The presumptions of David Cameron.

[Workingman]

He has said that he will not serve a third, yes, a third, term as Prime Minister. That means he presumes he will be getting a second term. There is nothing wrong with having a dream, but how many terms he gets is not in his hands. His perceived arrogance in thinking that he could get a third term might work against him.

He has also presumed to tell us who will lead the Tories once he retires. That will be Theresa May.... or Osborne or Johnson. Now I have no particular worries one way or the other with May, but I do not want Osborne and Johnson's loud mouthed clown act does not fool me. He is ruthless and dangerous and I do not trust him an inch. With a bit of luck Cameron's endorsement of them will critically damage their leadership aspirations. Tory MPs might well disagree with him.

[Suff]

Clearly there are some stats which tell him he needs to do this. Whether it is to forestall Tory infighting or whether it's to tell the public he has no intention of trying to go on forever.

Personally I'd think he would want to lay down the baton and spend some time with his children after 10 years in Downing Street.

Of course he has to say he'll win this time. Everyone does. Nobody, not even the politically correct idiots, will back someone who says "I'm going to lose but I'll make a great PM".... His message is something different again. Just like the fixed parliament act was different.

Personally I don't think it's arrogance. More reality.

[Kaz]

I think he is arrogant, and agree with you Frank!

[Suff]

Funny thing perception isn't it. My list in order of arrogance

Salmond
Clegg
Miliband
Cameron
Farage.....

[TheOstrich]

Clearly there are some stats which tell him he needs to do this ....... Personally I don't think it's arrogance. More reality.

Yes, that's what I wondered. The Tory election gurus must have detected some sort of mindset out there in the floating voter populace that runs along the lines of "If we know we definitely aren't going to get him for a third term, then, this May, we might just take the plunge and vote for him as "the current best of a bad lot"".

The problem now is that if he does get a second term, the manouvering and infighting for his succession will start almost immediately. He won't last the full term, as indeed Blair didn't, once it became known he was going to hand over to Brown.

[KateLMead]

At least Cameron is telling the truth. That is more than any other leading politician. Johnson is dangerous as stated. If Theresa May were to concentrate more on her position rather than her costly clothes she might endear a few more people to take her seriously. I went off of her when she refused to meet a group of women who had travelled to her constituency to appeal to treat FM as a crime, she refused to meet them. She seems to think lowering her bust line appeals to the public.
I would not give any of them space .The Cons. The Libs.And Labour "God Forbid" Let us have a radical change Farage.."UKIP"
radical change is what is needed.

[Suff]

I'm beginning to believe that a vote for change (UKIP), is the way to go even if it means we get a weak Labour government for a few years. Whilst I would not like to put the country through 1975 - 1979 again, I'm beginning to think that the public need to be reminded just how bad it can get if you let a bunch of yahoo's in who have no clue how to run the country but are excellent at self serving and bribing.

I don't think Cameron has the votes to win. He could strike a deal with Farage now and win hands down by breaking the Labour vote in marginal Labour seats, but he won't. If Labour get in, it will be because Cameron and Farage were too hide bound to see reality and strike a deal to keep Miliband out.

For which Cameron will not be rewarded at the polls. I do wonder if the current Tory party might not go the way of the Liberals in the end. There is a time when "Hold Fast" becomes "Blind Stupidity". It will either be this election or the next when that becomes apparent.

Of course Cameron doesn't want to ally with UKIP because he has no intention at all of leaving the EU and he'd have to if he allied with UKIP and the vote was Yes.

[victor]

Suff ,you say you don't trust Johnson ,does that mean you trust the rest cos i sure as hell don't

[Workingman]

A couple of interesting points there.

The in-fighting and jostling for position between the three heirs apparent, as Ossie suggests, could begin sooner rather than later, and that for reasons alluded to by Suff.

If Labour does get in, possibly on a vote-by-vote deal with other parties, the EU referendum would be dead in the water. The Tory Eurosceptics would hold Cameron to account for that, and the resulting blood-letting could rip the party asunder.

Farage has already said that UKIP and the DUP could support a minority Tory government in return for a referendum by Christmas 2015. If Tory Eurosceptics see the general election being lost and the referendum slipping away they might, just might, force the issue.

A week, as they say, is a long time in politics.

Vic, it was me who said that I don't trust Johnson. I don't trust any of them, but I trust Johnson even less.

[KateLMead]

I'm beginning to believe that a vote for change (UKIP), is the way to go even if it means we get a weak Labour government for a few years. Whilst I would not like to put the country through 1975 - 1979 again, I'm beginning to think that the public need to be reminded just how bad it can get if you let a bunch of yahoo's in who have no clue how to run the country but are excellent at self serving and bribing.

I don't think Cameron has the votes to win. He could strike a deal with Farage now and win hands down by breaking the Labour vote in marginal Labour seats, but he won't. If Labour get in, it will be because Cameron and Farage were too hide bound to see reality and strike a deal to keep Miliband out.

For which Cameron will not be rewarded at the polls. I do wonder if the current Tory party might not go the way of the Liberals in the end. There is a time when "Hold Fast" becomes "Blind Stupidity". It will either be this election or the next when that becomes apparent.

Of course Cameron doesn't want to ally with UKIP because he has no intention at all of leaving the EU and he'd have to if he allied with UKIP and the vote was Yes.

Well said Suff