I cannot believe that David Cameron has brought back Ken Clarke. The man is a raving Europhile and is probably the least loyal Conservative MP when it comes to voting in the house. This term Clarke has voted against the party at a rate of almost one vote in ten. This is a very bad day for the party and will do nothing but cause splits and alienate members.
David Cameron - you have let down a great number of members tonight.
14 comments:
You have encapsulated my thoughts exactly.
He may be a big beast but he's got a big mouth too...one that he won't keep shut. I predict all sorts of trouble ahead with Clarke back on board.
Ken Clarke will not kill the party, unless the party allows it to happen. His brief is as Shadow Business Secretary. If he sticks to his brief - which I am sure he will - all will be well. I can understand why David Cameron has brought him back. He is popular with the voters. I disagree with him on so many things, but he is a heavyweight, and we need more of them.
"Ken Clarke will not kill the party, unless the party allows it to happen".
I think you hit the nail on the head Andrew
If you're eurosceptic and now give your vote in the European Elections to a party that has a Business Secretary who supports the euro, you're out of your tree.
There goes my vote to UKIP,not a cat in hells chance for the Conservatives now,people have long memories.
Why the panic over Mandelson? He seems to be only taken seriously by the Westminster village. In the real world... he's just a nasty little toe rag who should be kicked out at the earliest opportunity. Perhaps Cameron wants to match him with someone with even less credibility.
I'm afraid the Tories have become the political version of the England football squad... the only difference being is that you need balls to play football. Otherwise, it's much the same. Can't win against 3rd rate opposition, no confidence, no spirit, no backbone, won't invest in up and coming talent and wheels on the old duffers at the behest of a foreign management.
Some of the commentators here need to get out of the box and understand how the voters see Ken Clarke. He likes a pint, a smoke, loves Jazz. He is seen as a normal guy and it is the voters who decide.
I don't agree with Ken on Europe; I've already stated that, however his analysis on our current economic woes has been respected on both sides of the House and with the public in general.
"Some of the commentators here need to get out of the box and understand how the voters see Ken Clarke."
Dear Andrew... please remove your tin foil hat for a moment and realise that generally speaking, bloggers ARE the voters. I invite you to come down my local and eulogise over his love of a pint, a smoke, and Jazz.
"He is seen as a normal guy"... not by anybody I know... "and it is the voters who decide."... yep c'est moi.
"I don't agree with Ken on Europe"... just a small difference of opinion then?
"his analysis on our current economic woes has been respected on both sides of the House and with the public in general."
As I said... quite believable within the tunnel visioned Westminster Village... the public in general... do me a favour...
Note to Steve... I know I always throw in a few anti-Cameron comments now and then... especially being a 'sour little Enlander'... but I hope eternal that the Conservative Party will finally get its act together... for the sake of the country... But this Clarke thing is just a crock of shit.
19 January 2009 07:16
Dear Harry,
If you had come to my office today you would found people who like Ken Clarke; even people who have the same opinion of the EU as we do. Bloggers are indeed voters, however, unlike the majority of voters, we are rather well informed and have strong opinions.
Let's see how this goes. I think it will be a success and as I said in a previous comment, it will only kill the party if the party allows it to happen.
Ken Clarke, despite his Eurocentric perspective, has done much for his fellow countrymen and women. He is one of very, very few independent (and intelligent) 'thinkers' on the Conservative benches. It says little for those on the front bench who are at least a generation younger than he that he has been brought back into the fold. If nothing else we can expect oratory from the Conservative front bench of the sort that Michael Howard (himself no mean orator and more than capable of playing oratorical squash with Jack Straw as the ball) was once thought 'not perhaps the best' at.
I do not doubt that there are many who had intended voting otherwise who will now vote for Grooovey Dave.
Clarke is a big beast only because he drinks 12 pints of Guinness a night. I can never forgive him for the time his task force took to come up with bugger all on the English Question....
And as for Mandelson, he will self destruct, as per usual.
The Euro's not the problem.. Osborne is too wet to get the message accross that Labour have fucked us all.. We need to get the people roused and a general election pronto...
Let's face it.. right now the Europeans dont want us
I agree with Andrew Allison. I hope I'm not proved wrong. IF he sticks to his brief, he will be very good at it. This is a pre-election, battle-lines Shadow Cabinet, to be there to talk tough and engage the public.
Now that he's here, let's give him a chance, and not allow Gordon to even attempt to cause divisions.
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