please empty your brain below

What about Fox?
I don' think that, in the party overall, as distinct from the referendum campaign period, the divide between "Remain" and "leave" is anything like as binary or definite as the terms might suggest - a lot of people were effectively sitting on the fence, or standing very near to it on either side. (Boris and Theresa would appear both to fall in this category.)

I'd also dispute the suggestion (below) that both the Tories and UKIP are "veering right". Based on May's speech yesterday, and Robert Halfon's thoughts portraying the Tories as "the true Workers' Party" (as well as ideas about workers' rights - and employers' duties -expressed by possible new UKIP leader Stepheen Woolfe) - I think there is a good chance than one or both of the parties may move in the direction of the centre ground. But we'll see.....
Is Fox credible? He's been around the block so many times, he's doing a voice for TomTom!
The idea of the Tories as the True Workers' Party is as ludicrous as the notion that Labour is. All that tosh from May is as valid as Cameron's claim that We Are All In It Together. Taxes will fall; cuts will increase; schools and hospitals will be privatised as quickly as the electorate will allow and housing will become increasingly difficult for those outside the Metrobubble. The gap between rich and poor will grow, and manufacturing industry will continue to shrink. This is effectively a predestined agenda that ANY Tory leader will follow.
@Brian - well said!

It's a horrible prospect, but I simply couldn't agree more with your predictions of the likely impact of the May-Way(*)

(*) Remember - you read it here first!
Brian - erm, well said indeed.

It didn't start straight away, but as soon as I reached your 'taxes will fall' I'm hearing the rest of your comment in Baz Luhrmann's voice.

'Accept certain inalienable truths
Prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too, will get old
And when you do, you'll fantasise that when you were young' etc.
If you are going to add Liam Fox, then you should add Stephen Crabb too.

There is a chance that May might be somewhat less in favour of a neo-con/austerity agenda than Cameron/Osborne have been. (Indeed, Brexit might force us to borrow more, so lets hope it is invested and not frittered away.) Just a chance.
Brian - Well said.
May is just doing what every PM does - saying what we want to hear. Once she is installed it'll be business as usual.
The Tories are the workers party insomuch as they are the party of the employers of workers. Whilst there is the perception (and reality) of a division between workers and employers then there will never be trust that political parties are representing everyone's rights on a level playing field.
@ Uncle Audery

Think you almost hit the nail-on-the-head. Except the word perception should be in brackets not thw word reality. Far too many people on zero-hour contracts, far too many people still on minimum (non-living) wage, far too many people 'on the books' of so called job agencies. One has only to look at the work 'practices' highlighted recently of certain companies that 'we', the real workers can tell you that the division is as wide as ever.
Of course the tories are not a party which is likely to benefit the working class. Although they may be the best, or only, option on the table. And one has to admire their discipline. Obviously the members would have liked their say, but they're not going to get it, because their rules say so. And they're probably going to grin and bear it.
While I wouldn't put the 'Electorate' in the right hand column of 'Labour's Problem', I would put them in the 'Leave' column of 'The Conservative's Solution', which they've chosen to solve by having a Prime Minister who's in the opposite column.

It's also quite a trick to pull on their party members - for Tory MPs to go through the process of creating a shortlist of two, only for the 'other one' to pull out. Done and dusted! None of this voting nonsense! Just how we did things in the old days!

And Labour MPs are trying to pull the same trick by finally triggering a leadership contest but then trying to push the incumbent off the ballot to get the result they want. Done and dusted! None of this voting nonsense! Just how we did things in the old days!
"Just how we did things in the old days" Yes...the old tricks are sometimes the best. Though why people (still) fall for them is another matter.
It is somewhat of a surprise to see how bady written are the rules of the two parties. You can't predict every situation, but you can at least deal with basics: if Leadsom had died then the ballot would have been be reopened, and I don't see why her withdrawing is not treated in a similar manner. The rules require the 1922 Committee to work out a process to offer a choice to the members, not stitch things up without a vote. That said, I doubt Gove or Johnson or Fox or anyone else will want to create a fuss now (they would not win anyway).

As I understand it, the Labour Party had a similar issue when Kinnock's leadership was challenged - does the incumbent need to find MP to support them - but (to avoid the problem) he easily found enough MPs to support him anyway, whether it was strictly needed or not.
Yes, but this rule-writing is even trickier than that. If Leadsom had known that her withdrawing would have resulted in the list being re-opened, she would probably have stayed in, but just made sure she said a few more daft things. Things that even a conservative party member can see are daft. If she was minded to give the job to May, she could have achieved that, no sweat.










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