Pick a Prime Minister

[Jourdain11]

Since it seems to be the widely-held view that Boris Johnson hasn't done a great job of handling this crisis, which recent (last 30 years) former PM do you think would have done the best?

Margaret Thatcher
John Major
Tony Blair
Gordon Brown
David Cameron
Theresa May

Throw in the LOTOs for good measure:

Jeremy Corbyn
Ed Miliband
(David Cameron)
Michael Howard
Ian Duncan Smith
William Hague
(Tony Blair)
John Smith
Neil Kinnock

Throw in Ken Clarke for good measure, since he was almost LOTO twice and held two of the Great Offices of State.

I am genuinely curious as to what people think! My guess would be Blair or Thatcher. Not sure if I could cope with the gushy Blair speeches every day, personally, though.

Gordon brown

Blair (though I never voted for him at the time) or Clarke.

I think Brown was much better than credited for but his Comms were a weakness and that's important now.

I absolutely detested Thatcher but she’d have been perfect in a pandemic.

Not convinced- too defensive, too polarising and lacked empathy. You can be decisive and try to bring people together.

I detested Thatcher but in a crisis can’t think of anyone better. She wouldn’t have put up with idiots breaking the lockdown that’s for sure.

Pains me to say it, as a life-long Labour supporter, but you may be right. Then again, can you see Thatcher launching a job retention scheme?

What about if we didn't have Boris leading this current Tory party?

Jeremy Hunt was runner-up in the Tory leadership contest, and I’m sure he would have done a much better job than Johnson.

Gordon Brown without a doubt.

Gordon Brown

Can I dig a little further back in time and go for Clement Attlee? If not, Gordon Brown.

Would have been John Smith for me, the greatest PM we never had.

But failing that, I think Gordon Brown would have handled this well, as he did with the 2008 financial crash.

I thought Theresa May was shite, but even she would have been less bad than Johnson.

PS Why are we not allowed Keir Starmer?

I think he'd do it pretty well.

Looking at the answers after I posted, I can see why I feel at home on MN! :)

I'm going for last 30 years because once you go past Thatcher it's the likes of Callaghan, Wilson, and I don't think we have enough evidence to show how they'd handle rolling media coverage. (Although Callaghan is considered to have been very televisual.)

Gordon Brown seems to be coming out tops! And I'm surprised by the support for Mr Kenneth Clarke, who had a lot of haters this time last year!

I adore Ken Clarke.

Keir Starmer

all the rest are dead or in the past

stop looking backwards
only by looking forwards can the UK avoid the coming risks Brexit is only weeks away

Gordon Brown, or John Major, but really I would prefer Ken Clarke. I have never voted Tory but he is so very sensible that I do think he is the best PM we never had.

If Boris is allowed on the list, so is Keir Starmer. Although it may be early to judge (depending on how aware one was of his activities as Shadow Brex Sec).

I actually think he's quite apolitical, which might be good in this scenario.

Thatcher seems so... unaware of people.

Brown. Or Starmer.

They reshowed the 2010 Election Night coverage a few weeks ago on BBC (yes, I was that bored...) and there was an interview with Kenneth Clarke where David Dimbleby suddenly cut away because Gordon Brown was arriving at his count. In the background, you could still hear KC saying, "Oh yes, well we can't miss Gordon Brown arriving to his count. What awaits us next, David Cameron's car leaving its drive?"

John Smith.

What a tragedy his loss was

Re. Kenneth Clarke - this was very prescient:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=U-HUDlmPqeM

Sad that I don't remember John Smith.

Ed Miliband would be calm and rational, but there would be an issue with the people (and the press) not taking him seriously.

Of the Tories, John Major I suspect would have at the very least done a better job than Boris.

Pre-1992 John Major, maybe.

Margaret Thatcher. Covid would have taken one look at her, and buggered off.

Not sure why anyone is voting for Gordon Brown, btw. He was a wholly unmemorable PM.

DrDreReturns
I look at John Major differently since I heard of his affair with Edwina Currie.
Not such a grey man

Gordon Brown or John Smith

Also I loathed Margaret Thatcher but she'd have done a better job than Johnson