It’s time to take back control from the Conservative Party

Once again, the Tory party has dismissed a sitting prime minister. Once again, it intends to appoint the next prime minister, but this time to do so while so very, very far behind in the polls! Such significant policy shifts and shifty policies show this government now has no mandate. They impose new leadership and new policies without giving the British public a say via a general election.

The shortest-serving prime minister ever. The second shortest serving chancellor. The sacking of a home secretary. And now they talk again of anointing a new prime minister without a mandate – even of reappointing the disgraced Boris Johnson!

Is it not true that Britain is being run as a one-party oligarchy, rather than as a parliamentary democracy? If so, what are we, the British public, to do about it? There are more people in Britain than just the rich. It’s time we took back control from the Tories.

Ian Henderson

Norwich

Boris Johnson was elected with a large parliamentary majority with only 44 per cent of the vote. Liz Truss was chosen by about 180,000 members of the Conservative Party – a tiny proportion of the electorate. The latest leader will be agreed by MPs only. They like to tell us that we have a parliamentary system, not a presidential one, and so it is the party that is in power, not the individual. That’s true, and there’s no legal requirement to have a general election. But there is, surely, a moral case to be made.

We’ve just seen how much damage can be inflicted in a very short time by one person with too much power and not enough sense, leading too many people who seemed more concerned with retaining their seats than doing what is best for their country. Our once proud nation has become a global laughingstock.

It may well be that the strongest candidates for the Conservative leadership deem it unwise to put themselves forward now, given that their party is very likely to lose the next election. That risk only strengthens the case for having the election soon. We must hope that there are enough honourable Tory MPs who can see that decency and democracy require that the people must have a say in who leads us, and who are willing to do what is necessary for that to happen. Those who are suspected of trying to cling on, come what may, are the ones most likely to be ousted by their constituents when the opportunity arises.

Susan Alexander

South Gloucestershire

As a hard-working and long-serving nurse working in the NHS I have seen the way the Conservative Party has depleted the health service, bringing both it and the country to their knees.

Please see sense and let the public decide who they want to run our country. Not a set of jumped-up public school boys who have lived a very privileged life and have no idea what it’s like to suffer.

Carole Gregory

Address Supplied

When I was a child, one of my favourite toys was a kaleidoscope. I loved the totally random patterns that emerged every time I twisted the top.

I am reminded of that favourite toy now when I consider the Tory government, where it seems the top keeps getting twisted to reveal new chaotic images.

How many more chaotic images are the Tories going to treat us all to before someone puts their kaleidoscope down?

David Curran

Middlesex

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At least Liz Truss can say that her premiership spanned the reign of two monarchs. Forty-four days was also the length of Brian Clough’s stewardship of Leeds United.

Liz Truss’ memoir could be entitled, The Damned Parliamentary Conservative Party.

Mark Edmondson

Lancaster

What a shambles! Why, oh why is a nation of more than 60 million forced to spend so much time listening to the (fewer than) 0.2 million who pay to be card-carrying members of the Conservative Party? Any political party that is choosing their fourth leader in six years is obviously in disarray and needs to engage in some serious self-examination.

This would be less important were it not for the UK’s outdated electoral system, nor were it not for the fact that so many successive prime ministers are chosen by so few.

Faced with the current political farce, we need a general election.

Ian Reid

Address supplied