'Ken Clarke would have been the Tories' McCain'

Last week our sister blog BritainAndAmerica looked at the similarities between John McCain and David Cameron.

Steve Richards of The Independent suggests that Ken Clarke is the figure that would have had an effect on the Conservative Party similar to that which Senator McCain is now having on the Republicans:

"More than Cameron, Clarke is the McCain of the Conservative Party, the veteran with broad appeal who arouses suspicious wariness in Tory activists. The question is more interesting in the light of the Conservatives’ relatively small opinion poll lead and their internal debate, increasingly intense, about the direction of policy.  The election of Clarke would have signalled the Conservatives had changed. Although Cameron spoke a lot about the need for the party to change in many ways he represented continuity in his support for a smaller state, tax cuts and Euro-scepticism.

Clarke spent much of his leadership speech at the Tory conference in 2005 lecturing his audience on the limited scope for tax cuts. Recently in an interview he told me there was no scope at all for cuts in the light of the economic gloom. If he had been elected leader there would have been no flakiness around the issue of tax and spend as there is at the top of the party now. The economic policy would be more rooted and credible. Clarke opposed the war against Iraq and would therefore have more credibility in relation to foreign policy in comparison with the current shadow cabinet, which contains some of the most enthusiastic neo-cons in the land."

Richards' idea is an interesting one but flawed.  Most of the issues that divide McCain and the Republicans are secondary issues.  McCain has something serious to say to all three legs of America's conservative movement.  Ken Clarke is out of sync with Tories on the most fundamental of issues - Europe.  If Ken Clarke had led the Tories from 1997 to 2001 the political risks for Blair of holding a referendum on the euro would have been completely different and he might have gambled.

Clarke and McCain hold completely different views on Iraq of course. Where Clarke and McCain are similar is in manner.  Both are straight-talkers (Clarke was straight-talking yesterday about Rowan Williams).  As Martin Ivens noted in The Sunday Times, Cameron is more like Obama in always appearing reasonable, positive and eager to avoid offence.   If, as appears increasingly likely, it's Obama Vs McCain, Brown is more like McCain in character, Cameron more like Obama.

Comments

[Dale]

"But, to be honest, I think we're boring everybody else so we should probably stop blathering on about it."

lol agreed.

[Dale]

"I expect the General Election to be 11 June 2009 and Labour to win a 4th term holding or even a bit increasing it's majority, but I expect the Conservative Party to make modest gains in votes and seats and for the Liberal Democrats to have a setback, I don't think David Cameron will ever be PM but I think the Conservatives will do well enough for him to be able to continue and fight a General Election in 2013 or 2014. By then I think Priti Patel will probably succeed him and lead the Conservatives to victory some time between 2018 and 2024."

To be honest, I can't see the conservative party ever winning an election with the current team.

I think Cameron has already sewn the seeds of his own destruction, and I think its a shame because although i disagree with his methods, I beleive he has done alot of good for the conservative party.

I know that this will sound crazy, but I have a feeling that we will one day see prime minister davis serving perhaps one term followed by prime minister fox. Although it seems highly unlikely, I have a strange feeling that it is going to happen, perhaps in a granita style pact after the next election.

An advantage that fox and davis would have over cameron is that they seem to be principled rather than vacuous and would not be associated with either the old guard nor the Uber modernisers.

[John Scott]

Dale - I hate to be as rude as others have been to me, but you really have shown no knowledge of policy or the issues. People, including me, have engaged with you, particularly on EPP membership and the Services Directive. I regard you as a complete fool and can only assume you are a Labour supporter. Your views should be regarded as such. All best wishes.

[Dale]

"Dale - I hate to be as rude as others have been to me, but you really have shown no knowledge of policy or the issues. People, including me, have engaged with you, particularly on EPP membership and the Services Directive. I regard you as a complete fool and can only assume you are a Labour supporter. Your views should be regarded as such. All best wishes."

Thats right, when all else fails resort to personal attacks.

You may not like my views (which incidently I don't beleive I have expressed, I have merely pointed out the views of others, particularly the views of the british people, the conservative party activists/grassroots and the conservative party leadership.) but you can hardly expect anyone to beleive that a person defending the views and decisions of the grassroots and defending the views and decisions of the party leadership is actually a supporter of the labour party.

Lets review the evidence:

I speak in support of democracy, you speak against it.

I treat the grassroots and their decisions with respect, you treat them with contempt.

I support the conservative party leadership official policy on the epp, you attempt to discredit it.

I criticise your absurd views, you call me a fool and a labour supporter.

Who do you think people are going to beleive has an agenda?

[Malcolm Dunn]

Margaret on the Guillotine I'm rather suprised that you've chosen to darken the doors of this blog after your disgusting comments about Margaret Thatcher which earned you so much derision.
However regarding your point about McCain versus a Democrat you will find that EVERY SINGLE poll taken recently has McCain ahead of either Obama or Clinton,Clinton by some distance. You should remember that the people who vote in primaries are but a small percentage of overall voters.

[Martin Coxall]

@Malcolm Dunn:

I'm afraid you are mistaken. Most of the recent polling puts McCain roughly level with Hillary and comfortably behind Obama.

This should come as no surprise to this party, having learned the enormous value of a likable leader that can inspire hope.

I think we all know that November is the Democrats' to lose. Although, never underestimate the self-destructive capability of the Democrat. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is what they do best.