Britain has a history of changing leaders
in mid-stream; notable in 1940 and more recently in 1990. The question now will
PM David Cameron be replace by a mediocre leader as happened when John Major
took over from PM Margaret Thatcher in 1990 or would he replace by a strong and
decisive leader as happened when Winston Churchill replaced PM Neville Chamberlain in 1940.
PM Margaret Thatcher was forced out of No
10 in 1990 as a result palace coup within her own party. She conspired to
ensure that her real challenger at the time, Michael Heseltine, did not succeed
her. John Major benefited from the Iron Lady’s, as Mrs. Thatcher was popularly
known, vengeful anger because few would doubt the Heseltine would have made a
better PM that Major as history showed. It is rumored; the Iron Lady went
endorsed Tony Blair, of New Labour leader, who went on to defeat John Major,
her Conservative party protégé in the 1997 general elections.
The pressure for PM Neville Chamberlain to
go in May 1940 where of his own making in that he had failed to see the Germany
Chancellor, Adolf Hitler, for what he was - the ruthless tyrant hell-bend on
war and conquest. Hitler took full advantage of PM Chamberlain and others’
policy of appeasement to rearm Germany and to carry on with his acts of
aggression. The string of defeats of the British and her Allies at the hands of
Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Army made is untenable for PM Chamberlain to continue as
leader. He was succeeded by the decisive and gritty Winston Churchill.
The political reality of the IN/OUT EU
referendum has forced PM David Cameron to resign. He had campaigned for IN, and
put everything in it, “his passion, mind and body” as he readily admitted. By
resigned when the OUT won the day, PM Cameron was tacitly acknowledging he had
put his political career as PM on the line too!
The present British political crisis is
more like the 1940 than the 1990 crisis in that the country is setting off into
unknown territory with lots of unknowns. The country needs a decisive and
gritty leader, someone who really believed that Britain was better off OUT of
the EU. This is hardly the time for a steady-she-goes type leader who believed
that Britain was better off IN the EU and will therefore be going out but
always wishing they had stayed.
Of the two leading candidates fighting to
replace PM Cameron; Boris Johnson is decisive and gritty and he passionately
believes Britain can thrive and prosper OUT of the EU, he is therefore the
ideal candidate to lead the nation at this critical point.
Home Secretary Theresa May campaigned to
remain in the EU; whether her mind body and soul was in that campaign it is
hard to say but what matters here is her mind, body and soul in where the country
is going now – OUT of the EU. Having decided to leave the EU the last thing
Britain want is to sail off into the unknown with a captain who is there in
flesh but his/her mind and passion is still in the EU.
The Conservative MPs, party members and the
nation at large need a cool head and put the nation’s needs above all else. The
country needs right now is a Winston Churchill type leader and not a John Major
type and to elect the right leader, reason must triumph over the grudge and sentiment.
No comments:
Post a Comment