Help!

I hardly know where to begin.  I am not a man who is prone to depression or despair, but recent developments are starting to get me down.

For a start there is the small matter of who will be our next Prime Minister.

We know that in September the UK will have a woman in Number Ten.  It will either be Mother Theresa or Andrea Leadsom.  I have already read many different analogies for this situation posted on social media by all manner of people.  Let me just say that not one of them has suggested that we are spoiled for choice and either would be a wonderful leader. To be fair the sort of pages I read on Facebook, which is my preferred organ of dissemination, are not likely to come up with a ringing endorsement for either candidate.  I certainly acknowledge that the 'echo chamber' phenomenon applies to my browsing, but equally I would argue that I am capable of making up my own mind, and that hearing my views echoed by others gives me comfort rather than inspiration.  I know I am not alone.  In cyberspace no-one can hear you scream.

I am prepared to accept that at the last election a Conservative government was elected and that ergo we must have a Conservative Prime Minister.  I would note that this government was elected with the second smallest percentage of the popular vote, 36.9%, since the introduction of universal suffrage, the lowest percentage being Labour in 2005 when they won with 35.3%.  It is also interesting that in both cases the winning Prime minister resigned during that parliament and we were left with a Prime Minister who had not led his/her party into that election.  While it can be argued that we do not vote for the Prime Minister, but for our local candidates, it is without doubt the case that we are really voting for a party and its leader. Nobody voted for Gordon Brown to be Prime Minister.  Given the disastrous slump in support for his party following his accession there is a case to be made that Labour would not have won an election under him.  Similarly nobody will have voted for either Theresa May or Andrea Leasdom.  At the time of the last election in May 2015 nobody would have considered the possibility that either of them would have even been in the frame, even though we knew that a leadership election was more or less inevitable because David Cameron had signalled that he would not stand a third time and that it was likely that the he would resign before the next election in 2020 to give his party a chance to elect an new leader and have him (and it was probably going to be a him) in place by May. The heir apparent was Gideon and a likely challenger was Boris.  

But all that went tits-up and Boris was stabbed in the back by his mate the Gove, and Gideon, though still lurking in the shadows, hoping to cling on to what is left of his career, has been suspiciously quiet recently.

And so here we are with the prospect of one of these two women being our next Prime Minister.  I have absolutely no problem with the Prime Minister of the UK being a woman.  I am a little worried about it being one of these two.

I have spent quite a bit of time trying to decide which one I would prefer to see in the job and I really can't decide.  I definitely don't want Andrea Leadsom. It has already been shown that she is no stranger to the pork pie trade.  Her c.v. appears to be a work of fiction; she makes a speech claiming we must remain in the EU then joins the Leave campaign; she expresses doubt about gay marriage, because it upsets some traditional Christians (who just incidentally are the type of Tory Party member she is appealing to); she favours the return of fox hunting, following several 'successful' hunts in her constituency; she posited the idea that all employees rights be removed from small businesses to allow greater freedom to the owners.  The list is seemingly never ending.

I find those things I have listed repugnant and could never support anybody who espoused them, but as I am not a member of the Conservative Party, what I think doesn't matter. What worries me more is that they may well appeal to her core vote is sufficient numbers for her to become Prime Minister.  After all we are talking about people who thought both Ian Duncan Smith and Michael Howard were good choices as party leader.  One might almost think they had a thing about the undead. 

So therefore I must obviously favour Theresa May? Yes? Well no actually.  We know quite a bit more about Mrs May, what with her having been Home Secretary, and all, but that does nothing to still my beating heart.  I should add that it is beating as a result of profound disquiet and not through any animal attraction for the lady.  

Who ever it turns out to be, I would suggest we are in for a rough ride, which even the joy at seeing the back of Cameron will not mitigate.  What worries me is that by the time of the next election there will be nothing left of the Britain I love and admire left to fight for.  A lot of damage can be inflicted in four years.

Let us hope that the ongoing investigations by various police forces will result in prosecutions for electoral fraud and that the government will lose its majority before then.  

I haven't touched on the Chilcot report and the whining self justification by Tony Blair.  I did listen to the speech which Jeremy Corbyn made in Parliament and to those who say he is not statesmanlike enough I would say listen and watch.  He is quiet and dignified in an age of Big Brother, X Factor, me! me! me! look at me!  Would that more people in positions of responsibility were. 

Love Tim xx