There are two women candidates for prime minister fighting it out to gain the votes of an ageing Tory membership, which we know largely voted for Brexit. One candidate, May, was for lukewarm Remain, the other, Leadsom, for enthusiastic Brexit. Tory MPs, the majority of whom backed Remain, have expressed overwhelming preference for Theresa May and she should now be forming her cabinet. Instead the country has to hang about in a power vacuum while the campaign teams of these two candidates trade insults in order to satisfy the rules of the Tory party. This constitutional vandalism is permitted only because we have no formal codes by which we are governed, so governments, or the governing party, can make them up as they go along.
Mrs. Leadsom has made some perfectly valid points about the value of motherhood in shaping her experience which helped her form the priorities with which many will identify. Unfortunately she appears to have at the same time tried to assert that the childless Mrs. May somehow fell short. The Times thought this nasty dig good weekend news. Mrs. Leadsom has gone ballistic. This Blog does not wish to entangle itself in this argument. However, I do have a question. One which if you have a vote in this contest you may wish to reflect upon.
If Andrea Leadsom cannot handle the Times, how is she going to manage with Merkel and Hollande? Or Trump? Or Putin?