Climate Change  Blog Archive   Google Hit Counter  He isn't even
a Conservative  Posted by Richard Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Ferdinand Mount does a fairly comprehensive demolition job on
Clarke in The Telegraph today, following Clarke's recantation on
the euro and much more besides.  From this account, it is pretty
well a "given" that Clarke's motivation is less than sincere,
his recantation being seen simply as a rather transparent ploy
to clear the way for his election bid as Tory leader. "I am
afraid nobody is fooled," writes Mount. "One cannot help
recalling the heckler who replied to Harold Wilson's rhetorical
question 'Why am I standing up for the Royal Navy?' with the
words 'Because you're in Chatham'." "Ken Clarke is a decent
bloke… and he might make a splendid President of France. I just
don't think he's one for us," Mount concludes.  I think the most
damning comment I've heard about Clarke actually came from an MP
of my acquaintance who, on hearing of his leadership ambitions,
wailed, "but he isn'