[kreuzberger]

Braveman, a person so feeble of mind it hurts, is going to be in for a rude awakening when she finds out that she is of colour and female while attacking the wokery.

[Watchman]

Didn’t find out until recently, Braveman was only made QC as it came with the job of AG. The senior lawmaker in the land!

[Andy McDandy]

Apparently as a lawyer she was at the Lionel Hutz level, let alone Saul Goodman.

[Abernathy]

Somebody likened picking a new Tory leader to choosing a toilet at Glastonbury.

What a good simile.

[Bones McCoy]

Braveman, a person so feeble of mind it hurts, is going to be in for a rude awakening when she finds out that she is of colour and female while attacking the wokery.

Without woke, she'd likely be selling fags and scratchcards down the local Aldi.

[davidjay]

Braveman, a person so feeble of mind it hurts, is going to be in for a rude awakening when she finds out that she is of colour and female while attacking the wokery.

Without woke, she'd likely be selling fags and scratchcards down the local Aldi.

Harsh, but fair.

[mattomac]

She is my favourite.

I’ve had a look over the runners and riders and if truth be told it’s league one at best. Not sure any of the unknowns will be able to make a stab and none of them particularly look like a Cameron who can ride in and win.

Sunak - disappears for months on end when it gets difficult, completely poor when challenged and was chancellor of an economy collapsing til two days back, plus he got fined. (Leave)

Braverman - (Leave though she probably hadn’t a clue if she ticked the right box).

Truss - weak speaker, top notch timing made it look like she had started the Russian aggression in Ukraine, been sidelined for Ben Wallace. Apparently pitching herself as the female Johnson - give me strength (Was remain now leave)

Wallace - Bald, good on brief but so little is known, one outburst on Crimea suggests he would be pretty embarrassing if left too much to his own devices. (Actually haven’t a clue and can’t be arsed looking it up, probably demonstrates how a flavour of the month isn’t a good idea for your next leader).

Penny Mordaunt - Seems most peoples main concern for Labour, apparently not a single armed forces member doesn’t know her. So she would have the military on board if she was to launch a coup. I remember her vaguely being destroyed during the Brexit debates. (Leave if it’s the right MP). Mail have a puff piece so may back her.

Tom Tugenhat - Everyone’s sensible candidate but can he be heard? some impressive committee performances but like Wallace he really needs to add some substance, already tacking himself to the right which suggests he hasn’t really got that much in principles. Kind of a Henry Collridge of this election. (Remain)

Grant Shapps - Well several personas mean he probably has several times as many skeletons as the rest, his viral and social media stuff is actually passable for the Tories. Very little idea and Transport minister is a bit of a dead end job, feel he was completely blind sided by Mick Lynch and further rail strikes will probably kill any leadership bid (that’s if he is actually still a minister), also comes with a lot of baggage.

Steve Baker - Sporting a beard currently that has to go as it looks shit (usually unsuited for high office but it’s shit). ERG swivel loon if he had any chance the Mail might back him, the Express probably will. (Leave).

Hunt - the man from Burton menswear may try once more, I have a feeling he is generally disliked so I can’t see a win.

It’s an open field of as the Mail describes “minnows”, this is the outcome of Johnson’s premiership where he surrounded himself with mediocrity. As more join I’ll add, maybe Sunak rides high (had his worst approval rating today) or one of the no marks shines brightly.

Comparisons with Major and 1992 would be best avoided, poll tax saw for Thatcher, one policy, Johnson has been a drip feed and those who joined the ride are complicit.

2010 is probably the best example, a tired government struggling in an economic crisis but an opposition not yet fully formed and fighting. Ironically the outcome might be flipped, Labour the largest party in coalition talks with the LDs,

[mattomac]

Interesting caveat in this is Ben Wallace will be left seatless by the boundary changes.

[Crabcakes]

It’s just staggering that (a) Jeremy fucking Hunt is (from an outsider’s view) a decent choice simply because he’s less insane than the others and borderline competent, and (b) even if you had genuinely decent people like Dominic Grieve still around and standing, the rank and file - fresh off of big dog shitting the bed, then getting them to buy him a new bed, then shitting in that one - would still vote for an absolute lunatic.

[Crabcakes]

Also, I’m slightly surprised Patel hasn’t had a go. As Braverman is there - a woman who’s IQ is so small she’s technically classified as a type of vegetable soup, yet paradoxically has an ego so large its gravity well means she can attract paper clips to stick to her face from 10m away - Priti would for once not be the stupidest person on the list.

[Andy McDandy]

Patel might not be knowledgeable, but she isn't stupid. Think the difference between Bush senior and Junior.

She knows she hasn't a chance of getting the top job, or being any good at it, but knows that, to borrow another Death of Stalin analogy, whoever takes over will be a Malenkov, there to detox a bit before a Khrushchev with an actual agenda takes over. And both of those will need their Zhukov/Brezhnev figures.

[Arrowhead]

It’s just staggering that (a) Jeremy fucking Hunt is (from an outsider’s view) a decent choice simply because he’s less insane than the others and borderline competent, and (b) even if you had genuinely decent people like Dominic Grieve still around and standing, the rank and file - fresh off of big dog shitting the bed, then getting them to buy him a new bed, then shitting in that one - would still vote for an absolute lunatic.

On the other hand, I’m pretty sure Jeremy Hunt is the last Tory I can remember to publicly use the “EUSSR” slur against the European Union (during his 2019 leadership campaign). A choice of words which has not aged very well, to put it mildly.

I suppose it would be asking too much of our brave free press to ask Hunt if he still stood by those comments?

[Andy McDandy]

Personally, if he said "Yes I did, as that's how I felt at the time; however subsequent events have shown that to be a rather shit analogy" I'd applaud him.

Both "gotcha" journalism and the view that one can never change an opinion for fear of being called weak need to go IMO.

[Boiler]

Also, we really need to get as far away as possible from cult of personality politics. It started with Thatcher, continued with Blair, then died a little bit but positively exploded with Corbyn and Johnson.

Less charisma, more competence please.

And I still stand by the Naughtie/Vine view of Jeremy "Berkeley" Hunt.

[Youngian]

Less charisma, more competence please.

Italy is a bit ahead of us on the curve and now have the ultimate boring international technocrat Mario Draghi as PM. Among UK based leaders Mark Drakeford enjoys the highest approval ratings and Funtime Boris the lowest. Both numbers are a result of practical experience. The dull but competent still have to have showmanship and comms skills to get there. Even if its not really them.

[Andy McDandy]

Yeah, before that you had Churchill, obviously, and "Supermac", but you never saw them as anything more than firsts among equals.

I remember watching a (I think) Dominic Sandbrook thing about the 80s, featuring a load of people booking out Cheltenham racecourse to have a "hooray for Maggie" event. IIRC it didn't even make it clear if she attended or not. Just a few thousand people hiring a racecourse for a piss-up to celebrate getting rich on her watch.

[mattomac]

Rehman Chishti and John Baron are exploring the possibility of running.

It seems to annoyed Iain Dale , no i've never heard of them.

[mattomac]

Patel might not be knowledgeable, but she isn't stupid. Think the difference between Bush senior and Junior.

She knows she hasn't a chance of getting the top job, or being any good at it, but knows that, to borrow another Death of Stalin analogy, whoever takes over will be a Malenkov, there to detox a bit before a Khrushchev with an actual agenda takes over. And both of those will need their Zhukov/Brezhnev figures.

Yeah I think thats the difference between Suella and Priti, the latter understands the former seems oblivious.

[Youngian]

Henry Collingridge throws his hat in the ring

[Andy McDandy]

Rehman Chishti and John Baron are exploring the possibility of running.

It seems to annoyed Iain Dale , no i've never heard of them.

Chishti appears to be a reasonably sound constituency MP, Brexiter on the grounds that his constituents were. Lots of private members' bills, many worthy causes.

Baron's a soldier turned merchant banker arch-Eurosceptic. Took over from Teresa Gorman which I think says it all.

Chishti has zero experience of high level politics, but seems a hell of a lot more reasonable than any of the other candidates.