Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

David Cameron announces resignation

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 345 posts

Re: David Cameron announces resignation

#101

Post by porker »

geff82 wrote: post #42

He'll go down in history as one of the worst leaders the UK ever had. Which he already was before yesterday. By the way, if he let the people decide on such a super topic as leave/remain in the EU, why does he not let his people vote on whether they want total surveillance or not? If they want a police state? Why can't they decide on stuff that affects their daily lives in a potential negative way? Or will they ignor…

And his laughably bad (if it weren't so serious) handling of the 'renegotiation' with Europe months before the referendum. He certainly comes across as a blustering public-schoolboy, which was never going to go down well with his European counterparts.

Re: David Cameron announces resignation

#102

Post by DanielBMarkham »

alexbilbie wrote: post #98
DanielBMarkham wrote: post #74

For those of us who do not live in GB, could somebody ELI5 about how these things work? Does the Prime Minister just hang out until he decides he's had enough? (Yes, I know I could Wiki it. For others browsing the thread, however, 2-5 sentences on how it all works would be useful.)

It's slightly different depending on the party but essentially the Prime Minister can resign at any time. In terms of the Conservative Party they don't elect a deputy leader who would take over hence the internal party election for a new Prime Minister in October. The Conservative Party also have processes to sacrifice their party leader (via the 1922 Committee) which allows the parliamentary MPs to call for a vote o…

This is actually quite interesting. I knew there was a parliamentary system, but I didn't know the intricacies.

So each party, as long as it holds the majority, can do whatever it likes to pick a PM?

Re: David Cameron announces resignation

#103

Post by yabatopia »

random_upvoter wrote: post #89
geff82 wrote: post #42

He'll go down in history as one of the worst leaders the UK ever had. Which he already was before yesterday. By the way, if he let the people decide on such a super topic as leave/remain in the EU, why does he not let his people vote on whether they want total surveillance or not? If they want a police state? Why can't they decide on stuff that affects their daily lives in a potential negative way? Or will they ignor…

Cameron called for the referendum in the hope of shutting up the eurosceptics in his own party forever. At the time it was not a bad idea, given that literally nobody believed that the leave vote could win.

I wouldn't call someone who needs a nationwide referendum to silence opposition within his own party a very good leader.

Re: David Cameron announces resignation

#104

Post by nicky0 »

DanielBMarkham wrote: post #102
alexbilbie wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's slightly different depending on the party but essentially the Prime Minister can resign at any time. In terms of the Conservative Party they don't elect a deputy leader who would take over hence the internal party election for a new Prime Minister in October. The Conservative Party also have processes to sacrifice their party leader (via the 1922 Committee) which allows the parliamentary MPs to call for a vote o…

This is actually quite interesting. I knew there was a parliamentary system, but I didn't know the intricacies. So each party, as long as it holds the majority, can do whatever it likes to pick a PM?

Yep. The PM is actually appointed by the Queen. But they have to demonstrate that they have enough support in parliament to form a working government. In practice this means that whatever party holds the majority gets to pick the PM. If there is no party with an overall majority (as in 2010) then two or more parties have to reach a coalition agreement.

Re: David Cameron announces resignation

#105

Post by gonvaled »

UK-AL wrote: post #90
gonvaled wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the UK starts muddling through, the EU should firmly act and suspend UK membership: we can not allow uncertainty, and a future ex-member abusing the good will of the rest of the EU. Cameron promised to trigger article 50 immediately: if he does not, we should force him to.

Why?, we should have our cards in order before we do so.

You can try, but I do not think it is in the interest of the EU to let this drag for years, so we should force the UK to get out asap.

Your interests and the EU's interests are now very loosely alligned, and in this particular matter probably in contradiction.

Re: David Cameron announces resignation

#106

Post by Ntrails »

tkyjonathan wrote: post #18

Its his fault we're here. His policies made inequality in the UK so high that people got angry and started blaming the EU and mainly migrants.

Nothing to do with that. He threw out the referendum promise in order to secure power, and then failed to get Europe to agree to the headline changes which would easily have secured the vote in his "renegotiation".

"Austerity" is not to blame for this. You can argue EU recalcitrance played a part, as did labour party weakness, but it's on him. His legacy will be this vote, this loss, and his failure to see through the consequences of his actions.

Re: David Cameron announces resignation

#107

Post by danieltillett »

parenthesis wrote: post #86
jdimov10 wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hard to beat Blair, really. Cameron may be dumber, but certainly not worse.

Every prime minister has their "Suez": David Cameron: losing the EU referendum Gordon Brown: The financial crisis Tony Blair: Iraq John Major: Black Wednesday; Tory party "sleaze" Margaret Thatcher: The poll tax James Callaghan: The Winter of Discontent … etc.

All political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure, because that is the nature of politics and of human affairs.

Enoch Powell

Re: David Cameron announces resignation

#108

Post by CommanderData »

Ntrails wrote: post #106
tkyjonathan wrote: post #18

Its his fault we're here. His policies made inequality in the UK so high that people got angry and started blaming the EU and mainly migrants.

Nothing to do with that. He threw out the referendum promise in order to secure power, and then failed to get Europe to agree to the headline changes which would easily have secured the vote in his "renegotiation". "Austerity" is not to blame for this. You can argue EU recalcitrance played a part, as did labour party weakness, but it's on him. His legacy will be this vote, this loss, and his failure to see through th…

> "Austerity" is not to blame for this.

Austerity would be to blame for this - it contributed to people being more anti-immigrant, though indirectly.

Him calling the referendum, the outcome - are related to his parties policies without isolation.

Re: David Cameron announces resignation

#109

Post by p51ngh »

ajuc wrote: post #27
PietdeVries wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And so it begins... If a Brexit-fanatic like Boris somehow gets hold of the UK, and Trump does the same in the US, we'll be looking back at "those good old days prior to June 2016" in no time... The world-economy will get more introvert, like the "me first" kids at school who don't care about the rest. And that will be the fuel of the upcoming unrest in the rest of the world...

There's already unrest in the world. It all feels like 1930s since a few years :/

You must be a really old chap.

Re: David Cameron announces resignation

#110

Post by reitoei »

youngtaff wrote: post #83
verbify wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you forget what a shambles Tony Blair was? Led us into a pointless war that cost 100,000s of lives. As bad as David Cameron was, he kept us out of war.

Blair is probably the reason many Labour heartlands voted for out, he opened the doors to mass migration without thinking about the implications for those who might be displaced by it (or rather feel they were displaced by it)

> opened the doors to mass migration without thinking about the implications for those who might be displaced by it (or rather feel they were displaced by it)

just... wow

Post reply on HN