Unelected Prime Minister?

[expat]

Gordon Brown became Prime Minister on replacing Tony Blair as the leader of the governing party, without having to call a fresh General Election.

No less than four Conservative Prime Ministers since WWII took office the same way (Anthony Eden, Harold MAcmillan, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, and John Major.

Is this wrong? Or just when you don't like it?

[TheBigYinJames]

Is this wrong? Or just when you don't like it?

Don't try to confuse the matter with facts!

[PM-Junkie]

The big difference with Brown was that Blair gave an undertaking that he would serve the full term, knowing full well that if he told the truth and people knew they would actually be getting Brown within months, nobody would vote for them.

Another lie from Labour...the baffling thing is that so many people were taken in by it and are now moaning.

[expat]

The big difference with Brown was that Blair gave an undertaking that he would serve the full term, knowing full well that if he told the truth and people knew they would actually be getting Brown within months, nobody would vote for them.

Another lie from Labour...the baffling thing is that so many people were taken in by it and are now moaning.

Well done! I didn't expect to see it so brazen, but you have actually replied "just when you don't like it".

[PM-Junkie]

Read into it what you will, I really couldn't care less. A lie is a lie...though clearly lies are not something labourites have an issue with.

Couldn't give a monkey's about the tories who were knifed by their own parties...in this case, the guy walked after lying through his teeth. Again.

[snaw]

Don't like him too much, but we live in a parliamentary democracy - we don't vote for a president, we vote for a political party.

[TheBigYinJames]

Don't like him too much, but we live in a parliamentary democracy - we don't vote for a president, we vote for a political party.

Brown's sole job is to make the Blair years seem like a golden age by comparison.

[NotAllThere]

... we don't vote for a president, we vote for a political party.

That's why Jim Hacker didn't get applauded when he took up his office at no. 10.

[VectraMan]

The big difference with Brown was that Blair gave an undertaking that he would serve the full term, knowing full well that if he told the truth and people knew they would actually be getting Brown within months, nobody would vote for them.

That's not really true though is it. Everybody knew at the last general election that Blair would likely step aside and it would very probably be Brown to replace him.

This whole "unelected" thing is just a bit of nonsense hysteria people have tried to whip up as a way of putting Brown down. It's all completely unnecessary: there are pleanty of genuine reasons to put Brown down.

[The Lone Gunman]

No PM is ever elected in the UK.
Show me the ballot paper where we voted for one.

We elect MPs to the HoC. When the dust settles we see which party (or coalition) has a majority. The leader of that party (or coalition) then becomes PM (assuming they are the ones asked to form a Government).

All this "unelected" stuff is just nonsense.