Finding a New Tory Leader could set up a contest with Farage
Chewing on Michael Portillo's announcement that he would vote to leave the EU I was wondering whether it might be a leadership bid and the possible consequences.
Portillo like Boris lacks the necessary Westminster seat. An early retirement from a sitting MP in a safe constituency might cost at most in ordinaray times a life peerage. These however are far from being ordinary times. For a by-election without UKIP's concurrence would immediately spark a possible challenge from that party, potentially even from Nigel Farage himself!
Mr Farage grows in stature each passing day, see proof on video here.
To avoid such a confrontation the Tories can only look within the party at Westminster and as one must presume a candidate from the Lords would be unacceptable in the 21st Century, leaving few Commons contenders. David Davis has already made his willingness clear but he lacks the track record of solid opposition to the EU which would seem a necessity in these circumstances.
John Redwood another potential candidate without that impediment seems to have lost all fire for a fight as evidenced by his blog diary of late and yesterday's contribution to the debate as in Hansard at 4.3 pm linked here. The concluding paragraph indicated that potential was still there:
I do not want to belong to a powerless Parliament. I do not want to belong to an impotent Parliament. I want to belong to a Parliament that can give redress to angry people outside if we think that they are right. I want to belong to a Parliament that controls our borders. I want to belong to a Parliament that settles our energy crisis. I want to belong to a Parliament that can legislate to finalise who has welfare entitlement and who does not. We are not in that happy position today. That is why I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement that we need a new relationship with the European Union. Bring it on as soon as possible and put it to this House of Commons, because without it this House of Commons is, indeed, impotent.
Looking at the various performances yesterday, Nigel Farage stood head and shoulders above all others in Britain's politics, watch the video linked above!
Portillo like Boris lacks the necessary Westminster seat. An early retirement from a sitting MP in a safe constituency might cost at most in ordinaray times a life peerage. These however are far from being ordinary times. For a by-election without UKIP's concurrence would immediately spark a possible challenge from that party, potentially even from Nigel Farage himself!
Mr Farage grows in stature each passing day, see proof on video here.
To avoid such a confrontation the Tories can only look within the party at Westminster and as one must presume a candidate from the Lords would be unacceptable in the 21st Century, leaving few Commons contenders. David Davis has already made his willingness clear but he lacks the track record of solid opposition to the EU which would seem a necessity in these circumstances.
John Redwood another potential candidate without that impediment seems to have lost all fire for a fight as evidenced by his blog diary of late and yesterday's contribution to the debate as in Hansard at 4.3 pm linked here. The concluding paragraph indicated that potential was still there:
I do not want to belong to a powerless Parliament. I do not want to belong to an impotent Parliament. I want to belong to a Parliament that can give redress to angry people outside if we think that they are right. I want to belong to a Parliament that controls our borders. I want to belong to a Parliament that settles our energy crisis. I want to belong to a Parliament that can legislate to finalise who has welfare entitlement and who does not. We are not in that happy position today. That is why I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement that we need a new relationship with the European Union. Bring it on as soon as possible and put it to this House of Commons, because without it this House of Commons is, indeed, impotent.
Looking at the various performances yesterday, Nigel Farage stood head and shoulders above all others in Britain's politics, watch the video linked above!
Labels: Next PM
posted by Martin at 8:45 AM
1 Comments:
I watched the clip of Farage and must say that he again betrays his ignorance of the workings of the EU. This coming from a man who has spent 20 years actively working towards getting the UK out of the EU is therefore shameful as at least half of that time has been at the taxpayers expense.
There again Redwood is no better when he calls for a return of powers to Westminster and that he supports our Quisling prime minister in his 'renegotiation' with the EU.
As Daniel Hanna writes in Tues days Daily Mail 'The Euro charade: Nigel Lawson's absolutely right. The idea that we can renegotiate with the EU is pure fantasy'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2320945/Nigel-Lawson-right-idea-renegotiate-EU-pure-fantasy.html
Hannan like Redwood is another plastic Tory. Farage is just waiting for the right moment to join them.
There are so many good reasons to leave the EU,and we can prosper outside it, but the argument is not being made by those who have the attention of the media and should know better.
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