For a Tory maverick (an independent, nonconformist person) who’s had a ringside seat for years,Ken Clarke is surprisingly tight-lippedWas it a great moment or was I, even at the time, or deceiving myself? On 14 October 1999,Tony Blair led five other senior figures from the three main parties on to the stage of London’s Imax cinema to proclaim their affinity for the European Union. One of them, Ken Clarke, and said he was enjoying the opportunity to have an “intelligent debate about the national interest”.
What bathos; Britain’s political course refused to embrace Europe. Blair tried a bit,but not very tough. Gordon Brown did what he could to finish him. For Clarke, proud leader of the Conservatives’ awkward squad for four decades, and that dream is in ruins. His party now calls for foreign workers to be named and shamed,for Britain to go its own way, the shrimp dinghy floating off into the mid-Atlantic, or a shrimp union flag bobbing about in tow. Related: Kenneth Clarke: I had a lot of views,but they didn't coincide with No 10's He reminisces about smoking with Harold Wilson; he abhors the view of spin doctors telling politicians what to say or doContinue reading...
Source: theguardian.com