I suppose I'm being a bit mischievous, but Kenneth Clarke's return to the Conservative front bench demonstrates that he remains thoroughly engaged with politics - and also hints at continued personal ambition. Could it be that at the back of that febrile mind thoughts about taking the top job still lurk?
David Cameron is extremely likely to be Tory Leader for many years to come, but you never know what will happen. If Mr Cameron were to be removed from the picture for some reason, Ken Clarke is now much more likely to emerge as a replacement.
As recently as 2005 he was eager to lead the Conservatives into the next General Election and become Prime Minister. Why - other things being unequal - should that have changed? And could not a commanding performance in a role (Shadow Business Secretary) that might otherwise be beneath him help persuade some of the doubters that Mr Clarke is the man to sort out Britain's economic woes?
Even some eurosceptics would be persuadable, I think. Realistically, withdrawal from the EU is not on the cards for some time, and Mr Clarke could well be willing to accept that his countrymen don't want the euro. Convinced that nothing on the European front is actually going to change for the foreseeable future, voters might be willing to give Mr Clarke a Parliamentary term to sort out the economy.
I'm not advocating it. I'm not expecting it. And I am sure that Ken Clarke's motives for joining the Shadow Cabinet are admirable. But it could happen, and I wanted to say it first!
