Ken Clarke can't see Britain joining Euro in his political lifetime

Excellent performance by Ken Clarke on Andrew Marr's programme in which in predicted that Britain wouldn't join the Euro in his "political lifetime".

He said that it was a decision for David Cameron but that he hoped to play a role in the next Conservative government.  He wasn't just in this for a spell on the opposition benches.

On the big story of the day - allegations in The Sunday Times that Labour peers were prepared to accept 'cash-for-laws' - he said that an independent investigation would be needed to establish whether "corruption" was present.

One question: It seems extraordinary that these peers will be able to keep their places in the Lords if they are found guilty.  Surely that needs to change?

6pm: Watch the interview.

Comments

[Elaina Brier]

Perhaps his political career will only last 1 year.

If we really are as Vince Cable says "Iceland-on-Thames" then we may be forced to join the Rogers as everyone dumps the Pound!

[Elaina Brier]

oops ...spot the freudien slip...Rogers = Euro

[Steve Foley]

I saw the interview on the TV and Clarke parried Marr's thrusts very well indeed.

I am very glad that he has stated publicly that we will not go into the Euro in his political lifetime and I don't think Gordon Brown would be stupid enough to try to take the UK in to it either.

[Sally Roberts]

Let's hope this puts all the speculation and mischief-making to bed then!

[Jennifer Wells]

To answer your question: YES!

Of course Lords should be expelled from the Upper House if they have used their membership of it corruptly.

[Raj]

Well done by Clarke.

[gadgie]

When a convicted Scottish arsonist who served time in prison in Scotland can be a member of the lords,why is any one surprised
that there are not quite a few bent peers.
The jail bird peer also voted against holding a referendum on the lisbon treaty too.

[David_at_Home]

There is more rejoicing in Heaven for one sinner who repenteth than for twelve just men.

However, Ken Clarke does not seem to have quite repented so, perhaps, he is destined for some time in Purgatory.

[Cleethorpes Rock]

I'm getting a bit fed up of all the Ken/Euro stories. I don't think this is newsworthy.

I suspect the public aren't taking any notice of this kind of trivial story either, which demonstrates that it was the right decision to bring Ken back so he can concentrate on sorting the economy out.

[Steve Foley]

"When a convicted Scottish arsonist who served time in prison in Scotland can be a member of the lords,why is any one surprised
that there are not quite a few bent peers." = Gadgie @ 10.58.

What about convicted perjurer Lord Archer? He too should be expelled from the Lords. It is ironic that Lester Piggott lost his MBE for Tax Fraud and Blunt was stripped of his Knighthood but a criminal with a Peerage keeps it and can return to the Lords and vote on Laws which bind all of us. Surely this should be changed when Lords reform is next debated.

[David Parker]

Steve [email protected],
"I am very glad that he has stated publicly that we will not go into the Euro in his political lifetime and I don't think Gordon Brown would be stupid enough to try to take the UK in to it either."

I am not so sure about Brown. The man does not act logically and, such is his petty mindedness and spite, that it would not be beyond him to try to take Britain into the euro as his last gesture of destructive defiance.
Whether he would succeed in getting the measure through Parliament is questionable, however, it is worth noting that, once Lisbon is fully ratified, technically at least, he would not even need to obtain Parliament's consent.

[Super Blue]

This sounds very good but "not in MY lifetime" has a familiar ring.

[Mike Crahart]

It's absoludlely rediculous that if these allegations are found to be true, the peers invloved will simply be 'named and shamed', as they can't be thrown out of the House of Lords!

Reform of the House of Lords is long over due, the upper house should be an elected body comprising of experts from every field, in short it should be the very thing the Lords pretends to be.

Members of the upper house should be held accountable for their behaviour and sackable if found lacking.

[michael mcgough]

The longest of (political) lives is a short one.

[David]

Post Lisbon, with Labour or Conservatives in government, we will be compelled to join athe euro (single market rules and all that rubbish).

All Ken has done is agree to go along with a pretence.

[Patsy Sergeant]

Mr. Clarke surprised me today - in a positive way. As another commenter has said, he dealt with Andrew Marr's inevitable questions - on the EU and the Euro 'very well indeed'. I would add to that, that the way KC responded was so reasoned and professional that it left Marr with no alternative, than to 'put the subject to bed'!

I thought he was superb, and could have listened to him for longer!! And remember I have NOT been a Clarke fan.

David Parker @ 11.28 - 'I am not so sure about Brown. The man does not act logically and, such is his petty mindedness and spite, that it would not be beyond him to try to take Britain into the Euro as his last gesture of destructive defiance.'

I must say that I agree with the whole of that sentence, after all he has already demonstrated, on a regular basis, that the public of Britain - particularly England! - are not his primary interest, so it would follow that if he came to realise, that he would not achieve his primary goal - winning the next election, he could well convince himself that the public needed to be 'taught a lesson' for not appreciating all that he had tried to do for them!!

[Denis Cooper]

Bearing in mind that during his last leadership challenge Clarke declared that the EU Constitution was "dead", when he knew very well that it wasn't, and that the EU would remain "a loose association of nation states", when he knew very well that it isn't, it staggers me that anyone is prepared to give any credence at all to anything that he now says about the euro.

Still, do carry on fooling yourselves (those who are) and trying to fool others (ditto); you've now allowed him to get within one promotion and one election of becoming Chancellor, and if that happens you'll soon find out that his views and his objectives haven't changed by one iota.

One of the things I've learned about the European Movement, of which Clarke is Vice President, is this: they have absolutely no scruples about telling lies, if they believe that doing so might further their cause. Even if one of their lies is proved to be a lie, they will still carry on repeating it.

[Patsy Sergeant]

As for those Labour Lords, I would put money on them NOT being found guilty, and to that end, I would also put money on there being at this moment 'activity' - and probably involving Mandelson - to spin a bright new profile for these four men! And NOBODY will be in the least impressed, or swayed from their original conclusions, but, 'Hey, we've got to do the biz, haven't we!'.

[Lindsay Jenkins]

Clarke is riffling.

The euro is a mere subset of the big story.

What about Lisbon (David is right - we have to join the euro - and Brown signed it)

And what of the 80 per cent plus of our laws now made by Brussels?

[Patsy Sergeant]

Denis Cooper @ 13.34 - I wouldn't put ANY money at all on Mr. Clarke becoming Chancellor!! I cannot see either David Cameron or George Osborne being interested in such a backwards move.

[houndtang]

With all the problems in this country, and indeed the world, as Clarke said - Europe is an issue of utter inconsequentiality.

[T. England]

Let’s hope Mr Clarke has a long political life then!
Anyhow! Nice to see he’s knocking the wind out of Browns tattered EU sails.

Goodness! I think I’m slightly starting to warm to Ken!

[Adam in London]

We have a facility for stripping peers of their titles and priveleges - it's called an Act of Attainder. We simply choose not to use it...

[Denis Cooper]

Patsy Sergeant @ 13:45 -

You're assuming that Osborne would be in a position to object, and that Cameron would be in a position to resist - and that he would want to resist.

Mandelson knows that Osborne is vulnerable; he's already given him one beating, and may well have more rods in pickle with which to beat him.

Mandelson and Clarke have shared objectives.

Therefore you can be sure that Mandelson will actively looking for ways to get Osborne out, and get Clarke slotted in as his replacement, at the right time.

Don't any of you play chess, don't you ever look ahead even a few moves?

Anyway it's too late now, events will take their course.

[Denis Cooper]

houndtang @ 14:07 -

"... as Clarke said - Europe is an issue of utter inconsequentiality."

Did he really say that? Another lie, then; par for the course.

As Lindsay Jenkins writes above:

"And what of the 80 per cent plus of our laws now made by Brussels?"

Is that inconsequential?

[That's News]

But in the meantime, economists have noticed something that has somehow failed to impinge on the conscience of Premier Brown
UK Economy Bust: Official

Hopefully Ken will be part of the dream team who can fix the nightmare left by Brown.

[t]

Mandelson knows that Osborne is vulnerable; he's already given him one beating...

Codswallop.

[Matt Wright]

Just to say that today, yet again, was a day in which people went out of their way to come up to me to say how glad they were that Ken Clarke was back. Its been the same story from the day the decision was made. I'm not being sarcastic in anyway, simply stating the truth. Almost all of the people who are saying this are floating voters who were coming our way and are now more sure. I say this despite being a eurosceptic.

[Julian Melford]

Lindsay Jenkins (13:43). We have treaty obligations to work towards the objective of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and that includes running the UK economy in a manner acceptable to the European Commission and preparation for a single currency.

Brown hasn't been doing it very well of late, but has tried to knock us into shape in minor ways by harmonising inflation definitions and tinkering with pensions and the housing market.

The Lisbon Treaty clearly states that member states with an opt-out are not obliged to join the single currency, and this is generally agreed to the the case in the current EU treaty.

[Lindsay Jenkins]

Julian, may I refer you to the new preamble 'united ever more closely', declaration 17 'EU law has primacy over member states', and the passerelle clauses.

The judgment of the ECJ will be most interesting.

But see also article 50 - voluntary withdrawal or as some of us say BOO.

[Notory]

The Mail are stirring things up for you.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1127348/Tory-turmoil-Clarke-rubbishes-Camerons-warning-Britain-brink-bankruptcy.html

[Peter Buss]

Your'e right |Notory - but as the Mail is so anti Ken its unbelievable I would expect nothing less than their hysterical reporting.Frankly the same goes for the DT which these days seems to delight in doing Labours dirty wok for them - I see that they have seen fit to give the Ken remarks on bankruptcy high prominence.

I watched the Interview and I thought Ken was wonderfully contemptuous of Browns attempts at solving the crisis. To me he stressed the gravity of the situation as per Cameron/Osbourne, promised a hard and long road out of this recession but was not prepared to go so far as to say it would inevitably lead to bankruptcy. I have not heard Cameron or Osbourne say that we shall definitely be off to the IMF but have warned about the possibility. Seems to me thats its all a storm in a teacup.

I think that the return of Ken is excellent - it shows that the times are so serious that Cameron believes that solving the crisis is a priority above all else. I reckon thats just how Jo Public feels and will not take kindly to any Party that puts other issues first.

[The Bishop swine]

If we do not join it soon we never will. I'm not even that certain the German's would want us to join now.

As for the Mail its a petty rag at the best of times. I suspect they would have even found fault with Hitler !

[John Prendergast]

Joining the Euro is not on for UK, why should we want to rescue their curency in 3-5 years time when they have had our fish,gas,industries,markets, and yet we seem obliged to continue their defence since WW1, which they started (germans and Serbians) and their banks infecting ours?

There is a small problem in that Osborne, Clarke and Mandleblot are all Bilderburgers, therefore undemocratic in essence! Cameron is not, nor is Redwood.

[Doug]

Yes but it seems many have missed the slap in the face Clarke gave Cameron this morning and only provides more ammunition for the opposition. Clarke really needs to brush up his act or become a gaffe-tastic liability.

Tory turmoil as Clarke rubbishes Cameron's warning that Britain is on 'brink of bankruptcy'

[That's News]

"What about convicted perjurer Lord Archer?"

And how many buildings has he set fire to?

None. People who set fire to buildings run the risk of killing people.

[Patrick Harris]

It's not looser ties with Europe but looser ties with the "Globe" that will be the most worrying aspect in the near future, The New World Order (that will be put in train at the next G8/9 meeting, as implied by Gordon this morning)does indeed, as The Beast says, make European issues trivia.

[Peter]

What Lindsay Jenkins says on this sounds right to me. We will be driven into the euro by classic eurocreep methods as soon as the coast is clear.

Ken Clarke knows this, as do Dave and George presumably - they have no intention of rocking the EU boat, that's for sure.

[The Bishop swine]

If Labour win the next election Ken will be proven wrong. He is right of course they will not win and we will not be joining the Euro. So how many think bringing back L.S.D. would be a good move? I certainly do. We need to bring back good old-fashioned common sense with money. If a system worked well for two thousand years or more chances are it will work for another 2,000.The history of decimalisation has been that of devalued money getting quickly devalued further. Right now if we called our pound coins shillings and our £20.00 notes pounds we would be at more or less sixties levels for most things.