Penny Mordant as PM - nooooooo...

[Sidaway]

Genuinely scared now that she might win - looks like she's second behind Rishi Sunak in nominations, and the most popular with Tory membership.

If gender self-ID is passed in law, it's going to be so difficult to repeal. (I don't trust her not to try, despite what she said on Twitter recently).

So also scared now that if she wins, the UK will go the same way re. gender policy as the US, Canada etc. and the UK as a beacon of reason in the world on this issue will be snuffed out forever. (Sounds hyperbolic but think it's near the mark).

How can we campaign to stop this? I've already emailed an appeal to the nearest Tory MP to me about this, but otherwise feel powerless.

I keep seeing people commenting on how young Kemi is. but actually she's 42, the same age as Rishi. They do both look very youthful, I guess.

This is what people do to women. She has experience in more departments than he does and is older by a few months, but she gets known as “inexperienced” and he’s the front runner.

We haven't had the tv debate yet. She'll be lucky to come out of that unscathed.

I'm saying that the Conservative party have presided over 12 years where women have become more unsafe and women's rights have become more unsafe.

These things are not going to magically stop if we stay silent about them. However, the government, the Conservative government could do something as they are in power with a large majority in the HoC. You think it's too much to demand they address the damage they've done?

I don't. I deserve better from our government. All women do.

There hasn't been any "Tory Austerity" . Public spending and tax take have gone up under the Tories since they came to power in 2010. State spending is still, to this day rising. National debt is also still rising.
Public debt arose a sa proportion of national income between 2010 & 2016, from 76% to 89% . Look it up instead of repeating your tired Labour dogma

This is besides the point anyway. Over 1000 we just learned, of young, vulnerable white girls have been systematically tortured and raped by muslim Pakistanis' for years and all you wish to talk about is "Tory Austerity".

And we wonder how it is that this keeps on happening! Some of us anyway

Oh wow, I thought she was 10 years younger. She is quite youthful!

I know this is a big discussion around penny and trans/safeguarding however I am concerned about her climate change views - concerned she is being pushed into front position by those big companies/media who have reasons to encourage denial of this. Perhaps equally concerned that it’s not the candidates being chosen, or the party members choosing but the big folk directing this all.

MsJinks · Today 18:54
I know this is a big discussion around penny and trans/safeguarding however I am concerned about her climate change views - concerned she is being pushed into front position by those big companies/media who have reasons to encourage denial of this

Perhaps equally concerned that it’s not the candidates being chosen, or the party members choosing but the big folk directing this all

That would concern me too.

@Sugerfree, what would you like to hear the candidates say?

I have just been talking to someone in the Tory party hierarchy. Apparently they have big problems. The average age of people who are actually members of the party, so who vote, is 57 and it is 70% male. Very few are active in anything, other than to vote for the new leader. Members tend not to be activists and don't go out to campaign every 4 years so don't know much about voter preferences.

I got the impression that people have decided Rishi is too rich and Liz too dull, which leaves Penny. I argued that at this point, and faced with the alternatives, most people probably want someone experienced, bright and competent. And when it came to a General Election, if Labour did not get their act together, voters would opt for the known as long as that know was competent.

I don't think I was listened to. Women's rights were pretty much dismissed as not something people were interested in. We shall see. I offered that I did not see Penny lasting a year. Oddly she seems to have some of the same failings as Boris. Inability to master detail, not too diligent, strange relationship with the truth. But less bright, less experienced and less charismatic.

Inability to master detail, not too diligent, strange relationship with the truth. But less bright, less experienced and less charismatic.

Exactly, criticism from Lord Moylan re competence while at Royal Borough of Kensington ans Chelsea.

twitter.com/danielmgmoylan/status/1547657222854873091?t=kr_EjXzAZx_IxIlUVxIvPA&s=19

I argued that at this point, and faced with the alternatives, most people probably want someone experienced, bright and competent

Sadly, they haven’t got one of those. This really is a choice of the best of a line up of grotesques.

I answered your previous question and asked you what you think motivates Muslim pakistani men to predate on vulnerable white girls? You've responded by asking me yet another question. .

Discussing it on Newsnight at the moment

Suella has now backed Liz Truss.

If most of her backers follow - Steve Baker already has - then Kemi is very unlikely to get much further.

If the majority of Suella and Kemi's backers move to Truss then that puts Liz into the final two. Looking at Suella and Kemi's lists, they are far more likely to pick Liz than Penny or Rishi.

The big question then is where do Tugendhat's backers go... if all to Penny then we could be seeing a Liz v Penny run-off.

I don't think it's a done deal that Penny will make the final two by any stretch.

I don't think it's a done deal that Penny will make the final two by any stretch.

It will be interesting to see how the TV debates go - hopefully her slick carapace won't be enough to brush off serious questioning.

Needmoresleep · Today 21:24

I have just been talking to someone in the Tory party hierarchy. Apparently they have big problems. The average age of people who are actually members of the party, so who vote, is 57 and it is 70% male. Very few are active in anything, other than to vote for the new leader. Members tend not to be activists and don't go out to campaign every 4 years so don't know much about voter preferences.

I got the impression that people have decided Rishi is too rich and Liz too dull, which leaves Penny. I argued that at this point, and faced with the alternatives, most people probably want someone experienced, bright and competent. And when it came to a General Election, if Labour did not get their act together, voters would opt for the known as long as that know was competent.

I don't think I was listened to. Women's rights were pretty much dismissed as not something people were interested in. We shall see. I offered that I did not see Penny lasting a year. Oddly she seems to have some of the same failings as Boris. Inability to master detail, not too diligent, strange relationship with the truth. But less bright, less experienced and less charismatic.

I am very surprised it is 70% male.

Thank you for your insights, but “Ugh!”.

I don't think it's a done deal that Penny will make the final two by any stretch

There will be hell to pay from the membership if she doesn’t. It will mean the MPs hold the grassroots in contempt.

An interesting article on the history of Conservative Party leadership elections and the surprises they throw up. It is from May 2019, so nothing about the current leadership contest, though:
conservativehome.com/2019/05/30/from-magic-circle-to-one-member-one-vote-a-short-history-of-tory-leadership-contests/

I disagree - there is absolutely nothing to say that she's a favourite with the membership. A couple of polls on ConHome that represent 0.8% of the membership doesn't count.

The rules are that the MPs get to decide the final two. As long as there is not a coronation then they are welcome to "stitch" it up however they want.

there is absolutely nothing to say that she's a favourite with the membership. A couple of polls on ConHome that represent 0.8% of the membership doesn't count

Yesterday’s Yougov poll counts surely?

yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/07/13/penny-mordaunt-clear-favourite-next-conservative-l

The rules are that the MPs get to decide the final two. As long as there is not a coronation then they are welcome to "stitch" it up however they want

So you don’t think MPs should be accountable to their membership? That’s an interesting take, I’m not sure they’d agree with you.

Misogyny. And it's misogyny that meant they got away with it for so long. And that the victims were neglected/blamed/further victimised by the very people supposed to protect them. See also child sex abuse scandals in religions, coaching, children's homes etc. I'm fucking tired of hearing that "lessons will be/have been learnt".😡

If misogyny had been a Hate Crime, the rapists, child abusers and murderers in Telford would have received more jail time. But its not because the Tories said "No". Why would the government not make the VAWAG evident in the Telford/Rotherham etc a Hate Crime?

What would you like the new Prime Minister, with their huge majority in the HoC, to do @Sugerfree?

MPs will be self interested. They want to be re-elected. They also want to be promoted. They won’t vote for anyone they perceive as an electoral liability. They also won’t vote for someone they don’t want to work for. A lot will depend on where votes of candidates who have been eliminated are transferred to. Then, if she reaches the final two, how the views of party members evolve as they get to know her better.

They won’t feel any great loyalty to a membership who are not representative of voters and who don’t pull their weight when it comes to campaigning.

The person I was speaking saw the ‘trans issue’ as niche, and therefore seemed to consider articles, especially those in the Mail, criticising her history as malicious.

And the Mail keeps plugging away.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11015459/MPs-read-ANDREW-PIERCEs-dossier-putting-cross-Penny-Mordaunt-again.html