A matter of leadership
THE battle to be the next PM is on and it’s a two-horse race between Truss and Sunak.
It seems the Tories are somewhat divided about who should be the next occupant of number 10, and therein lies the problem.
Let’s face it, if these two are the best candidates for the job then we all need to worry.
One thing Boris had was a real connection with the public, but unfortunately that was tarnished by the many mistakes he made.
Sunak and Truss do not have the charisma of Boris and neither of them has really gone into any depth about their policies, in debates they have concentrated on trashing each other.
Of course, this situation is ideal for Labour to gain popularity and promote honest Starmer as the one who should win the next General Election (let’s not talk about the Beergate photos).
It’s always been easy for a party in opposition to throw brickbats because the heat is off them, they are not the ones making key decisions which sometimes can be unpopular, it is inevitable that Labour will gain support even if their leader is unproven.
The truth of the matter is these are tough times and we are not going to get a Churchill or an Attlee to come along and save us.
“Levelling up” may be the latest slogan but the reality is we will still have hunger and deprivation and the cost of living is forever rising, these are things that will never completey go away no matter who is in power.
So which party is best for our country? I believe at the moment the jury’s out. Coalition anyone?
CHRIS McINTYRE, Independent Councillor for Park Ward,
Middlesbrough
IT takes one to know one – as they say. And here is an example.
Dominic Cummings, who has known Liz Truss for a long time, commented on her personality: “She is about as close to properly crackers as anybody I have met in politics”.
His assessment is that if she became PM, she would prove to be even worse than his erstwhile boss, Boris Johnson.
That is an extremely depressing and alarming prospect.
The characteristics she possesses of being a politician with intense ambition and an outsize personality, a charlatan with no standout achievements so far, is a clear symmetry with the lameduck incumbent.
She is proving to be just as much of a self-serving, narcissistic blower of her own trumpet as Johnson was, in a shameless push to the top.
She was a staunch “Remainer”, rightly predicting the shambles that would follow a “hard Brexit” but now says she was wrong.
In denial that delays at Dover are caused by getting Brexit done. She claims to have stood up to Putin but it’s the brave citizens of Ukraine who are doing that. She wants to cut taxes and reverse the hike in NI contributions but doesn’t say anything about the crisis in the NHS and social care that this revenue was supposed to solve.
And she says she wants to restore integrity to our politics but it looks like business as usual, a continuation of toxic populism.
TONY JOHNSTONE, Eston
I ADMIRE anyone who stands by their affiliation to whatever political party.
I would love to see a serious challenge from the Labour Party and take on the Conservatives.
But that ain’t going to come from Keir Starmer. Kevin Nicholas (The Gazette 28.07.22) praises the man so much he nearly changed my mind.
Kevin says Starmer is a man of honour, integrity and an outstanding leader. How he comes to this conclusion is baffling.
Labour will never get my vote with this man at the helm.
And that’s the problem. Labour have lost their way, lost touch with the electorate so they no longer pose a threat. So Kevin, when the new leader has been chosen to become PM, Labour need to choose a new challenger – with all the qualities he describes, which unfortunately isn’t Starmer. BRENDAN McDERMOTT,
Thornaby