So who is the worst Prime Minister ever?

[Nodens]

Gordon Brown - the most inept.

Tony Blair - the most devious.

[slimsid2000]

What are the reasons?

 

I dont really know how you judge such a contest.

 

But I'll say Neville Chamberlain.

 

He would certainly be considered a worse one than any on the list.

 

What criteria do you use to judge 'worst'? In terms of electoral success only two on that list were never elected in their own right (three if you include Brown).

[percy filth]

In terms of electoral success only two on that list were never elected in their own right (three if you include Brown).

 

Which 2 are they then?

[LordChaverly]

He would certainly be considered a worse one than any on the list.

 

 

Well, I've said it before and I will say it again: I profoundly disagree with this assessment of Chamberlain, although I am aware why you and others subscribe to it. The reason why Chamberlain is so maligned relates almost entirely to his signing of the Munich agreement and his subsequent reputation as an 'appeaser'. Post-war history has, until fairly recently, been unfair to him and I think that in the longer run a much kinder evaluation of his record as PM will emerge.

 

For one thing, few people (other than professional historians) know that he was very active as a reformer in the field of social and industrial reform, introducing for example measures to improve working conditions (including paid holidays), health care and housing conditions during his premiership. He was without doubt more progressive in relation to social welfare policy than most other politicians at the time (and certainly more so than the man who followed him into number 10). Indeed, his domestic record as PM was outstandingly good.

 

For another, not even his enemies would describe him as anything other than a decent and humane man, deeply committed to peace. His determination to avoid war reflected the public mood at the time and derived from the memories of the horrors of WW1. From a moral perspective, I would say he was head and shoulders above Blair and even above Churchill (I won't elaborate here, but will, if I must).

 

Moreover, I don't think that he deserves the malign reputation he currently has in relation to Munich and its aftermath. As various 'revisionist' historians of the period have already pointed out, Britain was in no fit shape for war in 1938 and had we gone to war with Germany at this point, we would undoubtedly have been defeated. Moreover, throughout the late 1930s, Chamberlain was in fact building up the armed forces (admittedly from a low base), giving priority to air power and the needs of the RAF. So Munich bought us valuable time. Given our military weakness, the Munich agreement was perfectly rational from a British viewpoint. In fact, it was far more rational, and far less reckless, than a decision to go to war in either 1938 or 1939, when we still were still no match for the Germans. The fact that the Nazis were defeated eventually had nothing to do with the circumstances prevailing in Western Europe at the time and everything to do with Hitler's disastrous decision to invade the USSR and Japan's decision to attack Pearl harbour (neither of which could be foreseen with any certainty in the late 1930s).

[Lady Star]

Sheffield people make me laugh with their short memories - more people have voted for Gordon Brown than Thatcher, or even Blair? (who between them set us up for what we are dealing with now???)... Sad, very very sad...

[dropout]

Sheffield people make me laugh with their short memories - more people have voted for Gordon Brown than Thatcher, or even Blair? (who between them set us up for what we are dealing with now???)... Sad, very very sad...

Thatcher is the worst, nastiest, vilest creature yet to set foot in this country and wins this poll by a Country mile...which is interesting given how she devastated the country and so, VERY MANY people still revile her as a C...

 

LONG, May she HANG...up there.

[Uptowngirl]

Thatcher is the worst, nastiest, vilest creature yet to set foot in this country and wins this poll by a Country mile...which is interesting given how she devastated the country and so, VERY MANY people still revile her as a C...

 

LONG, May she HANG...up there.

 

And that may be your opinion, but according to National polls you are very much out of step with public opinion of people who can see beyond a local vendetta.

[RonJeremy]

Thatcher is the worst, nastiest, vilest creature yet to set foot in this country and wins this poll by a Country mile...which is interesting given how she devastated the country and so, VERY MANY people still revile her as a C...

 

LONG, May she HANG...up there.

 

Margaret Thatcher rescued this country from the abyss. we were an abolute basket case when she took over and it took years to put right the wrongs of the previous labour government. We are going to need another conservative government very very soon to try to put right the total mess this government has made of their golden economic inheritance from John Major's government.

[jonjo2]

theyve all got their finger in the pot and give ours away

if its not the banks then its the beggars and g/warming

[jonjo2]

charity begins at home,don,t see much of it