I think Hague is the best PM that never was. His timing was awful and should have waited a few years before becoming leader of the Conservative Party. However hindsight is a wonderful thing!
interesting video. I like both of them - Portillo and Hague. Yes, William's timing was very unfortunate after New Labour surge and good PR management. But at least he has rehabilitated himself and is much more popular than when he was leader. He will be in the upper elechons of British politics for quite a while. He is a man of common sense, there ware few of them in this day and age.
As great Winston Churchill said: "The Labour moves Britain a bit toward socialism, then the Tories come and conserve her precisely there" Thatcher was right all along.
His interview would suggest otherwise. He was happy that maggie gave him direct advice. He still doesn't realise that the pre-1987 Thatcher would never have given strident advice like that. She was much more careful back then.
in my opinion, Hague blew it when he decided to create a NEW TORY 'younger' image, and act like a kid off the street, with that silly garb he wore , with baseball cap, jogging for the cameras. The shock of the new--it was too silly, and nobody was taking him seriously.
Not only that, but Tony Blair was fresh from his first Parliament as PM and many of the 1997 election pledges were met, also Tony Blair was considered to be at the peak of his prime. William Hague didn't have a chance. Mind you, I didn't think anyone who was leader of the Conservatives in the 1997-2001 Parliament would have stood a chance. Not even Michael Portillo would have done, and he was a much stronger character than William Hague.
Remember these tory years in the wilderness came about because the country by and large thought the Conservative Party had treated Thatcher horrendously, the party were considered back stabbers, it still affects them today.
Yeah, right. I highly doubt anyone outside the bubble of the ultra-sectarian Thatcherite fanatics gave a tinkers' toss about that shit by 1997. Internal conflagrations over Europe spilling over into Cabinet rebellions over unrelated policy matters, thus conveying the impression of a hopelessly dysfunctional government, and scandals such as cash for questions were far more important in determining the outcome of the '97 GE.
What a shame that the Tories didn't vote in Ken Clark as leader. A decent man, not a headbanger, who did the good work as Chancellor that led to over a decade of economic growth (from which Labour got to profit before Gordon went on a spending binge and got the country into the financial shit, which will take years to remedy.) A missed opportunity.....
