Normally, the announcement of a new runner in the Tory leadership race isn’t something I’d bother posting, however, this time the runner is a big Tory is Ken Clarke, and I personally think if he gets elected the leader of the Conservatives, he has the best chance of challenging Tony Blair/Gordon Brown.
Actually, I think that if he was a member of Labour, his ascension to leadership would’ve been far sooner, his pro-Europe views and his stance against the war in Iraq haven’t helped him with the old Tory elite. However, now the voting system is change and that MPs ultimately decide who becomes their leader, instead of the party members, I think they will choose someone who can defeat Labour, and in the three front runners, David Davis, David Cameron and Ken Clarke, he has the biggest rappor with the public, and is the most votable, by far might I add.
What does this mean? The Conservatives with Michael Howard are unelectable, he has too much of a history and his hard line right-wing views aren’t popular enough to capture the middle ground. Ken Clarke is much more of a centre to centre-right than Michael Howard, or any other front runner.
The thought of being under a Tory government lead by Michael Howard made me shiver, the thought of being under a Tory government lead by Ken Clarke, makes me curious. Am I a Blarite/Brownite or a Clarke supporter? I don’t know, only time will tell, and only hope that Ken Clarke will be able to provide competition for Blair/Brown.
One Comment
Argh! Politics!
I can’t agree with you more. Ken Clarke is probably the only approachable and agreeable member of the Tory Party, and the thought of Tory government is very much softened by the prospect of Clarke as Prime Minister. Having said that, will it happen? It all depends on the Tory manisfesto - obviously. But I fear that Ken Clarke will be like The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, where despite his obvious inner beauty, Quasimodo was confined to the Cathedral: so while Clarke’s own views are more agreeable with the general public, they will not form a part of the manifesto (or if they are, they will not be realised should the Conservative Party come to power).
So, all in all, the best that the Tories can hope for next time round is a hung parliament.
My own view is that the Tory way of thinking is not really a modern one.