Is The Time Right For Another Tory Female Premier?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2290915/Theresa-May-The-British-Merkel-eye-Camerons-job.html

Could Teresa May gain advantage for the Tories over the other parties who have yet to elect a female leader?

[jim360]

Maybe if she weren't so useless.

[aelmpvw]

yes ... let's get a gal in charge, that'll sort it

[Noth43]

Just a gut feeling, not based on anything tangible..my opinion is that she hasn't quite got what it takes.
Which leaves the question, given what we've got to work with, who would be best choice for Tory leader?

[whiskeryron]

oh my goodness you do have a short memory. Have you completely forgotten that the last one put us on the road to disaster?

WR.

[chrisgel]

No!!!! Please god No!!!

[sunny-dave]

I see her as less Mrs Merkel and more Mrs Merton ...

[Gromit]

Theresa May is no Iron Lady II

She was mangled by the Police Federation who booed her off stage.

The lies over a Bolivians Cat

Debacle over Borders Agency waving everyone through when they were busy.

She has a poor record. The fact that she is seen as a successor to Cameron goes to show how badly he is regarded by the Toty faithful.

[cazzz1975]

she isnt a strong woman, I have seen her easily trounced when questioned on tv

[anotheoldgit]

whiskeryron

/// oh my goodness you do have a short memory. Have you completely forgotten that the last one put us on the road to disaster? ///

Yes she had her faults like most leaders, except of course if one lives in North Korea for example.

But after all she was PM for three terms and in that time 1979-1990, there were many problems in this country and abroad that she our first ever woman PM had to take on board, how many of our present crew would have been strong enough to face them?

/// Yet as Simon Heffer quite rightly pointed out the other day, to sneer at Margaret Thatcher's legacy requires you completely to ignore what a sclerotic, union-dominated, over-regulated, inefficient, grimly collectivist state Britain was in when she took over in 1979. If it hadn't been for Maggie's firm disciplinary hand, we'd be languishing in the economic league tables somewhere between Albania and Zimbabwe by now. ///

[Gromit]

Is that the same Simon Heffer who has just rejoined the Daily Mail after being booted out at the Telegraph for being too rightwing and looney?

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

Booted out for being too right-wing and looney????????????

Is that correct or are they your invented reasons, I somehow suspect the latter, taking into account the use of the word 'looney' which seems typical Gromit?

Here are the Telegraph's editor's words, republished by none other than the left-wing Guardian.

/// The paper's editor, Tony Gallagher, added: "Simon has been a terrific colleague, trenchant columnist and wise counsellor. While I am sorry to see him depart, I fully understand his reasons and he leaves with everyone's best wishes." ///

He doesn't seem all that hated also, in these two Guardian reports.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/may/11/simon-heffer-leaves-daily-telegraph

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/09/simon-heffer-daily-mail-interview

[Gromit]

Good grief AOG. The more glowing the reference, the more eager they are to get rid. The truthi s Heffer became an embarrassment to the Telegraph.

Here is how ConservativeHome, Lord Ashcroft's blog wrote it....

// Simon Heffer has written his last column for The Telegraph

By Tim Montgomerie

On a weekly basis Simon Heffer has thrown rocks at David Cameron from the comment pages of The Telegraph. No longer. The Heffersaurus is moving on.

I'm told by Telegraph insiders that it should be seen by outsiders as a sign that the newspaper wants to stop being the platform for his destructive punditry. I offer you this example and this and this. Heffer is undoubtedly a brilliant writer but there was something unreasonable about his incessant attacks on everything Cameron's Conservative Party did. He could see no good whatsoever in anything that the PM ever said. //

[ChillDoubt]

Could Teresa May gain advantage for the Tories over the other parties who have yet to elect a female leader?
-------------------------------
More chance of seeing Lord Lucan riding Shergar in the 3 o'clock at Atlantis.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

/// I'm told by Telegraph insiders that it should be seen by outsiders as a sign that the newspaper wants to stop being the platform for his destructive punditry. ///

Blimey Gromit, "I'm told by Telegraph insiders that it should be seen by outsiders"

Nothing concrete then, seems almost like something you regularly accuse the Mail of, 'sloppy journalism'.

[Gromit]

ConservativeHome is not a newspaper and it does not have journalists. It is a blog written by Conservatives for Conservatives. I suspect many there will be glad he is now at the Mail with 4 times the readers than the Telegraph. But the fact is, the Telegraph told him his services were no longer required.

This is all a bit off topic suffice to say quoting anything Heffer says is unlikely to persaud me of anything.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

/// But the fact is, the Telegraph told him his services were no longer
required. ///

I am sure that in your position as AnswerBank's Google expert, you will be able to provide concrete evidence of that 'fact'?

[Gromit]

Simon Heffer on Theresa May in 2003

// to all intents and purposes Theresa May might as well not exist //

http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-week/11498/to-all-intents-and-purposes-theresa-may-might-as-well-not-exist/

Doesn't sound like he is a fan.

[Gromit]

AOG

// I am sure that in your position as AnswerBank's Google expert, you will be able to provide concrete evidence of that 'fact'? //

Take your pick.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Heffer+sacked+by+Telegraph&;ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

Fed up of this Simon Heffer detour. My last post on him.

[mikey4444]

Here in Wales we have still to get over the ravages caused by first woman Tory leader !

Anyway. its a rather academic question. The Tories will probably lose the next election in 2015, as they did in 1997. Just like in 1997, they will bitch and fight amongst themselves for a few years, changing their leader every now and then ( remember Major, Hague, Duncan Smith, Howard, etc etc )

Any sensible Tory that wants to be Prime Minister at some stage in their career will stay well clear for a while, until the dust settles !

[anotheoldgit]

Fair enough due to popular opposition against Teresa May becoming PM, I am willing to concede the argument, it was only a suggestion due to her stance against the ECHR plus the fact that she is a female, in a male dominated role.

I would have thought that the strong female element on Answerbank would have given it more support, and I am not being patronising when I say that, before someone uses that excuse to have a go at AOG.