[Alan Rain]

Having watched Theresa May today, and heard her speech outside No. 10, I must say I have renewed optimism in the near future of the UK. I am not a natural Tory voter, neither do I have a Brexit axe to grind, I just have an instinctive trust in this woman.

[Jerome Betts]

I really hope you're right, Alan and your trust not misplaced. I thought Theresa May might be the best of a bad bunch, but appointing the irresponsible egomaniac Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary seems an odd start, not to mention rancid right-wingers like Liam Fox, unless it's a cunning ploy to give them all enough rope to hang themselves.

[Brian Allgar]

Boris Johnson??? In the words of Stephen Sondheim: "Send in the clowns . . . Don't bother, they're here."

[John Whitworth]

Boris, Brian? Speaks four languages. Told that twerp Obama where to get off. Insulted Erdogan. People like him, though not you. What's not to like? Hammond's a wet fish, but he'll be kept busy doing sums, we hope.

Cheer up, Jerome. If the wind changes you'll be stuck with that long face.

[Matt Q]

Well it would be great if child poverty didn't rise as quickly as it did last year, and the Conservatives didn't target the disabled with quite such intensity as they did under Cameron with(8% of the population shouldering 29% of all austerity cuts). I'd like to see disabled people not having their mobility cars and scooters (and independence) have taken away in their tens of thousands -- and, most likely when the process is completed, their hundreds of thousands (and wouldn't it be nice if they were even allowed to appeal against the decision before it was implemented). I'd hope the new government isn't subject to any moreUN reports criticising them on human rights grounds in relation to cuts targeting the most disadvantaged? I'd like to hope the gap between rich and poor would stop rising quite so quickly, and how wonderful it would be if there were no new records be set in foodbank use? And how about corporations getting away less tax avoidance? I'd love not too see any more tax cuts be for the better off this time around.

These are the sorts issues that matter to me: How much more human misery will this new lot bring us? I find I'm much more interested in this than if we leave the EU or not. My concern with the Conservatives under May is that it'll be business pretty much as usual on all of the above. She appears to be saying otherwise. I hope that's the case. I'd love to be proven wrong. I do notice a lack of specifics in her speech though, and her voting record isn't doing a great deal to inspire my confidence. I believe she supported all of the welfare cuts and anti-disabled legislation.

And of course, I'm also hoping things won't get worse. It's just that when the Conservatives speak of helping the disadvantaged it can often involves the sort of help people would rather not have. In order to "support" disabled and chronically ill people back to work and to help them get recover the Conservatives cut £30 pound a week from their benefits, leaving them on a poverty-inducing £70/week. Imagine that year in, year out. Poverty is a well-known healer of disabilities and chronic illness, obviously, and as Ian Duncan Smith famously said, "Work makes you free".Based on the invented quotes for imaginary people on a DWP poster, the government also believes that punishing job-seekers who fail to jump through the right hoops in the right order (such as being a few minutes late for an appointment) by removing all their benefits for weeks or months on end and pointing them at the local food bank is helping them is improving the organisation skills, and is something that the people they punish are grateful for.

[Jerome Betts]

Well said and supported, Matt.

John, isn't there a character in Shaw's Pygmalion who was fluent in 8 languages but had nothing worth saying in any of them?

More on the buffoon-cum-poltroon below. Has it really come to this?

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/...reign-minister

[John Whitworth]

But she is saying otherwise. If you don't believe her then there's nothing to be done. Perhaps you should save what is remarkably like a rant, if I may say so, untilyou have some proof she is lying.

[John Whitworth]

Jerome, don't quote The Grauniad at me. Its political spin is well known. Would you rather he spoke no foreign languages at all. And he says many memorable things, his just remarks on Obama spring to mind

[Jerome Betts]

John, in this case the Guardian was mainly reporting other people's opinions and reactions. Spin? You mean it's not allowed to have its own political standpoint? Perhaps you should have word with the editors of the Mail, Sun and Express.

However, good to see she's scraped the slimy Gove off her leopard skin shoes.

[John Whitworth]

But Jerome, you wouldn't accept anything the Mail, the Express and The Sun said about anything. So me and the Grauniad and The Independent.