Should there be a general election?

Cadiz Seagull · Jul 12, 2016

Difficult decision for the new PM (one of many!)

Pros (from her point of view):-

Labour are in disarray and she could well be returned with a bigger majority

If she doesn't have one the press will be on her back, although this is not a reason for having it

If she does and wins she will silence any critics who say she doesn't have a mandate

Cons:-

If she doesn't she'll never hear the last of it and will be compared to Gordon Brown who bottled it

The country doesn't need any more uncertainty

We need to crack on and sort out post-Brexit Britain, not spend 6 - 8 weeks in a GE campaign

I think if I was her I would call one.

Might be worth a poll on NSC?

ManOfSussex · Jul 12, 2016

She needs a no confidence vote on the government for one to happen, or 2/3 of MP's have got to vote for one to happen to get round the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. All SNP and Liberal Democrat MP's might be up for it, I'm not sure about all Conservative or Labour ones.

GT49er · Jul 12, 2016

No. This government were elected on a mandate to hold a definitive referendum on the EU. Thy have fulfilled that pledge, the British public has made its decision, and now the government is morally obliged to complete the work of removing us from the EU.
Then, in 2020, when there is no way back into the EU anyway, we can vote in a decent Labour government.

Mayonaise · Jul 12, 2016

GT49er said:
No. This government were elected on a mandate to hold a definitive referendum on the EU. Thy have fulfilled that pledge, the British public has made its decision, and now the government is morally obliged to complete the work of removing us from the EU.
Then, in 2020, when there is no way back into the EU anyway, we can vote in a decent Labour government.

We would if we could find one!

Westdene Seagull · Jul 12, 2016

Simple answer is NO. The PM has changed 24 times in the last 100 years - only 12 of those times were at a GE. The party that was voted in to form the government in 2015 is still in power regardless of who the PM is.

c0lz · Jul 12, 2016

No not now, next year Maybe,

DTES · Jul 12, 2016

"Gordon Brown is running scared of the people's verdict" - Theresa May when Gordon Brown took over and did not call a snap election.

Calling one now may or may not be the 'right' decision for May, but it'd be a hypocritical decision not to...

Cadiz Seagull · Jul 12, 2016

GT49er said:
No. This government were elected on a mandate to hold a definitive referendum on the EU. Thy have fulfilled that pledge, the British public has made its decision, and now the government is morally obliged to complete the work of removing us from the EU.
Then, in 2020, when there is no way back into the EU anyway, we can vote in a decent Labour government.

I don't know the terms of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act but if she needs to get 2/3 or MPs to agree I would have thought that's possible. All the other parties would agree or run the risk of (a) being accused of beingfrightened and (b) of not trusting the electorate. Labour probably wouldn't want a General election but I can't see them not agreeing.

That then means she needs aroud a third of her own party, maybe less. some MP's will be worried they might lose their seat even though the Conservatives may win. But I would have thought she should be able to persuade enough to get the 2/3 majority you say she needs.

But she's got nothing to lose. If she doesn't get 2/3rds she can then say I was happy to have a GE but got outvoted.

Notters · Jul 12, 2016

ManOfSussex said:
She needs a no confidence vote on the government for one to happen, or 2/3 of MP's have got to vote for to one to happen to get round the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. All SNP and Liberal Democrat MP's might be up for it, I'm not sure about all Conservative or Labour ones.

Can we have a vote of no confidence in the British public?

spence · Jul 12, 2016

No there shouldn't.

Besides the Labour party would be humiliated again.

Paul Reids Sock · Jul 12, 2016

I don't particularly like her BUT the calls for a GE are just infuriating.

People saying she is unelected are failing to see that she is just as elected as Cameron. We don't vote for a leader but a local representative, they are then lead by an internally elected party leader.

I think it is madness to be honest - the politics in this country at the moment are a laughing stock. Lets crack on with trying to get the best deal we can and then try and rebuild the country (not just economically but socially)

DFL JCL · Jul 12, 2016

Technically i don't think so, ultimately Theresa May will be judged on public opinion though. I would be surprised if someone isn't commissioning a poll to ascertain what the country thinks.

spence · Jul 12, 2016

I also firmly believe we are better off with a Conservative government to sort out brexit and trade deals. You just can't trust this current labour lot at the moment and i speak as a labour voter.

Blue Valkyrie · Jul 12, 2016

No, the last thing we need is more uncertainty.

No one's MP has changed, let's go back to a bit of stability for a while.

GT49er · Jul 12, 2016

Mayonaise said:
We would if we could find one!

Well, yes, fair point. But hopefully while the Tories get on with the business of extracting us from the EU, Labour will have four years to sort itself out.

DavidinSouthampton · Jul 12, 2016

Westdene Seagull said:
Simple answer is NO. The PM has changed 24 times in the last 100 years - only 12 of those times were at a GE. The party that was voted in to form the government in 2015 is still in power regardless of who the PM is.

I think we are probably in fairly exceptional circumstances compared probably to most of the other occasions at which an individual has become Prime Minister outside of a General Election.............. but I still think you're right. We need to "get on with it" to avoid further uncertainty.

But then, I never thought we should have had a referendum in the first place.

beorhthelm · Jul 12, 2016

DTES said:
"Gordon Brown is running scared of the people's verdict" - Theresa May when Gordon Brown took over and did not call a snap election.

Calling one now may or may not be the 'right' decision for May, but it'd be a hypocritical decision not to...

key difference is that Brown didnt even have an internal party election, at least May has been selected from among the Conservative MPs. until Hague or Howard thats how any Conservative leader was selected.

i think we're rather tired of electioneering, and i believe the calls for a GE are from those that want to see the referendum result overturned by the backdoor, assuming all parties would stand on a policy to remain. it wouldn't be cricket to ask for a GE with Labour in their current state either.

Don Quixote · Jul 12, 2016

Not right now. Give her two years and then have one. 2018/19.

Westdene Seagull · Jul 12, 2016

DavidinSouthampton said:
I think we are probably in fairly exceptional circumstances compared probably to most of the other occasions at which an individual has become Prime Minister outside of a General Election.............. but I still think you're right. We need to "get on with it" to avoid further uncertainty.

But then, I never thought we should have had a referendum in the first place.

I'd suggest 1940 with Churchill taking over without an election was rather more exceptional circumstances than this political spat.

GT49er · Jul 12, 2016

Cadiz Seagull said:
But she's got nothing to lose. If she doesn't get 2/3rds she can then say I was happy to have a GE but got outvoted.

She's got the respect of 17 million voters to lose. She has been mandated to facilitate Brexit - any sort of trying to wriggle out of it (which is what a GE would be) would be unacceptable.

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Should there be a general election?

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