Over the past few weeks, all the papers and online news outlets have been littered with jargon-filled news about the ongoing Conservative Party Leadership Contest. In here, we'll aim to keep it short and sweet in describing parts of the action and ultimately, what's next for Great Britain.
A New Type Of Stewart Dynasty? - The Unexpected Rise Of Rory Stewart
The Tory Leadership Contest saw the unexpected rise of one Rory Stewart, the current International Development Secretary, who arose as the dark horse of the competition, making it all the way through to the Third Ballot of MPs, which is no mean feat for someone whose meteoric rise was absolutely unforeseen by every onlooker.
Stewart set himself apart from the rest of his opposition, advocating a much 'softer' Brexit, along with citizen's assemblies, if the current Deal doesn't work, to try and get a fairer representation of the people in order to try and solve the absolute mess that we've gotten ourselves into.
Despite his soft stance, some saw Stewart as a contender, especially those from outside the Conservative mindset; other members of the public would have backed the International Development Secretary, if the vote had gone to the public.
High-profile endorsements from MPs such as David Lidlington and David Gauke also put Stewart in good stead, although his efforts would ultimately be quashed by a loss of 10 votes in the next Ballot.
Rory Stewart offered something a little fresh and left-field by comparison to the Hunts and Johnsons of this world and who knows what will have happened if he'd have been at No. 10 Downing Street.
Michael Gove's 'Detailed Plans' - Are They All True?
If the BBC leadership debate taught us anything, it's that Michael Gove has 'Detailed Plans' for absolutely everything. He's got them for everything from Brexit to the environment, of which he is the current Parliamentary Secretary.
For Brexit, Gove sees a No-Deal better than No-Brexit at all. His three deal-makers with the EU would be a full stop to the Northern Ireland 'backstop' issue, a Union Guarantee so that the UK can't be 'undermined' in his eyes, and finally a Free-Trade-Agreement, like that of Canada.
Besides Rory Stewart, all other candidates, Gove included, appear to believe that it's possible to renegotiate a Deal with the EU. The EU themselves have said that it's not possible to re-open the Withdrawal Agreement, so, what makes Gove think it's possible to rework the Deal?
For the issue of the environment, Gove's Twenty-Five Year Plan talks about ending the selling of new petrol and diesel cars by 2040 and the removal of plastics from the oceans. However, no politician on those stools, during the BBC debate, could guarantee net-zero emissions by 2025 - admittedly, this may be a tad optimistic.
A Resounding Victory - Is Boris Johnson The Man To Win?
There's no denying that the former Mayor of London is the clear frontrunner to seize the reigns of power from an outgoing Theresa May.
Even back in 2016, Johnson flirted with the idea of becoming Conservative Party leader with the outgoing David Cameron at the time, but he ultimately never threw his hat far enough into the political ring. Is now high-time for the rise of the Boris?
Some would argue that it is - what they perceive a strong leader, who needn't show up at the first debate on Channel 4. It got people talking, that's for sure. Johnson's charisma and vocal nature as a politician has indeed got people talking and backers in the Commons too.
However, others would say that it's too little too late for the prominent Brexiteer. With the deadline in October fast approaching and a stubborn bunch in Brussels, the chances of Britain getting a better Deal than what's on the table is extremely unlikely, whilst a No-Deal and leaving on WTO rules would cause massive economic uproar, if their projections are to be believed.
Tax cuts for the rich are an inherently Tory policy and in the age of a disheartened electorate, are these what are really needed? Sure, it gives the rich more to pocket, but to promise higher levels of public spending whilst allowing for rich tax breaks makes little sense.
Boris currently holds a colossal lead over his only opponent, Jeremy Hunt, following the result of Thursday's Ballot - 160 votes to Hunt's 77. Whilst it's pretty much a dead cert that Boris is going to get in to No. 10, what remains to be seen is the result's of Johnson's premiership.
In answer to the above, what's next for Britain? It looks like a Boris Johnson-run Conservative government with tax cuts and God knows what's going to happen with Brexit. The less said about that the better. All us mere mortals can do is wait and see what happens with the times of Boris Johnson...