Yet another Tory leadership contest!

[minionofmidas]

So what rules are being used?

[minionofmidas]

Thanks Pete.

Which of these candidates has the best chances of leading the Tories to oblivion?
That's the one I support.

[minionofmidas]

Whoever takes the party to the hard right (i.e. to oblivion), would gladly enjoy my support

Dave

Oh, you support proportional representation then? Because I'm confident that that would keep the Tories out of power for a VERY long time to come.

Yes, but it would also save them from oblivion.

[minionofmidas]

Well, of course. They're not just going to die out without replacement.

[minionofmidas]

Doesn't have to be one of these three...but apparently they are the only ones out of the trap yet?

[minionofmidas]

Gotta say i agree with you a fair bit, the whole nature of government has become very authoritarian

British politics has always had that odd authoritarian streak. In the 70s it was often called (by visiting Western Europeans) the most Soviet Union-like country in the West.
Then of course there was all that Thatcher anti-Unions business, with phone surveillances and all that.

[minionofmidas]

Here's a weird scenario.
Leftwingers view Fox as more beatable than Davis - and Cameron ends in third in a near three-way tie.

[minionofmidas]

I'll go with my above scenario - just because I'll look way cool if I somehow end up being right.

[minionofmidas]

Or maybe it won't, in which case we'll never know.

[minionofmidas]

Cameron has less than 50% support from the parliamentary party, whether Davis concedes the run-off is his decision but they would be wise to allow Cameron to seek a true mandate from the membership; otherwise, he could become a lame duck 'moderniser' in thrall to the party's right wing

Dave

From just after listening to him speaking just after the result, it is clear Davis does intend to continue the contest.

Well effectively suspending the party rules for the second leadership contest in succession would be a pretty damning indictment in my opinion - lets not bother with democracy, its too expensive!!

Fairly characteristic of at least parts of the Tory party.

[minionofmidas]

I believe Labour's Soviet style coronation of Brown as heir apparent

The only leadership election recently that even remotely resembled the way they did things in the U.S.S.R resulted in the M.P for a coastal Kent seat becoming leader of a certainly political party. But that's "different" obviously.

Actually that would have put even the Soviet Union to shame.
Actually that would have looked so horribly in most European countries that the Tories could have written off the second place (in pop.vote) there and then.
But Brits are used to leaders being fairly unvoted on (in most countries party leaders are voted on every year...affording political journalists a great chance to point out that xy got only 89% this year, down from 96% previous year [no challenger in either race] and that this is really a fat slap around the face. )

[minionofmidas]

Strike 2 to Davis. But he began to get over confident, even a little cocky towards the end; talk of 'poor people'. Never, ever call them poor, it just makes you seem out of touch.

You hear that, Opebo?

[minionofmidas]

In two possible general election match-ups, voting intentions are:

1) Brown (Lab) vs Cameron (Con) vs Kennedy (LD): Lab 37% (355 seats), Con 35% (219 seats), LD 20% (41 seats), Other 9% - a Labour lead of 2% and an overall majority of 64

2) Brown (Lab) vs Davis (Con) vs Kennedy (LD): Lab 43% (398 seats), Con 32% (187 seats), LD 18% (32 seats), Other 7% - a Labour lead of 11% and an overall majority of 150

So, Davis doesn't lose the Cons votes to the LD's - just to Labour - but rather loses the LD's frightened tactical voters to Labour. Hehe. Ah, threeway political systems.

[minionofmidas]

Just goes to show you that political betting is not all that great an idea.

[minionofmidas]

Iraq War.

[minionofmidas]

He's also descended of the House of MacDuff! So the Tories have the three witches from Macbeth to thank for him!