To ask if you a Conservative Party Member who you like to see in the final two and who would you vote for?

[BreadInCaptivity]

As the title says.

We will have a new PM and the decision on who it is will ultimately reside with CP members.

I would rather this wasn't a political thread in the sense of Conservative/Labour/LidDem/Green etc.

I'm simply very interested to understand the direction of travel here for party members and would ask that people posting respect that and don't pounce on party members who post.

For reference I'm not a party member, but my uncle is and in his constituency he's saying it's a run off between Sunak, Mordant and Badenoch in terms of local support.

Let's hope someone who wants to cut schools funding even more and remove support staff and anything beyond core subjects doesn't get a chancellor position

Well, quite. But then neither Sunak, Javid nor Philip Hammond were particularly generous when it came to schools either.

Tom T. my preference, but asking around, finding a surprising amount of interest in/support for Kemi. It says a lot for the party, that someone of her background, can become an MP for a safe seat, and within five years of being elected become a serious contender for the leadership (am a party member)

I think Kemi is absolutely fantastic and realistic (am a party member) - contrary to the Kemi threads I'm not disappointed that she wants to be realistic about what the state can afford to fund, her economic ideas are aligned with mine. I think she's very intelligent and well-spoken and definitely holds conservative values - obviously I find this a positive and I don't know why people are expecting her to be some kind of liberal.

That said I'm not sure why Labour would feel she's a real threat? Penny seems more likely to appeal to their voters (this is why I don't love her personally, but think she's not a bad shout as PM for electoral reasons). Penny + Kemi in a senior cabinet role + acknowledgement from the party that TWAM would be doable for me.

And some of us on the other side of the political spectrum haven't expressed opinions on the candidates and have genuinely said that it's interesting to read what Conservative party members have to say.

All the candidates are harking back to Thatcher, they are calling for low tax/small state policies
I may have missed it, but having read her article in The Times, I thought Kemi Badenoch was emphasising that she didn't wish to invoke the past but deal with the present.
As for Thatcher and "low tax/small state", that doesn't make any sense. The overall burden of taxation as a percentage of GDP actually rose under the period of the Thatcher administration, and she was the absolute Queen of QANGOs.

I'm not a party member.

The only candidate who seems at all decent is Tom Tugendhat. So far I've seen no evidence that he's lied, cheated or behaved dishonestly.

A PM we didn't feel thoroughly ashamed of would be a pleasant change.

A PM we didn't feel thoroughly ashamed of would be a pleasant change

Agree about Tugendhat. And otherwise, quite...the bar is so desperately low, that we have to believe that any of this shower will be some form of improvement. God, who knows?

That article in the Times was amusing in a number of ways; not least that the best idea Badenoch could think of when asked how she would tackle inflation and the cost of living crisis was to means-test the winter fuel allowance; and that an unnamed MP supporting her considers Steve Baker to be capable of 3D chess. 🤣🤣 It really is at the level of farce now.

@itsgettingweird I haven't been to Fareham for a while; which parts are deprived?

Mordant or Badenoch for me.

If it has to be a Tory I’d prefer one of them.

And on balance I’d go for Kemal Badenoch.

Great idea, then disability benefits and support for children with SEN can be slashed. That's her campaign speech. Not even hiding it.

Who could be so callous?

I've really tried on this thread in the spirit of the OP to keep my opinions to myself. To ask questions, to try to understand viewpoints. Hardly anybody responded (only one poster) when I asked why none of the candidates were being asked the main policy questions facing the country. And that poster just said they'd expect to hear more on it later...

But when people are openly endorsing a candidate who has explicitly said money is "wasted" on support staff in state schools who are there to help kids with SEN (only state schools, mind), and that too much money is wasted on climate change and welfare, after years of neglect of both.

But still this candidate has NO economic plan of what they would do to sort out the trade deficit or inflation or devaluation of GBP or food or energy security, I really have to question the judgement of people who think that she knows how to make things better. People have different political leanings and that's fine. But I'm sure nobody wants spiralling inflation or a trade deficit of 7-8% of GBP devaluing month by month, do they? So what is her plan to fix this?

Means testing winter fuel allowance and screwing over disabled kids is not only callous but won't even touch the sides of that financially.

I don't mean to sound so angry, I'm sorry. But the members of the party have had their preferred Govt in power for 12 years so why is it such a mess? It was a total mess way before Covid. How are they holding their MPs to account for this and what they plan to do now to sort it out? Not one candidate has said anything credible about a plan for the economy. It's so depressing that all the responses here seem to be about such trivial things and not improving the standard of living in the UK.

I don't support any party btw and never have. I am the disenfranchised.

Why can't anybody from either party with a long-term plan step forward? Is this really the best the UK has to offer? Divisive nonsense on "values" and zero practical, evidence-based, implementable policies whatsoever.

It's so fucking depressing.

Sorry OP I know this isn't what you wanted from the thread and I tried so hard to get people to explain constructively: I set out facts, asked questions (what will your candidates do about these things? Have you asked them? Tell us your priorities?) then tumbleweed, i apologise for sidetracking and I give up.

None of them seem to have anything, on either side of the house. They can't even articulate the problems, let alone solve them.

It is utterly, utterly depressing.

I agree with you actually war on many points.

I emailed my MP and challenged her about this three days ago - lack of policy/plan. I have tried to understand how we are even in this position as a party. It seems some kind of madness has set in.
I got a generic reply - despite knowing her personally - outlining her support for Rishi?!! I imagine she has been flooded with messages like mine.

Dh supports Rishi because he seems to think the markets - and economy will respond well, but thinks his chances are flat lining as Rishi won’t endorse tax cuts now. As a country we know we can’t afford cuts right now looking at the balance sheet - but it’s all anyone is talking about.

I said before when Johnson was removed this will be the beginning of the end. Someone hard line is likely to be installed to appease the party, and Boris’ government will look positively left wing in comparison. For all of his faults he was a centrist, and as much as he was hated by many someone much worse was always sitting in the wings.

LP are no better. It is depressing - but it’s not just the U.K that have big problems in France and Germany and worldwide too politically. I am in France now. Nothing works anywhere at the moment, a type of malaise as set in.

Thank you. I am glad I am not alone in feeling this way about it. I have close family living in 8 countries and all feel similarly to some degree, with the fracturing. But I don't think the damage in any (all westernised democracies) has been as bad as it has in the UK in the last decade both economically and socially. I despair that our politicians continue to squabble over petty irrelevancies and that there is no discussion of what to do on the important issues that matter for prosperity and national security. They are not even mentioned! And the electorate seem to be fine with this. It makes me want to hibernate, even though it is summer:

Eve more bizarre @Provenceinthesummer that you get a generic reply when you know them personally. It's bad enough anyway, but that is just too much. The whole system has broken down and they don't seem to remember the purpose of their job.

*Even

I also agree with you that my expectation is we get someone even more extreme, when what we really need as a country is for both parties to return to the centre. Pragmatism and compromise and rationality was always our strength both domestically and in the respect we had internationally and I feel so sad that is lost now.

I just wish we could have more respectful, non-bun throwing fight discussions about the despair of it all and what to do and work on it constructively together. So that you for responding to me in that spirit @Provenceinthesummer

Vote Kemi , get Gove.

Nah, that's be a Sunak plus Kemi ticket with Gove in the background lurking like the seamonster he is (no offence Luca).

Fareham has very large areas where it's all been and remains social housing and these areas are still known to house very low income families.

Mainly highlands, red barn and broad law area as it's always been.