The Fundamental Flaws

As an introduction to the Blog, I will lay out here the major reasons why I believe Ken Clarke is totally unsuitable for leader.

Europe

Ken Clarke’s Europhilia is a well documented belief and forms a very important core of what he stands for. It is all very well for him to say that it shouldn’t matter anymore, but it was he himself that elevated it to such an important role.

He has been active in a number of pro-EU groups as a spokesman and a leading member. He has never turned down an opportunity to speak out on the subject, often to the discomfort of many of his parliamentary colleagues.

It is so central to his beliefs that he has sacrificed a chance of leadership in two previous contests rather than shut up about it. Therefore those members not as enamoured with Brussels as the big beast is, should not discount this factor as he would like you to.

Self Centred

The Conservative Party has been through a very rough time recently. To lose three elections in a row has been very unsettling for the party, destroying confidence, a root cause of much of the damaging internal conflict that has occurred.

Throughout this time, the party lacked telegenic, charismatic figures, who could appear on television and attack the government and advertise Conservatism. Ken claims to have the ear of large sections of Non Tory Britain. Someone who cared even a little about the party would have used this as an opportunity to further the Party’s goals.

Ken wasted every opportunity to support the government’s EU policies, to the exclusion of everything else.

Lack Of Vision

Why should we ever vote for a leader whose selling point consists of “I’m great, I can win an election, Vote for Me”?

Much as our Dear Leader has pushed our political system in that way, we do not have a presidential system. Elections can only be won by competent leaders but they rely on much more than that. They need a party that can sell an alternative, which means a leader that has the ability to communicate such a vision.

Unlike all the other candidates, Ken’s sole proposition to the voters is “Vote for me, I am different to Labour”.

Who knows what the public will think of him in 4 years time, after he has been the victim of unrelenting attacks from the BBC and other media.

A Compromised Candidate

Anyone who understands anything about life in a under developed country will realise that cigarettes are one of the few pleasures available to the poor. Sad but true.

Its their choice to smoke and when you take into consideration the other risks that exist in their lives you can understand why they discount future health problems as an issue.

I do not think that Ken’s business interests are a problem in this respect. However I suspect a majority of the country would not see eye to eye with me on this. I believe that his tobacco past would come back to seriously haunt us.

The Choice of the Enemy

Whether it be the Guardian or the BBC, whoever wishes the Conservative party ill, is a Ken Clarke supporter. They cannot understand why we cannot see the obvious and elect the man.

That in itself should be enough of a warning. He stands for all those things that are an antithesis to Conservatism.

Managerialist

Ken is a man who believes that government always has the answer. It is a belief that runs against the core of our beliefs. Like the man he loves to castigate, Gordon Brown, he would prefer to meddle in creating his wish for outcome.

Just as much of the Conservative party belatedly discover localisation, we could elect ourselves an old fashioned centraliser. He doesn’t want to be the spider at the centre of the web if he can’t control everything.