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Original poster

Best Prime Minister in your opinion.

205 replies

Tulipsroses · 12/12/2023 21:21

I don't know who I dislike more Rushi or Starmer. Both of them don't have the political weight of a British Prime Minister. If Rushi lacks charisma Starmer never had any. They both don't have any new ideas just repeat some old cliches. I sometimes wonder if Argentina would invade Falklands tomorrow would they have the iron lady's balls?
Anyway my question is who do you think is a leader which this nation deserves? It can either Labour or Conservative it need to be a living politician.

OP posts:
MargaritaThyme · 13/12/2023 20:26

The best PM of my lifetime was Tony Blair (until he lost his mind over Iraq, obv), and it’s not even close. Nobody currently in Parliament comes close, obviously, which is a sad reflection of how debased British politics has become in the last decade.
If I were forced to choose a current MP, it would probably be Rachel Reeves or Yvette Cooper. I actually voted for Yvette in the 2015 Labour leadership election.

MissLucyEyelesbarrow · 13/12/2023 20:27

I was a Rory Stewart fan, but find him insufferable on his podcast with the equally insufferable Alistair Campbell.

Yeah, this. He is stratospherically smug.

UncleHerbie · 13/12/2023 20:28

John Smith

Maireas · 13/12/2023 20:29

Barbara Castle

RamsayBoltonsConscience · 13/12/2023 20:31

RafaistheKingofClay · 13/12/2023 19:40

Yvette Cooper.

Seconded!

dontcallmelen · 13/12/2023 20:34

Maireas · 13/12/2023 20:29

Barbara Castle

Blast from the past Maireas a formidable woman.
Rory Stewart’s voting record wasn’t great also find him very smug.

PaulaPocket · 13/12/2023 20:35

Giving my age away if I say Harold Wilson? Not really, but I was alive while he was PM.

MargaritaThyme · 13/12/2023 20:36

As for Rory Stewart, I think the very last thing this country needs in Number 10 is yet another bloody old Etonian who knows nothing & understands even less about the lives of ordinary working people, who they view with contempt.

RepetitiveMotion · 13/12/2023 20:36

David Miliband

Westfacing · 13/12/2023 20:37

TheCountIsPale · 13/12/2023 20:23

Tony Blair - literally changed the lives of children and families for the better.

I was a Rory Stewart fan, but find him insufferable on his podcast with the equally insufferable Alistair Campbell. He stood down for London mayor too which smells fishy to me.

Thought I was the only person who finds them both insufferable - they spend the whole podcast telling each other how wonderful they are and congratulating each other on the marvellous things they've been up to since they last spoke!

Ascubudr · 13/12/2023 20:39

AdamRyan · 13/12/2023 20:04

Really hard question.
I wish Theresa May had been given a better opportunity, I think she would have been good if the party weren't totally ungovernable.

Charles Kennedy.

But tbh I love Keir Starmer and have very high hopes for him (and his front bench)

Edited

I think Charles Kennedy is dead. But Nick Clegg was pretty good, Ed Milliband ? Definately Yvette Cooper.

Perfectlystill · 13/12/2023 20:45

Penny Mordaunt

Sourisblanche · 13/12/2023 20:52

To pp, Rory Stewart explained on his podcast about his voting record and the party whip. The first time he went against the party, George Osbourne demoted him and the second time he voted against the party, they threw him out!

I think he would have been excellent as PM but too late now. Also agree Yvette Cooper is very good.

AdamRyan · 13/12/2023 20:53

Ascubudr · 13/12/2023 20:39

I think Charles Kennedy is dead. But Nick Clegg was pretty good, Ed Milliband ? Definately Yvette Cooper.

Show quote history

Oh oops! I missed that and the ref to Thatcher threw me.
Hmm. Tricky one. I have a lot of admiration for Jess Phillips too.

AdamRyan · 13/12/2023 20:54

MargaritaThyme · 13/12/2023 20:36

As for Rory Stewart, I think the very last thing this country needs in Number 10 is yet another bloody old Etonian who knows nothing & understands even less about the lives of ordinary working people, who they view with contempt.

Have you listened to what he's actually done with his life? This is a very unfair criticism

onanotherday · 13/12/2023 20:54

RafaistheKingofClay · 13/12/2023 19:40

Yvette Cooper.

Yes!

QuickDraining · 13/12/2023 20:54

We defo deserve better. Poor old little Englanders continually shat on from above.

Memba · 13/12/2023 20:57

Yvette Cooper (with Ed Balls as Chancellor).

TheCountIsPale · 13/12/2023 21:00

AdamRyan · 13/12/2023 20:54

Have you listened to what he's actually done with his life? This is a very unfair criticism

Show quote history

Agree with you @AdamRyan he has an impressive history and has always appeared to stand for his principles.

He was the first British politician to say we should lock down over covid, at the time I thought he was right and maybe he was but now I worry it was a race to an authoritarian style of government and we should have rejected it. I just don’t think he’s particularly radical, just a posh schmoozer who used to be a spook, who has done the ‘I’m such a charmer’ thing to death and needs to get real. He could have been mayor and offered something different - I’d have voted for him. Instead he wrote some books and sat back pontificating and advertising on his boring podcast.

Softwintersun · 13/12/2023 21:00

John Smith
Rory Stewart
Andy Burnham

MargaritaThyme · 13/12/2023 21:03

AdamRyan · 13/12/2023 20:54

Have you listened to what he's actually done with his life? This is a very unfair criticism

Show quote history

I know that after Oxford he was an army officer then a ‘diplomat’ (official version, unofficially he was an MI6 officer). Not sure any of that qualifies him to understand the lives of working class people in Bradford any more than Cameron or Johnson did, though. Perhaps that’s just my class prejudices.

phobiaofsocialmedia · 13/12/2023 21:06

Gordon Brown

Museum10667 · 13/12/2023 21:07

MargaritaThyme · 13/12/2023 20:36

As for Rory Stewart, I think the very last thing this country needs in Number 10 is yet another bloody old Etonian who knows nothing & understands even less about the lives of ordinary working people, who they view with contempt.

"understands even less about the lives of ordinary working people"

even if any politician understands this, they still have to run the country as a whole and have to consider various groups.

"who they view with contempt."

so its ok for the general public to consider politicians with contempt but not the other way round ? i thought respect needed to be earned ?

Pewpewbarneymcgrew · 13/12/2023 21:09

Andy Burnham

KeepingTrying · 13/12/2023 21:15

I would like to have proper cabinet government rather than just a good prime minister. That means having a government where the cabinet is mostly filled with intelligent sensible people, and that means electing a party with a lot of intelligent sensible people in it. I like Rory Stewart, but I don't think there is any chance of him getting a whole cabinet worth of sensible heads from the current conservative party. Conversely I do think the Labour party have a lot of very sensible heads and have a better chance of having a good solid cabinet government.

I think Keir Starmer is doing a good job and I also like Yvetter Cooper.

I doubt that we will find out what Keir Starmer's actual policies are until the election date is set, because if he announced them then the conservatives would probably pinch them.