Greatest post-war British Prime Minister

[You kip if you want to...]

Discuss.

[Username MechaRFK]

You should try and put change vote opinion since my vote accidently went to David Cameron when it should have gone to Atlee.

[RogueBeaver]

I only count Churchill's postwar premiership in these "postwar" polls, so Thatcher for me.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Attlee

[afleitch]

The great chasm; Labour supporters tend to back Attlee, Tories often go for Thatcher.

I as usual will go for Macmillan 1st with Thatcher 2nd

 

[Phony Moderate]

The great chasm; Labour supporters tend to back Attlee, Tories often go for Thatcher.

I as usual will go for Macmillan 1st with Thatcher 2nd

 

I thought you were a Conservative?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I would probably go for MacAttlee... a hybrid of my two favourites.

Thatcher is near the bottom for me.

[afleitch]

The great chasm; Labour supporters tend to back Attlee, Tories often go for Thatcher.

I as usual will go for Macmillan 1st with Thatcher 2nd

 

I thought you were a Conservative?

Hence my choice of a Conservative for the greatest PM

[Phony Moderate]

The great chasm; Labour supporters tend to back Attlee, Tories often go for Thatcher.

I as usual will go for Macmillan 1st with Thatcher 2nd

 

I thought you were a Conservative?

Hence my choice of a Conservative for the greatest PM

Macmillan was as much of a Conservative as Frank Field is Labour or Zell Miller a Democrat.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Attlee, because I am a member of the Labour Party. And also because I prefer his style of government.

Of course 'great' is a problematic label because you're combining 'historically significant' with 'I have a positive opinion of this person/what this person did'.

So... let's go off on a really weird tangent. In terms of historical significance on its own, then the top two are easy to work out (and it's interesting that it's very unusual to like both of them), but (hilariously enough) a case for third place can be made for Eden (Suez: see below), Macmillan (decolonisation*), Wilson (humanising legislation and the end of the dream of Planning), Heath (Europe), Callaghan (the end of Keynesianism) and Blair (devolution). Possibly Major as well (we forget too easily that he deepened and made permanent much of the agenda associated with his predecessor; he might have been dull, but he may have been quite important), and quite possibly (despite his short tenure) Brown because of his actions in response to the financial crisis (whether you approve or not), although it's too early to be sure. Cameron, of course, is still in office. Eden might be a surprise as he was a terrible Prime Minister; drug-addled and genuinely incompetent (incompetence is normally a word that we use to describe politicians that we don't like and who aren't in control all the time. But Eden really was incompetent), remembered only as a failure who was responsible for the Suez fiasco... and there is the answer. He's important because it was on his watch that the whole vile fycking ship of Empire sank beneath the waves; that his intentions were the opposite merely adds a layer of deliciously funny irony.

Sorry, what was I posting about again?

*I would add that in terms of domestic politics, Macmillan's main legacy came from his promotion of tower blocks (he - quite brilliantly - did this using the subsidies system) as Housing Minister earlier in the decade. Although he may have been less important than Keith Joseph, the Apostle of System Building in Britain. Depends how you look at things.

[J. J.]

Thatcher!!!

I once stayed at a hotel where they had a printed history, including that Attlee had been a guest.  I thought, "Only Attlee."  I was more impressed that Bishop Tutu had stayed there several decades later.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Thatcher, is my favorite, and with out a doubt the best. However, Atlee and Blair deserve some credit, though I disagree with them alot.  Ofcvourse, I have a love for Spencer Compton---a great uncle (x10) of mine.

[Dr. Cynic]

Clement Attlee.

Really, it's between him and Thatcher... None of the other PM's have strong track records, really...

[Username MechaRFK]

Clement Attlee.

Really, it's between him and Thatcher... None of the other PM's have strong track records, really...

yuck at Thatcher. One of the worst PM of Britian.

[The Mikado]

Anthony Eden...kidding, kidding!

[Del Tachi]

I have dirty fantasies about Britian under Major. 

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Attlee and Macmillan, but Lord Home is the only one I would trust to hold my bags for a few minutes.

[minionofmidas]

Wilson (humanising legislation and the end of the dream of Planning)

Hence my vote.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Attlee, hands down.

[Gustaf]

I'm mostly with Al - I'd say that, disregarding one's personal opinion, it would be Thatcher or Attlee (with Blair maybe having a shot. Possibly Wilson as well, I know a lot less about him).

[republicanism]

Attlee, hands down.

[TheGlobalizer]

Thatcher.  FF.

[Username MechaRFK]

Thatcher.  FF.

More like the worst PM Britan has ever seen amirite?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Thatcher.  FF.

More like the worst PM Britan has ever seen amirite?

Spencer Perceval and Lord Liverpool would like a word with you, but post-war? Definitely. Eden at least wasn't outright malicious.

[TNF]

Attlee.