Is Mandelson looking forward with fear or joy to Clarke's (possible) return?
Peter Hoskin 11:41am
With speculation mounting that Ken Clarke's set to replace Alan Duncan in a dual shadow business secretary and shadow Mandelson role, it's well worth reading Ben Brogan's blog post on what Mandy makes of it all. By the sounds of it, the Spinmaster General's already stirring up mischief; letting it be known that he'd welcome Clarke as an adversary. As Brogan writes:
The question is what Mandelson intends with all this. Would he really welcome Clarke back, perhaps because of the red-rag-waving it enables him to do over Europe? Or is he actually fearful of Clarke's return, and trying to derail it before it's even begun? As to the answer, I suspect only Mandy knows for sure..."[Mandelson] particularly likes the idea of a fellow pro-European lending weight to the campaign to get Britain (eventually, when the time is right and all conditions have been met bla bla) into the single currency."
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Wily Trout
January 8th, 2009 12:10pm Report this commentMandy will surely be champing the bit to talk up Clarke's EC support and stir up a divide in the Tory ranks.
john problem
January 8th, 2009 12:12pm Report this commentHow shaming it must be for aspiring Cabinet members to know that their leaders have such little faith in them and need to delve back into the murky past to find true heavies for the team. If our leaders could, they'd probably call up the Baroness, the Churchills, the other Clark, Bevin and Disraeli.
THX1138
January 8th, 2009 12:25pm Report this commentI hope it's true that Ken is back but he should be taking Osborne's job not Duncan's.
luke
January 8th, 2009 12:28pm Report this commentBoth?
Steve.W
January 8th, 2009 12:30pm Report this commentClarke's (possible) return? No, impossible.
mikep
January 8th, 2009 1:05pm Report this commentWell he's hardly going to admit that he fears the return of the Hush-Puppied Big Beast - and he's bound to wind up the Tories by continually reminding them of Ken's amour for the EU
Alex
January 8th, 2009 1:11pm Report this commentWhat people say and what people think are sometimes two different things.
Why would Mandelson want a superior political adversary shadowing him?
James
January 8th, 2009 1:19pm Report this commentJohn problem - not sure it is shaming, in fact would say refreshingly anti-ageist. A balance of new blood and experience is usually the best mix.
Conservative's new blood will naturally be hampered in their development by lack of experience of office, and adding a few old faces will help in their readiness.
Labour's young guns lacked the opposite experience of how to keep cool in a crisis - which Mandelsohn has possibly helped with.
I say bring back Ken as talent shouldn't be wasted and Alan Duncan isn't inspiring.
CS
January 8th, 2009 1:57pm Report this comment***How shaming it must be for aspiring Cabinet members to know that their leaders have such little faith in them and need to delve back into the murky past to find true heavies for the team. If our leaders could, they'd probably call up the Baroness, the Churchills, the other Clark, Bevin and Disraeli.***
But, as the Tories have been out of office ever since "the murky past", their only source for true heavies is from the past. Can you call anyone a true heavy if he's never held office?
Ray D
January 8th, 2009 2:49pm Report this commentI'm already wetting myself at the thought of Clarke v. Brown at pmq. It'd be like the bank manager ticking off the chief cashier. Can't possibly be true, can it?
Oscar
January 8th, 2009 4:34pm Report this commentJohn Problem - talking about "delving back into the murky past" - wasn't the appointment of Mandelson the very best example of that? I didn't notice any commentators saying it was 'shaming' even tho' poor old Hutton, who'd been doing a perfectly reasonable job, got pushed aside for the return of the Prince of Darkness. Perhaps your sense of shame is reserved for knocking the Conservatives?
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