Ken Clarke assuredly doesn’t strike fear into Labour hearts, says stephen pollard
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 he word is being put about in Tory circles that, of all the leadership candidates, the one Labour fears most is Ken Clarke. What's odd is that the source of this theory seems to be somewhere among the supporters of Ken himself.
Israeli politician Abba Eban famously remarked that the Palestinians never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity. By electing Ken Clarke leader, the Conservative Party would demonstrate yet again its uncanny ability to take opportunities which should be missed.
If – and it's a big if – Mr Clarke was ever the man, it was to fight the 2001 election. The fact that Gordon Brown, the next Prime Minister, would be cock-a-hoop if he faced an opposition led by Ken Clarke has nothing to do with age. It has everything to do with the fact that Ken Clarke is Ken Clarke.
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| Gordon Brown, the next Prime Minister, would be cock-a-hoop if he faced an opposition led by Ken Clarke |
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As Chancellor, Mr Clarke held his entire government to ransom over Europe. Now he wants to repeat the trick, protesting that Europe as an issue is dead. Try telling that to the other 24 EU member states.
His party may not be split on Europe any longer – Mr Clarke's fellow enthusiasts would struggle to fill a Mini – but he has now found an equally potent cause on which to split it: Iraq. Only 15 Tory MPs did not support the government in the Commons vote in 2003. No matter – Mr Clarke proposes that his party offers itself as a more respectable version of Respect.
The truth is that, superb Commons performer as Mr Clarke may be, there is no one of whom Labour is afraid. But Tories need not despair. The only circumstances in which oppositions win is when the electorate tire of the government, and are offered a strong, credible alternative prognosis for the future. That is not the same as a popularity contest, as Jim Callaghan found out when the 'unpopular' Margaret Thatcher won. 
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