May Day

[gulliver1]

Is Theresa May a leader out of touch?

[Kromovaracun]

What do you mean by "out of touch"? I don't think she is more distant from the average person than Cameron was (and one thing I will say in her favour is that I don't get the sense that she is in office purely for personal enrichment as I did from Cameron).

She is, however, totally unprincipled and has reversed just about every single major policy commitment she has ever made since becoming PM. She has poor leadership skills and appears unable to stick to anything.

Her disastrous cabinet is probably not her fault though. Especially when leading a minority government, a PM's choices for cabinet appointments are very limited because party unity becomes more important than, say, merit. That being said, she has had multiple opportunities to assert her authority and has failed each time - meaning that her cabinet all seem to feel like they can basically do whatever they want to keep or advance their place when the leadership changes. May must ultimately take responsibility for that - and of course for losing her party's majority.

[cassa333]

On what subject in particular?

[naomi24]

Why is this in 'News'? This section is becoming clogged with non-news.

[Gromit]

She is not out of touch, she is just powerless. She is a weak PM leading a weak Government and leader of a party that is deeply divided in itself.

[Ken4155]

I would have placed my question mark after leader and deleted the last 3 words:-/

[DSJ]

No.

[Old_Geezer]

She's more doing the what she can to the best of her ability given the difficult situation that she is in. But she put herself up for the leadership election and much of her present difficulties is down to her poor decision to call a GE. I'm unsure she's any more out of touch than the other politicians. Trouble is that society is rather divided at present so everyone is out of touch with some.

[emmie]

no i don't believe she is,

[jno]

Kromovaracun, I always thought Cameron was a good PR man, and in a resonably good way - whatever his personal ambition, he did keep his ear to the ground. An apt pupil of Blair. May seems to have no common touch at all; you don't see her out in public, she squirms and prevaricates when appearing on TV, and her cabinet is out of control.

Her political impotence is largely due, I think, to her foolish decision to call an election, having said she wouldn't: she can't even stick with a good policy promise. This isn't good governance.

[Khandro]

I never understand why people the cabinet to all think alike, isn't it healthy that there are different views held amongst them? However, it is incumbent on any leader to do just that - lead! She's no Maggie.

[Gromit]

// I never understand why people the cabinet to all think alike, isn't it healthy that there are different views held amongst them? //

They are supposed to be of the same party elected on the same manifesto promises. If there is division, it shows that even the leading members of the Government do not believe that May is leading in the right direction.

[Khandro]

Gromit; People of the same party don't have to all think exactly alike, any more than all members of the same family do.

[Gromit]

No.
But they are supposed to agree on a programme of policy laid down in the manifesto, and stick to it.
At the moment we have Ministers making their own policy on the hoof with the aim of jockeying for position in a leadership race. All very entertaining, but a complete shambles for governing the country.

[mikey4444]

She may or may not be out of touch, but she is certainly out of control of her pantomime of a Cabinet.

Has that plane landed yet ?

[mikey4444]

Khandro....may be not but all the Members of the Cabinet should at least be rowing in the same direction, which clearly isn't happening now.

Far be it for me to praise a former lady incumbent of Number Ten, but she would have sorted this mess out a long time ago....she would have launched a night of the long knives and restored some dignity to our Government.

[hereIam]

I think so.

[david small]

She has always been a fence sitter. Equivocation is her middle name. Useless PM.

[Gromit]

Mikey
MT had a majority. So she could afford to upset people.
TM does not have a majority. She is weak and vunerable.

[mikey4444]

Gromit....all the more need for her to be seen as dynamic and tough then, so one wonders why she is neither ?

[Zacs-Master]

Why do people post questions and then not join in? I find it bizarre.