Electing The Next Prime Minister

[ichkeria]

The next Prime Minister of the U.K. will be elected by members of the Tory Party. Is it worth non members of that party, including supporters of other parties, joining the Tories at least temporarily so that they can have their say in this?

[Jackdaw33]

Why not, although it will cost them a lot more than the £3 Labour charged.

[mushroom25]

do you have information that mr cameron will be stepping down before the next general election?
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-politics-cameron-idUKKCN0RV3UF20151001

[ichkeria]

https://www.conservatives.com/join

[bhg481]

Didn't he say so when he announced the referendum?

[ichkeria]

Yes Cameron plans to stand down before the next election
For the first time the new leader who will take the Tories into the election will be chosen by party members

[ToraToraTora]

yeah but it's more than £3!

[Marshwarble]

I've been forbidden to comment.

[Jackdaw33]

Wrong, Ichk. Not the first time. Cameron was chosen ahead of Davis in 2005.

[mushroom25]

//Wrong, Ichk. Not the first time. Cameron was chosen ahead of Davis in 2005. //

both of you are correct - but not entirely so. in 2005 a new leader of the party was chosen; this time the chosen leader will be prime minister. that will be a first.

[Jackdaw33]

Picky, picky!

[ichkeria]

No, you are right: they were supposed to be changing the rules, but must never have got round to it.
Although party members in more recent elections choose the leader, that choice is limited to the last two.

[ToraToraTora]

No mushroom John Major was elected mid term in 1990 under the party rules at the time. All leaders of all partys are elected under their own party rules. The leader becomes PM if the party is in government. Has happened in both Tory and Labour.

[Gromit]

The Conservative Party are capable of choosing a duff leader without my help, IDS, Howerd, Hague, IDS and Ian Duncan Smith.

There is no evidence that those people who joined the Labour Party from rightwing parties influenced the vote, they merely made a donation to the Labour Party which I am sure was grateful.

Just on pricipal, I would never join a political party to nobble the democratic process.

[mrblear]

Gromit
It's not exactly democratic to have a new prime minister foisted upon us without our say so.

[Jackdaw33]

Since WWII the have been 6 PMs who have come to office mid-term:

Eden (1955)
Macmillan (1957)
Home (1963)
Callaghan (1976)
Major (1990)
Brown (2007)

[ToraToraTora]

It would be interesting to change the law so that a general election must ensue if a leader steps down/dies/is impeached etc but the current system is what we have to go with.

[mikey4444]

Mush...Dave said as much at PMQs this week, and he has said so repeatedly many times before. I believe him to be an honourable man and I can see no indication that he will go back on his word.

[bhg481]

In a General Election the theory is that you vote for a PERSON to represent you in Parliament for a 5-year period. If you choose to vote for a politcal party, that's your perogative.

[Gromit]

Mrblear,

We elect the Party that will form the Government. Though there are flaws in that system, it is vaguely democratic. Who the Government then decides to be leader is best decided by the Government.
I am wondering whether the Party leader and the Government leader has to be the same person and elected the same way. I fully understand the whole Party should elect the the party leader. But the leader of the MPs should be choosen by MPs. Sometimes too much democracy can lead to bad results.

[Jackdaw33]

Interestingly enough, it used to be the case that a general election must be called on the death of the monarch. This last happened in 1830 on the accession of William IV.