Tory Leadership Contest

[january_bug]

Your predictions please:-

Who will win?

Who should win?

There seems to be an overwhelming majority of Tories on the site, so I look forward to hearing your views. 

[january_bug]

For the record, I don't care who wins, so long as they present a decent challenge to Brown/Blair in the Commons at and the polls.  In the interests of democracy, I have always said that I feel a strong opposition is vital. 

Policywise, I know I could't possibly vote for David Davies (whether as a Tory electing him now [which, by the way, is the biggest hypothetical any of you are likely to encounter todday!!!] or just as Jo Public the Voter in the next GenElec).  I haven't formed an opinion on the others yet. 

[Oneeyedvic]

For the first itme in a long while, I have no interest in who wins this contest. I like Ken Clarke purely on the basis of his opposition to Iraq. Aside from that, i am afraid I really don't know much about the leaders.

 

Guess I am just too disallusioned. That said, like you, if a leader emerges that can give a challenge to Blair / Brown, it may enthuse me again.

[surfer mike]

We already have a strong opposition...its called the media.

David Davis will walk it, its a shoe in..

[mfewell]

I think there is a whole load of disinterest ! There is no figure at all of any stature or charisma, besides with the right-wing nature of New Labour the Tories have little to offer anymore. If anyone, Ken Clarke, but age is not on his side. I think we are in the midst of a long long New Labour run (which is fine by me anyway).

 

Congrats on the car by the way !!

[january_bug]

I think some of the policies discussed are more right wing than Labour.  Unequal age of consent for homosexuals is one. 

I only care because of opposition. 

The media present a strong opposition but do not present a credible government to replace Labour.  At the last election, I think many people voted "better the devil you know". 

[VenalWinfrey]

That's a great question for debate!  Personally, I would really like to see Ken Clarke win, for many reasons.  I am not a natural tory voter, but I warm to him.  He is proven in government, charismatic, holds logical thought-out views, is reasonably honest as politicians go, and would I believe present an extremely credible (temporary?) opposition.

   In the last leadership contest he was the candidate Labour feared.  The problem is that the selection process would not favour him - he's pro-Europe as the tories go.  I can only realistically see Davis winning; this is a crying shame, because, were Ken to get through, I think a lot of non-tories would consider voting for him.

[Ward-Minter]

David Davies will will

Baroness Thatcher should win as Churchill is dead.

Unfortunately january_bug Tony Benn is not a Tory and Karl Marx is also dead!!!

[Dom Tuk]

'overwhelming majority of tories on this site'.......surely not januarybug, we just are standing out from the masses as we are so good looking...

want Ken Clarke to win

Davies will...not too charismatic

wont mind Cameron fella

[january_bug]

Well Dom Tuk, I think a lot of the "commies" and "loony liberals" are just afraid to speak out.  So the Tories at least dominate here, even if not in the majority.  Thanks for a clear answer though.  :-)

[snapdharlich]

Come on Kenny boy!!

[bernardo]

As a loony liberal, I am not afraid to speak out.  I think that Ken Clarke probably will win; I think that anybody but Ken Clarke should win.  Quite apart from the fact that he has an integrationist view towards the EU, Ken Clarke is totally unsuitable for any high office.  When he was Home Secretary, he refused to refer to the Court of Appeal the case of the four men who had been wrongly convicted of the murder of Carl Bridgwater, despite the existence of overwhelming evidence that they were innocent.  This alone shows that he is so blinkered by prejudice that he must not ever become Prime Minister, and if he becomes leader of the Conservative Party then I will definitely not vote Conservative at the next General Election.

[january_bug]

By the way - as this is a debate, I'm not going to award stars!  We all have an opinion that we are entitled to express, and trying to award stars would frankly get daft. 

I'm surprised I haven't seen cries for Goebbels, or dare I say it Hitler, so right wing are the views ocassionally seen on here.  Mind you, I suppose those 2 make Thatcher herself look like a Loony Liberal so perhaps a bit too extreme even for some of the news regulars! :-p

[Ward-Minter]

january bug you are funny at times.

[january_bug]

I try! :-)  You too mate, you too!

[garyyokel]

If I were a Tory, I would be worried about Ken Clarke winning - like Howard he has a (albeit less) dodgy history and I think that it just gives the media and the opposition a nice ready-made load of muck to fling back at him. The BAT story has already been smoking away nicely in the papers over the last few weeks.

If the Torys were really forward thinking they would have dismissed him as an option already, and concentrated on how they could develop into an electable party. But I guess that is totally against their nature.

[elgroucho]

I am no Tory, let me make that clear from the start. Ken Clarke is closest to my own views. David Davies appears to be the favourite, but is saying Tories should stick to their values when floating voters, i.e. those they need to win over, clearly don't like those views (see 1997, 2001 and 2005). David Cameron is a Blair clone and would therefore do pretty well. Macolm Rifkind doesn't have enough support, and Liam Fox wants to shift further to the right, meaning neither of them are credible.

[surfer mike]

If the tories had any sense they'd go for cameron..

A man who could take labour on for the centre ground.

Thankfully they have precious little so davis it is..

[bloodycheap]

I think if Zippy was the shadow prime minister, Bungle was the shadow Chancellor and George was the shadow Home secretary then the tories might get taken seriously.

[garyyokel]

Well if the Tories still go for Davies after yesterday, they can kiss goodbye to the next election. As one guy said on Newsnight - "He's IDS with hair".

Part of me wants them to go with Dr. Fox - it makes the Tories so much easier to dislike than if they go with a jolly fella or a fresh young whippersnapper that may appeal to the wider public.

[piccadilly]

I think William Hague should have another shot, he's a down to earth Yorkshire man, who has a brilliant column in the News of the world and seems to reflect the views of most people, i think his time will yet come. Failing that I'd like to see Davies win, or better still the lovely Justine Greening