Mid-July Blooms.

 

The cause of it all. Dear Boris who only yesterday skipped an
emergency Cobra meeting he should have chaired, 
to host a party at Chequers. 
Missing in action again Boris; a little bit demob-happy!

Rishi Sunak.

Despite the heat, the contest for the leadership of the Tory Party is hotting up!! We, i.e. the general population, are all interested in this strangely antiquated, faux-modern process. It is supposed to be democratic as the original list of eleven hopefuls is hastily whittled down [five people standing this weekend; three/four [or is it 2?] to be left on Monday 18 July] by Conservative M.P.s voting against an increasingly bitter background of smears, explosively-timed leaks and accusations of backroom stitch-ups. There are factional divisions in the Conservative Party, and rancour rides high. When two are left, the membership of the Conservative Party will vote for The One. That is, the final arbiters are the circa 165,000 mainly elderly members, chiefly living in the South East, who will choose the Prime Minister for the entire U.K. of approximately 60 million plus Brits!! It IS, after all the nationally-chosen method; we are organised as a Parliamentary system, not a Presidential one, but most of us cannot forbear but think that a General Election would be a little more democratic. This will not [though could] happen as Tory MPs are well aware of the dangers just now, of asking a battered electorate for more time in Government after a long and less-than-glorious period in office so far.

Liz Truss in determined pursuit of her role model.

Kemi Badenhoch.

Tom Tugendhat

 As the BBC News seems unrelenting in its devotion to broadcasting discussions, arguments, opinions, on the current political pageant, we are all pretty au fait with at least the basic names and details of the eager candidates. As the political climate in Bury St Edmunds is not, exactly, nurturing my political/spiritual needs, as it were, I can only suggest what I think I have observed elderly Conservative Party members want in a leader. Policies or proposed policies, are obviously important but these voters also warm to someone whom they think, thinks like them. And they perhaps judge the abilities of a candidate to be Prime Minister, based on what he/she says, especially if the professed opinions chime well with their opinions, possibly formed long ago. And I also suspect that patriotism proudly professed, goes a long way!! Plus the candidate choice of a modestly middle route vis-a-vis policies; nothing to frighten the horses. I would guess that the splendid Kemi Badenoch banging on about trans rights, though totally au courant, bewilders the important fraction of the electorate who wield the power in this particular election.

Penny Mordaunt

I have been side-tracked from my rant after
searching for a photo of Angela Lansbury.
I discover she was 95 last October and  send
felicitations! Splendid endurance. As a tribute,
she has been granted A Large Photo.

Now that nice-looking, middle class Penny Mordaunt, of whom I had not even heard a month ago, she really IS worth considering. AND she’s a Navy reservist, representing Portsmouth for about ten years. Her father was a paratrooper and she has interesting family connections. [e.g. actress Dame Angela Lansbury was her grandmother’s cousin; her mother was related to Philip Snowden, first Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer]. Her own career has been steady but not stellar. Briefly Boris’s first woman Defence Secretary before he quickly sacked her and Minister for International Trade since September 2021. She was also, again briefly, assistant to Lord Frost in the Brexit negotiations before he begged Boris to move her on as she was so ineffective. In her current leadership campaign, she has carefully followed the middle way; no immediate tax cuts but also rejecting Sunak’s ‘cuts must wait till inflation is controlled’. She has sensibly promised to halve VAT on fuel until, at least, April 2023 and to raise tax thresholds for basic and middle income earners, by the rate of inflation. All this is worthy, [she was a Communications Specialist, pre-politics, after all] ; but it is not obviously comprehensible to an outsider why she is currently Number Two in the voting results in a contest for Prime Minister. In fact, I am totally mystified as to why Penny [named after HMS Penelope] is there at all. The Telegraph [online] may have the answer: Penny has ‘relatable charisma and an upbeat vision of British patriotism.’ But she didn’t know, when interviewed, the likely cost of her middle-of-the-road policy proposals.

Angela Lansbury in her prime.

Of the presently-remaining candidates there are Liz Truss,[NO, perlease]; Kemi Badenoch [excellent potential; the woke candidate]; Tom Tugendhat [ex-army, hugely admired by his local electors; relevant, recent military admin experience in Afghanistan] and Rishi Sunak, clearly highly intelligent, hugely experienced and talented though, sadly, not a Socialist as suggested by Jacob Rees-Mogg, [Minister for the 18^th Century!] I would imagine if Keir Starmer could choose, it wouldn’t be Rishi; he certainly offers the greatest threat to the future election prospects of the Labour Party.

Perhaps young Conservatives are under-
represented in the process of choosing a new leader!?