The latest desperate defence of George Osborne is that ending his time as shadow chancellor would hand too big a propaganda victory to Brown. It is true that Osborne going would produce 24 difficult hours; Maybe even 48 difficult hours. But if Ken Clarke became Shadow Chancellor those hours would be forgotten as fast as sterling is falling. Clarke would anger die-hard Eurosceptics but who believes that Cameron plans much Eurosceptic action? The appointment of Clarke would not scupper a Eurosceptic agenda because there isn't one. What Clarke would bring INSTANTLY would be economic credibility. Gone would be one half of the Bullingdon Club and those embarrassing photos; in would be a bloke in tune with the nation. Gone would be an inexperienced shadow chancellor who wrote the me-too economic policies of the last 2 years; in would come the Chancellor who left Brown the golden legacy Labour has squandered. Gone would be Labour smiles; Labour frowns would return.
In his latest missive Mr Iain Dale wants us to rally around George Osborne but he got closer to the political truth 2 months ago when he blogged in favour of Ken Clarke becoming Chancellor: "Ken Clarke got us out of one recession when he was Chancellor, let him do it again. Clarke is popular in the country, in a way that no other Tory Shadow Cabinet Minister is. They like his blokiness and his apparent willingness to call a spade a spade. He is a reassuring presence, and in a government inevitably full of people who are not household names, that's a vital quality." You were right then Iain. Wrong now. Osborne cannot be moved to the Department of Administrative Affairs soon enough.
