving to death).

He is far from ideal but he is a weathervane and that is less dangerous than an ideologue.

I noticed in the last few days of campaigning, and certainly since the election, he is mentioning more and more One Nation Toryism, which is a very long-standing centrist movement within the party.
So I am hopeful that once the B word is further down the line (and I still wish we could bin it) he might get on with actual domestic stuff following one nation principles.
What can we do but hope. I am not yet ready to make a run for it.

I'm hoping very much that Boris will decide it is in his best interests to steer a more moderate path. Iam certain that nothing else will persuade him to do so.

he is scrambling to make that amendment pass so he can stay in for ten years without another election.

What?

I don't think its as simple as whether he's left or right of centre (or centre).

The Tory party (and it isn't only Boris) have shown they are astute at identifying what voters want (or think they want) and then persuading voters that they are the ones to deliver that.

Boris will focus on people pleasing policies in the areas he has won from Labour, to ensure he wins them again. He won't focus on areas that are unlikely to switch to Tory at the next election.

These may or may not be policies that are in the best interests of the population as a whole.
So individual areas may benefit from lots of local wins whilst overall poverty, homelessness, reliance on food banks, insecure underpaid employment, education in crisis etc continues.

At its heart, this is Tory individualism at its purest and unfortunately it does win votes.

Leckford, what do you mean exactly? Are you one of those people who's upset that you can't call people niggers or wogs or whatever, or do you just not like trans people? What about bisexual women like me, or lesbians? Where do we stand? Are we supposed to go back into the closet?

OP, I'm hoping it'll be the latter.

This website gives an interesting run down of the new MPs:

www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/conservative-party/house/house-magazine/108577/class-2019-meet-new-mps

crosspelican I really hope you're right