LEAVE the Conservative Party and save your country!

You see it a different way to me. I see no issue with looking to repeat or build on past successes.

That's fine, but it was a response to a particular set of circumstances in the late 70s. Those circumstances don't and can't exist again. We've already made that transition from an outdated manufacturing economy to a services economy, so we can't do it again. Thatcher was also very socially conservative by today's standards. It would be weird to go back to that.

There's also the small matter of the party heading in the opposite direction for the last 8 years so there's some way to go to even get back to a Cameron Osborne version of conservatism.

A lot of Thatcher fans also forget that she'd almost blown it before Argentina invaded the Falklands. Mind you, Milei is probably bonkers enough to invade the Falklands so...

I didn't say that.

It would be more convincing if you backed the kind of action she did.

After all, she settled a whole host of union disputes by agreeing to pay rises in order to stop strikes.

She was in favour of membership of the European Single Market and Customs Union

She was keen on privatising the British railways, rather than owning them piecemeal.

She supported various international organisations that were reseraching climate change, such as the Centre for Climate Research and Prediction.

She was happy to close uncompetitive mines, rather than give government grants to reopen them (!).

What about that reflects anything the Conservative gov't did between 2010 and 2024?

Do you really think Thatcher would have spent billions paying for people's gas bills because of a war? Do you really think she would be opposing means testing benefits? Come off it

The reality is, Thatcher would have seen the threats like Climate Change and rather than burry her head in the sand in some populist move she'd probably have done something about it.

I'm not an enormous fan, but this idea somehow that current conservatism is anything like Thatcherism is beyond a joke.

It's this sort reaction that makes me think she will be a good choice.

Given you're some sort born again leftie (having voted Labour at the last GE), what do you think to judging Starmer now based on when he was Corbyns bag carrier?

Badenoch is like all the other prominent Tory MP's over the last few years, can't take any responsibility for her actions, repeatedly makes stuff up and then when called out on it deflects and turns the blame around on to her questioner. Look at her track record with journalists over the last few years.

Love or Loathe Thatcher, she absolutely stood by her convictions and would argue the merits of her decisions frankly with anyone. I don't see a single person in the Tory leadership race who can make a similar claim around ownership of their decisions.

I may be wrong but I also don't recall her Governments being massively anti-immigration

I think Stevo just thinks 1979 Thatcher is like some kind of Top Trump that will magically bring back those 'glory days' regardless of all the privatised sewage that has flowed under the bridge since then.

The only parallel I see between Thatcher and Badenoch is that they are both women. Other than that, not so much, and Badenoch would, I suspect, be welcomed by Labour, as she cannot escape the stink of the last government, however belligerent she makes herself out to be.

Anyway, whoever it is is going to be pretty irrelevant for a while yet.

It’s telling and bothersome that the moment Patel starts talking some sense, she’s out.

What a revelation.

Maggie certainly serviced Redcar and the NE England so well, so I can feel your warmth...

If you listen to the Telegraph podcasts about each of the potential leaders they do indeed suggest she us the closest to a modern day Thatcher.

Its all relative.

In my house, I am the closest to being a modern day Albert Einstein.

Meh, populism generally relies on a bit of a cult figure who can generate sufficient support to win under whatever electoral system.

Badenoch doesn't have the same star power as a Trump or a Johnson.

Potentially, if Farage could get Tory leadership, there's a route to the cult of personality type success, but then he loses his "outsider" appeal.

Plus Starmer just has to lower immigration to slightly less than record levels and he can rightfully claim to be tougher on immigration than the Tories.

✨they don’t ✨