Teresa May or Andrea Leadsom?

[Toofondofcake]

So without starting anything too politically fraught I wonder if people would share with me who they prefer for conservative leadership out of the two.

The race is now down to them and so we will have a female PM again!

Opinions?

Bloody hell, I've heard it all now - I find this to be quite unbelievable. Surely she doesn't think that anybody other than the very naive or die hard Tories are going to believe it?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36760953

I hope it's true nutty, but I think it will take more than a change in corporate pay to achieve her supposed aims...

I'd love it to be true but....well, it's pretty unlikely isn't it?!

Sounds great.

Though it is fairly appalling that so many politicians seem to need to be taught about privilege, discrimination and inequality in society.

With Brexit we will possibly find London will be just fine without ANY further runways!

I can see why she would go down that route tbh.

A huge amount regarding working class dissatisfaction has been publicly & widely reported over the last few weeks; only a fool or the wilfully ignorant could have missed it.

Tories used to appeal to blue collar working classes as well as the rich - they have been losing that link for a while now (probs to UKIP, just like the traditional working class Labour vote).

It is blatantly obvious to anyone with half a brain that if you appeal to the massive disaffected working class vote, then you're practically a shoe-in for the next government.

Labour are still too concerned with their own infighting and power games to seize on this, the Lib Dems are ineffectually flapping around, still trying to court the Left-leaning-middle-class-BrexitDrama! vote and the stage is wide open for someone to fill the gap.

Step forward Theresa May with this sort of promise and the heads of millions are turned.

At some point soon, I live in eternal optimistic hope, the political elite at the top will realise that government & politicians are there to serve the people & not their own egos.

"At some point soon, I live in eternal optimistic hope, the political elite at the top will realise that government & politicians are there to serve the people & not their own egos."

Interesting point. But in a representative democracy, they aren't there to serve the people in a simplistic way- they are there to "do the best" for the people.

Tessa Jowell was on the Sky Papers Review thing last night, and she suggested that Theresa May as PM with Andrea Leadsom as the children & families minister would be the best outcome from this.

Like her or hate her, Andrea does seem to really care about improving the lot of disadvantaged children - she would be much, much better in that sort of role than as PM.

yuck, apologising "for the hurt" - I think that's more offensive than the original gaffe.

She should be apologising for her own gaffe, not feelings that May may or may not have (and has the good sense not to share)

I'd rather eat my own head than wish for a tory running the country. However, Mrs Mays' response to the whole mother nonsense that's come up this weekend shows her class.

Did any of you see that double-page interiew of Theresa May, about how she wasnt able to conceive but her 35 yr old marriage has survived nevertheless. This was before the Leadsom gaffe.

"We were affected by not having chldren, but we coped."

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3671725/We-affected-not-having-children-coped-Exclusive-interview-Theresa-reveals-softer-steely-favourite-PM-says-EU-chiefs-talk-UK-Brexit.html

Labour are still too concerned with their own infighting

Labour lost voters when they hitched their star to the new-style Marxist-led Labour Party. Working class people don't want that, but unfortunately those generations are dying out now and what we have are the younger, more militant voter who thinks that a replay of the Derek Hatton era is the only way to go.

Blair started it by sprucing up and slicking the image of Labour and dispensing with its roots. He didnt want any flat caps in Labour Party posters, and he kept Prescott on in a senior position to appease the grassroots voters. The working class of London and everywhere else were not what Blair wanted.

It has been discussed on the AL/TM threads lots of times Riverwalk10. It has been plausibly suggested that TM knew AL would try to base her campaign on "As a mum" and gave the interview so that AL would look bad if she tried to criticise TM for mumlessness.

In spite of this, in one her first big interviews (with Rachel Sylvester) AL played the mumlessness card and looked bad. Having walked into a trap with a big signpost on it saying TRAP AL is doing what you would expect of a prospective PM, she's telling everyone she's been bursting into tears and that it's all everyone else's fault.

Leadsom due to pull out at noon. On BBC news now other channels are available

Labour could learn a thing or two from the Tories about how to handle internal disputes ...

ooh really?
good

Today the Teplegraph wrote that TM has the potential to be the new Thatcher. the sentence send shivers down my spine, and not the good ones. In a way I wish it would be Leadsome, because I think she'll be quite incompetent, if her clumsy comments on her having children and TM not having any this weekend is anything to go by. And if she's that incompetent, she may bring the Brexit government into crisis and provoke some sort of rebellion, and who knows, maybe strengthen Labour's chances of winning.

TM is definitely the more professional and better politician, and that's precisely what frightens me. She is very personally associated with the net migration target, and with her as PM we can look forward to extremely strict migration policies coming up, and definitely more welfare cuts and cuts to the police and all other public services.

It also really annoys me that people are excited that we will have a female PM, which is ironic, because I'm a hard-core feminist. But neither Leadsome nor TM have ever done anything for women, as far as I'm aware? please enlighten me if I have overlooked some feminist statements they've made, or pro-women policies they've lobbied for or helped introduce. Maybe I just don't know about it. But having a vagina does not make you a feminist, what makes you a feminist is trying to make society better for other women and standing up for feminist causes. I can think of many male politicians who are more feminist than those two ladies.

Blimey, pleased though

Oh no just saw Leadsome is pulling out. The iron lady it is then.

Leadsome has dropped out.

Will Gove want his name on the paper?

Or will it be uncontested?

She's dropped out?!

Clearly not tough enough nor competent enough for a front-line position.

She's GOING!

Fair play to her for realising how own limitations.

HER not how.