Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
19 January 2009
08:0313155Old dinosaur Ken Clarke after something like a 12 year absence has been wheeled back onto the Tory front bench. The soft shoed Ken is widely popular with the masses, he has a good TV performance catalogue behind him, and his genial air goes down well across all the parties and across all political thinking.
He has been brought back to shadow Business Secretary Lord Mandelson and to boost a flagging and anonymous Tory frontbench. How many among us could hold up our hands and say we know who Mr Grayling or Mr Grieve is. If you sat next to them on the bus would you recognise them...of course not. But not so with Ken Clarke, a household face, a big hitter, a man with wide economic experience who has been right there on our TV screens for years and years. We like him. He has something of a cuddly good humoured disposition which goes down well on programmes like Question Time.
But he is not the usual Conservative. One might think he has drifted into the wrong party at times. He supports the European Union and is a suporter of the Euro, so is much in line with both my thinking and the Labour Party's position.
Cameron and Osborne dont agree with that view so have put all that to one side, turned a blind eye to it if you like, in an effort to bring back populism to an ailing position.
Out goes redfaced Alan Duncan who is too lighweight and always looks like the collar of his shirt is too tight. So an interesting development and certainly a good move for the Tories, but a move with risk attached.
19 January 2009
08:1513157Speculate to accumulate! Perhaps the Tories are getting some cojones back?
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
19 January 2009
08:2913159Wait until you see the rest of the annoucements before commenting on who is out or in PaulB. I suspect that Alan Duncan will be in for another job.
I welcome Ken Clarke's return to the front bench though remember he has had a key policy role for more than a couple of years.
Yes, he is one of the few pro-Europeans we have but we are big enough to accomodate him and dont have to have a load of clones. European policy will not change and will stay firmly sceptic.
After 11 years in opposition and with the need to develop new talent, it is no surprise that you may not know people like Chris Grayling or Dominic Grieve, but you will get to know them a lot better and they have shown themselves to be more than a match for their Labour opposite numbers. Alison is a big fan of Chris Grayling who she met in Dover a few years ago.
Unregistered User
19 January 2009
08:3013161Bern, it is the younger ones whose cojones have dropped , expect some more testosterone.
Watty
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
19 January 2009
08:3413164Yes there is a reshuffle scheduled for later today as I understand it so it will be interesting to see who goes where. It is quite fascinating though that the new and at times very young Tory leadership are prepared to bring back an ancient someone who has such a massively different view on Europe. Many thought because of this we would see no more of Ken Clarke , yet here he is larger than life. Being popular is..well errmmm very popular.
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
19 January 2009
09:4213183Very popular?
re mixing
maybe tories now running out of steam and just bringing back dead wood that a little while ago many times the conservative party rejected.
uuumm
Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
19 January 2009
10:0913190Unlike Peter Mandelson then, Keith?
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
19 January 2009
10:4613195Thats a very sharp observation Phil - but unlike Mandelson KC has not had to previously resign (twice) from the front bench under a cloud.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
19 January 2009
12:0513209Another good move by Cameron just leaking out:
Eric Pickles appointed as Party Chairman. Eric is an old adversary of mine from Young Conservatives in the late 70's. He was National Chairman and I was active in the 'pesky' Thatcherite Kent Group/SE YC's. After those old battles and Eric matured into an MP he moved more into the Thatcher camp.
He has been a first class MP and front bench Local Government spokesman. He was largely responsible for the organisation behind the Crewe by-election win and won a lot of addmirers for his skills. Though not as well known as Ken Clarke and not regarded as a 'big beast' he is of the same avuncular mould as Ken and has a similar popular appeal but with a Northern twist.
A good choice.
Sid Pollitt
19 January 2009
12:1713213Isn't Pickles the one who told Tory councils not to co-operate with the government? Is that even if it costs us taxpayers money?
This reshuffle looks desperate and is likely to get them fighting each other. Ken Clarke said on Saturday 'Anybody who stands at the next election on a platform of tax cuts is asking for trouble' so there is a challenge straight away and that's before they get to the issue of Europe.
Theresa May has been demoted so no progress for women in the shadow cabinet. And the reshuffle hasn't answered the big question, when is Osborne going to be sacked?
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
19 January 2009
14:0313218Sid, change the tune a bit. You seem to be obsessed with George Osbourne, he must be very effective indeed. All the more so with Ken Clarke as part of his Shadow Treasury team now. George, of course, was instrumental in getting Ken back into the Shadow Cabinet with the deal sealed at George's house on Sunday.
Good to see people have been appointed on their talent rather than just because they happen to be women or some other 'favoured' group.
Sid Pollitt
19 January 2009
14:1313220Osborne is dead in the water and he's only hanging on because his old school chum is his boss, so who's in a favoured group then? The Tories have even had Norman Lamont commenting on the economy recently, rather than Osborne, so they must be desperate. Talent? No-one thinks Osborne is effective. Keep him if you want, I'm only trying to be helpful.
And why the return of Ken Clarke? Just because he is more popular than Cameron and Osborne doesnt make him popular. Maybe it's because there are so many non-entities in the shadow cabinet and they're wanting to raise their profile.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
19 January 2009
14:1513221The more you squeal Sid the better. You Labour lot must be worried to come up with this kind of guff.
But perhaps you should have a listen to the big beat himself, roaring away, as PaulB puts it.
http://playpolitical.typepad.com/uk_conservative/2009/01/ken-clarke-talks-about-his-return-to-the-frontbench-.htmlSid Pollitt
19 January 2009
14:4313224I never squeal BarryW. Calm down dear, it's only an advert. I'm just commenting on the spin and tactics of the Tory party if that's ok. It's not just me that's questioned the bringing back of old Ken Clarke, Norm Tebb and John Redwood have too.
The do mention the sacking of George Osborne; the main reason I want him to go isn't because he is inept it's because I made a prediction that he would be got rid of by the end of the year. I'm just hoping to be proved right.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
19 January 2009
15:0213225Looks like you are going to lose that bet Sid. If you look closely at the full reshuffle and know who is who in the Conservative Party you might realise that George Osborne's position is strengthed. Overall a good few straight talking and very down to earth types have been introduced to balance the public school types.
Sid Pollitt
19 January 2009
15:0913226We'll see. It looks like strength to you, to others it looks like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. Eric Pickles, isn't he one who told Tory councils not to co-operate with the government? What's so wrong with chinless, out of touch public school types all of a sudden? And Chris Grayling is replacing Dominic Grieve, or is the other way round? Apart from you we're all asking who replacing what?
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
19 January 2009
17:3213239looks like the sid and barry show is back on the telly again.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
19 January 2009
18:1813242It does seem to go tiresomely round and round in circles Brian, reading Sid you would not imagine that the polls have been moving back in favour of the Conservatives with two of the last three back with double digit leads....petty digs that have no relationship to the real world.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
19 January 2009
19:0413245let us ignore the "my party is better than your party" stuff.
it will be interesting to see the big hitters mandelson and clarke up against each other, in possibly the most important job at the moment.
will be interesting alsoto see reaction of the right wing MP's to his return, doubt whether any animosity will bother him though.
pickles must be knocking on a bit now, i met him at a party in essex about 15 or more years ago, had quite a long discussion with him, clearly we agreed on nothing.
i seem to remember him a the council leader up in bradford during the seventies, maybe our fuhrer met him while out canvassing.
dc has done well to get shot of alan duncan, seemed more interested in his hairstyle and clothes than politics.
Guest 667- Registered: 6 Apr 2008
- Posts: 919
19 January 2009
20:1013249Not really interested in who is back or who is in or out. It would just be nice to hear some ideas from the two-opposition parties. Instead of what they are doing with just criticism of every move the Government makes.
If the opposition parties want people to support them they need to do a lot more on what should be done rather than keep on what should not be done, with no counter plans.
H