ah what it must be like to be ken clarke.
on the one hand seen by some to be the saviour of the tory party – only he can lead them to victory.
on the other hand seen as the anti-christ – he will doom them to forever be lost in the hell of opposition.
if that wasn’t bad enough the party itself wants to self destruct so much that it doesn’t want to resolve the question of the leadership election rule changes. so the up coming tory party conference will be a shambles and a complete missed opportunity to have a go at the government. not only that there is a good chance that the whole thing will continue into 2006, which runs the risk of turning them into a laughing stock as well as seeing potential candidates drop out, or even more enter the fray (i know i said i wouldn’t run for it, but i am beginning to think i should….)
meanwhile you have malcolm rifkind suggesting that clarke would divide the party while at the same time singing the same old song about europe – a tune which is destined to scupper the tories every time. nice one malc.
then there is norman “on your bike tebbit” who has not only accused clarke of being lazy: "he admitted he had not bothered to read the maastricht treaty when we were in power. that was typical." (which does strike me as a bit of liability in someone who is in government…. ) but then goes on to say but people will reject him because he is part of the tobacco industry. since when were tories that caring, especially that nice mr. tebbit, who was always one to be seen with a warm smile on his face as he helped the working classes achieve…. not.)
so norman doesn’t like him – that has to be a plus.
and then there is this “there were signs of irritation in washington at mr clarke's attack on the iraq war last week. an adviser to president george w bush described mr clarke as "just another stone in my shoe".
picture it boyos ken and gorgeous george on the same side. it is too good to be true. he has to win.
while the worst tony has to worry about is whether or not we can get chinese jumpers and bras into the country. he must be loving it.
here and here for more
1 comment:
I think Ken Clarke's defining moment, which he will always be remembered was the last tie he ran for the head of the nasty party.
A photo opportunity at some racetrack or other. "In the car Ken, in the car!" jostled the journos. Mr. Clarke obliged, squeezing into a formula one car for the 'racing to victory' headline in the following day's pper. But then, like the fat twat he is, he found himself stuck. Wedged in a car, unable to get out on his own, surrounded by tabloid journalists.
If I have to like a Tory, he's up there in the top three - but it served him right.
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