Politics

Wednesday, 21st January 2009

Fraser Nelson discusses the week in politics

Perhaps George Osborne regularly serves meatloaf at the powerbroking soirées he hosts at his west London house. But when this detail about the food served at his lunch with David Cameron and Kenneth Clarke was briefed to the press it did seem a bit odd. Perhaps the shadow chancellor suspected Kenneth Clarke would want something more substantial than guinea fowl and polenta. Perhaps Mr Osborne and his fellow strategists were keenly aware that this meal would inevitably take its place in Tory history: the moment when the two young modernisers sealed the deal with the old bruiser. The choice of meatloaf was apparently meant to send out an unambiguous message — that the prodigal Ken had returned, and that beef was back on the Tory front bench.

While Mr Clarke inevitably hogged all the attention, there was much more to this reshuffle. It revealed a lot about Mr Cameron’s sensitivities and priorities — as well as the direction he will take between now and the general election. He has assembled a team chosen primarily to woo wavering voters, not to transform Britain. He is also realising the futility of planning too far in advance, as it is impossible to gauge how much damage will be inflicted by what is now universally believed to be the most savage recession in Europe.

What has most discomfited Mr Cameron in recent weeks is the fear of the Tories being seen as the ‘Dave and George show’ (a phrase used not only by his enemies, but some shadow cabinet members). This is why, last week, he publicly reappointed William Hague as his ‘deputy in all but name’. I gather Mr Hague has refused to take the formal title — perhaps because, as everyone in Westminster knows, he is only Mr Cameron’s parliamentary deputy. Operationally, Mr Osborne is the one serving up the meatloaf.

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Denis Cooper

January 22nd, 2009 2:24pm Report this comment

Basically Clarke is now one promotion, and one general election, away from becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer.

When he could discover that the economy was still in such a terrible state that the only way to stabilise it would be to join the euro.

And to do that as a matter of utmost urgency, persuading the leaders of other EU countries that the ERM II rules could be bent.

And without any nonsense about holding a referendum, whatever may have been promised in the Tory manifesto.

With the economy in a critical state there simply wouldn't be the time to waste on a referendum; and in any case referendums undermine Parliament, don't they?

As we know, manifestos aren't legally binding; and as we have seen, even a major manifesto promise can simply be disregarded by the government, provided they can get a majority of MPs to walk through the right lobby.

Some Tory MPs would object strenuously, and try to force a referendum; but Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs could probably ensure that they were outvoted.

There might be a major revolt by ordinary Tory members, but that would achieve nothing as there would be no way to remove the pro-euro, anti-referendum MPs until the next general election, when it would be too late.

The Tory party might even disintegrate, and be wiped out at that election, but so what? That would be seen as relatively minor - maybe even desirable - collateral damage.

It's a narrow, tricky, path for Clarke and his allies to tread, but by no means impassable, and he's now a lot further along it than he was a week ago.

Some anti-euro Tories may believe that they can use Clarke as "a tool", but no doubt he sees it as being the other way round, and he may well be proved right on that.

John Girling

January 22nd, 2009 5:06pm Report this comment

So, the affable Mr Clarke is showing himself as a traitor both to his party and to his country, and would have us become an appendage of the evil European Union.

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