Can Someone Explain Why Some Think The Pm Is Not Elected?

[ToraToraTora]

I don't get it, did she apply for the job in Evening standard or something? The leader of the party in Government is the PM! Or have I missed something? I have voted in every election since I could and I only ever voted for a local MP now I suppose that in Maidenhead they did vote for the PM but most of us did not, for this one or any other, so can someone explain, this sillyness it's beyond me.

[kvalidir]

Since 1900, 13 prime ministers out of 22 have come to power without an election. Seven have come since the Second World War. It’s the second time in the past decade that the role has transferred in this way. (Tony Blair, the Labour prime minister, handed over to Gordon Brown in 2007.) The reason is because of living in a parliamentary democracy, where one votes for parties rather than individuals.SHE is not elected the party is,

[ToraToraTora]

so when did you or anyone ever vote for a PM?

[ToraToraTora]

"SHE is not elected the party is" - by jove I think she's cracked it! the party is elected and she is the leader of the party. So who should be the PM if not the leader of the party?

[Jackdaw33]

Yes it is silly. Chamberlain, Churchill, Eden, Macmillan, Home, Callaghan, Major and Brown all became PM during the course of a parliament.

[Peter Pedant]

because she is not elected like the President of the Free is ( Trumpo) or President Hollande
( we have had this a few days ago you know)

but is elected by the set of MPs in the House of Commons

If you do it another way like Labour ( unions and electorate have a big say) then you may get a leader who does not command the support of the Labour MPs he is meant to lead ....

Harold WIlson ( just a name to you ) in 1970 ( just a year in history to you ) tried to run an general election as a presidential campaign and visited every constituency during the campaign ( well almost.) He also never mentioned his opponent Mr Heath by name ( seldson man etc ) - giving the impression that the MPs you voted for were proxies/ handservants for the great Mr Wilson.......
and lost .....

this has dampened any move to do british general elections like presidential campaigns

[Peter Pedant]

// so when did you or anyone ever vote for a PM?//

yeah well when did I vote for a Queen ?
or the leader of manchester city council ?

we still get them

[ichkeria]

'I suppose that in Maidenhead they did vote for the PM but most of us did not'
I'm confused: are you complaining about that?
Many people think that the current conservative administration is effectively a different one from that elected in 2015. Just as many also thought Gordon Brown should have called an election in 2007.
I suppose they mean that the administration under the new leader is fundamentally different. So different that for example Mr Hammond totally disregarded their election manifesto in his budget :-)

[ToraToraTora]

But PP the public do not ever vote for the PM.

[Garaman]

If you copy and paste kvaldiar's post into Google you get the whole article it came from.

It is pretty meaningless I think. I guess the view is that she can't claim to be the people's choice.

[Jackdaw33]

The only one to call an immediate general election on his appointment to strengthen his authority was Eden in 1955. He won comfortably.

[kvalidir]

Yes exactly. She is not even the Tory people's choice- she was not on the stage at the last general election and the party that is now in power resembles not at all the party that was voted in.

[ToraToraTora]

I'm not complaining ich just trying to correct the ignorant. Even in the PM's constituency they are voting for a local MP. We never have elected the PM directly in this country. The ignorance of some is remarkable.

[bednobs]

as it has ever been thus, how is this "news"

[kvalidir]

Sadly Tora, despite your name you never surprise anybody. We all know that, I was the one who just pointed it out, my point, and the point of a lot of the electorate, is that THERESA May was not the party leader at the Genera Election and her version of the party is nothing like the version of the party at the election- no-one in effect voted for the party under her leadership. Simple no?

[Jackdaw33]

In what way is the party now different to that which was elected in 2015?

[Garaman]

The leader of a party can play a big part in an election, for better or worse, so being leader who has won an election does carry some kudos.

[ToraToraTora]

repeating your ignorance does not correct it kvaldir, give or take the odd MP the party is 99.5% the same as the one that won the last general election, the PM was an MP then and she is now.

[ToraToraTora]

yes Kudos indeed but it does not change their electedness.

[kvalidir]

'Kvalidir' ;-)