Letters to the Editor | 8 October 2005

The case for Ken

In last week’s issue you conducted a poll on how the public would view the Tory leadership candidates if they were better known, and concluded that ‘without the advantage of recognition, Ken Clarke would no longer be the front-runner’ (‘Clarke’s advantage fades away’). But surely what your poll actually shows is that Ken Clarke is, in fact, the only man for the job. It demonstrates both that Clarke is (leaving aside hypothetical situations) the only candidate people have heard of and how important this recognition factor is.

How is it that Labour is in its third consecutive term? The fact is that the lies, broken promises and control freakery are all ignored when the time comes to vote. What counts is Blair’s charisma and the fact that we feel we know him. No Conservative leader in recent years has made much of a dent in the average Briton’s political awareness. They are either forgotten instantly or seen as the ruthless inheritors of Thatcher’s regime. Hence the Lib Dem revival. The Tory leadership will only be of interest to the general public if Ken Clarke is the winner. And he is certainly the only candidate who can set the party on the path to victory in the next general election.
Janet Irven
Shaftesbury, Dorset

Pope John and gay clergy

Damian Thompson is mistaken if he thinks that alleged proposals to bar those with homosexual predilections from the priesthood are new (‘Is the Pope a homophobe?’, 1 October). Pope John XXIII approved a binding instruction to religious which stated, ‘Advancement to religious vows and ordination should be barred to those who are afflicted with evil tendencies to homosexuality or pederasty, since for them the common life and the priestly ministry would constitute serious dangers.’