that's prolly how she got her start in politics
Posted on 07/12/2016 12:31:25 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
In the wake of Britain’s controversial “Brexit” vote, the United Kingdom gets a new prime minister tomorrow. But Theresa May, the U.K.’s former Home Secretary, will succeed David Cameron without ever being elected. Why?
It turns out that it’s possible for someone to take the most powerful role in Britain without winning the public’s vote. The reason: Parliamentary democracy. Unlike the United States, which has a presidential system of democracy and directly elects officials, Britain elects a parliament once every five years.
Each member of the British House of Commons belongs to a political party, and the party that wins the majority forms its own government and appoints a Prime Minister. A vote for an MP, or member of parliament, is a vote for a political party as much as an individual—and the party gets to name its own officials. That means that when a prime minister resigns or is removed during a non-general-election year, the ruling party selects its next prime minister, usually in a run-off election.
May, the 59-year-old Conservative who will head to 10 Downing Street after Cameron tenders his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II, has been a frontrunner for her party’s top slot since Cameron announced he would step down. But until yesterday, it seemed as if she’d have to run for office in a party-wide runoff vote later this summer.
That all changed due to Conservative infighting and Brexit controversy. As Rowena Mason and Heather Stewart write for The Guardian, May was dangled as a potential alternative to Boris Johnson, the divisive former mayor of London who pushed Britain toward a vote to leave the European Union. As pressure to find a candidate who could unite Conservatives grew, the field quickly narrowed until only two remained: May and Andrea Leadsom, junior energy minister. members of parliament honed down the choice to the candidates in internal votes with the intention of holding a runoff on September 9, Steven Erlanger writes for The New York Times.
But then something happened that negated the need for a runoff: Leadsom stepped aside. As Laura Kuenssberg explains for the BBC, Leadsom purportedly quit in a bid to unite the party and expedite the transition between Cameron and the new Prime Minister-in-waiting. But widespread criticism about Leadsom’s remarks about how having children qualified her for the post of Prime Minister also seem to have played a role in the decision.
Since May is already a member of the existing Conservative government in her role as Home Secretary, she does not need to assemble a new government as Prime Minister. And because there is no longer any opposing candidate for the role, that negates the need for a runoff election.
So what happens now? For today, May is Prime Minister-in-waiting. According to the BBC, Cameron, who participated in his final cabinet meeting today, will participate in his last rousing round of Prime Minister’s Questions tomorrow, then go to Buckingham Palace, where he will tender his resignation and tell the Queen that May should be the next prime minister. May will then head to the Palace herself, where the Queen will invite her to form a government.
I would at least appreciate having a hand (elections) to begin with.
It’s rare because we vote for president and vice president at the same time. And we also don’t have the ability for Congress to decide with a simple majority that the current president is a douche and needs to go.
In Great Britain you get your say when you vote for your MP (and their party). Remember the Prime Minister is not a separate office like the POTUS is here in the United Stated. He is a member of parliament. And he is only the political head of the government, not head of state.
well, just a few examples of recent note come to mind, including the guidelines about fruit quality (which included a regulation on the shape of bananas), the ban on high powered vacuum cleaners, the ban on the sale of incandescent light bulbs (ok, Americans can’t get too prideful about that because similar bans hit here...), the ban on using tea bags in compost....there are many, many, more. These are just some of the more asinine which directly affect consumers. If you are in construction (electrical work, plumbing, any aspect), I can only imagine what a nightmare that must be.
And their response to Brexit was to immediately talk about cracking down on toasters. I guess some good will come from this in that it will perhaps incite other EU member states to exit, as well.
Gerald Ford was NOT on the ticket in 1972, Spiro Agnew was. Mr. Agnew had to resign, and Ford was appointed to replace him.
Nixon then resigned, and Ford became another of the unelected presidents. Harry Truman ended up in the big chair without an election when FDR died, too.
Total NONSENSE!
American is a constitutional republic based on democratic
principals. It has never been a "democracy" or a
"presidential" democracy. Notice how leftists/liberals are
always claiming America is a "democracy." They hate the
separation of powers outlined in the Constitution.
These people became President of the United States
without being elected to the office. Usually because
the sitting President died in office President.
John Tyler
Millard Fillmore
Andrew Johnson
Chester A. Arthur
Theodore Roosevelt
Calvin Coolidge
Harry S. Truman
Lyndon B. Johnson
Gerald Ford
that's prolly how she got her start in politics
“Well, he would, wouldn't he?" - Mandy Rice-Davies
WARNING TO AMERICAN FREEPERS. I am a British citizen. I have lived in the UK all my life and have been exposed to British tabloid journalism for a very long time. I have qualifications in English and Creative writing and possess a press pass. Please do NOT read the Guardian alone at home.
Sounds terrible doesnt it. Actually NO British prime minister comes to power through general elections. They are NOT elected, except as MP’s. However, by the same token it is very easy to get rid of them, very quickly, if they screw up or lose the confidence of the House of Commons. That makes for very fast transitions of power and therefore stability of government.
So would I. Thats why I campaigned for Brexit.
Actually, under the circumstances I highlighted throughout his thread, it sounds funny in an absurd kind of way. ;)
Did you cast a vote for prime minister? No, you did not.
The Guardian offered fact while you offered myopic opinion.
I very much doubt the Guardian is presenting you with facts. The Grauniad (as it is known) has bought completely into facile regressive left politics. It is not about offering you facts; it is about pushing a political agenda. I admit I don't know how the EU actually works. However, I am equally sure the Guardian doesn't either. That's the point of the EU. Nobody knows exactly how it works. Its systems are deliberately complex so that they can obfuscate issues and block objections.
No, but at least I know who the Prime Minister IS. I know that their actions will be scrutinised to the nth degree, and I know that they WILL be accountable for those actions.
Sounds terrible doesnt it. Actually NO British prime minister comes to power through general elections. They are NOT elected, except as MP’s.So you will just take everything both ways as long as it suits you. And nobody will notice.
What was that about democracy again?
I'll just bkmk this link for you.
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