More Labour members want Brown to go than to stay

Nicholas

Than to say what?

Verity

Where the hell is Her Maj in all this? Her Government is discredited and crumbling like a cake before her eyes. What is it going to take to get her to act?

Alex

James

Revisiting your previous post from 4th June ...

"The best and the worst ways for all this to end for Labour and the Tories"

Looks like the Tories are in for a spectacular win

Tory Bear

Apparently they "Still believe" though

TB

Jimmy Hill

Verity, I presume you are joking?

I hardly think that at a time when our democracy has been significantly weakened the solution is for a head of state, selected by accident of birth, to dissolve an elected government.

David

"What is it going to take to get her to act?"

A descent into personal insanity? The Queen knows her constitutional role, and it's not to get involved in internal party matters. Labour have a majority of 60+ in the Commons, and therefore in the absence of a vote of no confidence she has no right to step in.

Alex

Verity - hear hear

This is a comedy. At first I was enjoying it, now I am worried.

In the real world

She won't act. end of Story.

Nick Kaplan

"Just under a third of members think that Labour cannot win a general election under Brown."

I guess that shows you really do have to be deluded to join the Labour party!

Verity

David, I'm no constitutionalist and I suspect, neither are you or you would have put forth a more coherent argument, but surely she has the ability to dissolve Parliament and call an election? I don't see anything undemocratic about calling an election.

David Ossitt

"More Labour members want Brown to go than to stay"

I loath and detest the man; but I pray that he stays.

I do not want the labour party to be let off the hook; if he leads them into the next General Election the result might be that they will be out of power for generations.

There has never been a more detested government; a government built on lie after lie after lie.

Call the police; I am guilty of one of their stupid new offences 'hate' I hate the labour party, I hate it's lack of honesty, but most of all I hate what it has done to my country.

Publius

These demands for the Monarch to somehow do something just betray ignorance of the Monarch's constitutional role. What do you want? For her to dismiss a PM who commands the confidence of the House? Or dissolve Parliament without the advice of her PM? Get real! It would be the end of the monarchy.

Occasional Ostrich

The solution when George III went doolally was to appoint a regent, not that he was any better. Now if the Liebour Party had a similar provision in their constitution - - -.

Elderly Gent

Surely there are now enough incensed MPs for a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister, to suceed ???

Denis Cooper

My suggestion is this:

1. Assuming the motion calling for a dissolution is debated and voted down on Wednesday, the leaders of the opposition parties should meet on Thurday and set up a cross-party campaign called something like "ELECTION NOW".

2. They should then go through the list of all those MPs who voted against the motion, and start petitions against all or most of them in their constituencies, inviting their constituents to sign up to the demand that they resign and allow a fresh election to take place.

3. At some opportunity, not too far in the future, a fresh motion for a dissolution should be put down.

4. If that motion fails, then the campaign should continue with the petitions against those MPs who still voted against it.

Eventually some of them will crack under the pressure.

Frank Middle England

If Alan Johnson is the best candidate, then they need more than God's help.

And as for all the talk of whether the Queen should get involved or not, I say, why not? After all, it might be technically 'constitutional' to parachute in Mandelson, Sugar etc, etc by making them lords... but is it ethical? Compared to that, I could take a bit of straight talking from HM - I mean, what do you prefer? An unelected monarch who has earned the respect of the nation, or an unelected tyrant who has no respect - for or from anyone.

TGF UKIP

Denis Cooper what an excellent and most constructive suggestion.

If, and huge if, it is taken up and is successful, it means that the Cameron Greens really do have to stop shrinking from making the argument over cuts and make the Fraser Nelson case that the cuts already factored in for 2011 on, are Brown's Labour cuts and not "Tory Cuts."

That really should frighten the life out of Dave.

PS Brilliant spoof commercial over on conservativecabbie.com for new car launch from Congressional Motors - The 2012 Pelosi GTxiSS1RT Sport - not to be missed.

David

"David, I'm no constitutionalist and I suspect, neither are you or you would have put forth a more coherent argument, "

Given your admission, I question your qualification to judge my argument incoherent.

"but surely she has the ability to dissolve Parliament and call an election?"

No. The Queen can only step in to dissolve Parliament if it is clear that no government can be formed. There are a number of signals-a loss of the budget vote or a loss of a vote of confidence, and it is normally done at the behest of the de facto PM.

"I don't see anything undemocratic about calling an election."

Neither do I. Hence I never said it.

hadrian

I seem to recall the Queen's representative in Australia - is the position styled 'Governor'?- disolved the Aussie government which created quite a controversy.
However I'm quite certain if the Queen did act she'd have more than half of G.B. cheering her on, God bless her!!

David

There was a legislative deadlock between the two houses of the Australian parliament, and a situation equivalent to a minority government in the UK able to hold the House but not pass anything. We aren't anywhere near that; as said. Labour have a large majority.