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They have shifted from one uninspiring policy position to another, without developing a convincing narrative for the revival of the economy under a Conservative government. They have struggled to react effectively to the government’s fiscal stimulus, and have yet to come to terms with the return of Peter Mandelson.
Indeed, their attacks on Mr Mandelson only ended up damaging George Osborne, the man who has been most undermined by the return of Clarke. Osborne has weathered the current crisis weakly, and that Cameron has decided to restore a former Chancellor to the Shadow Cabinet is testament to Osborne’s credibility deficit. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in an uncharacteristic turn of wit, has taken to calling Mr Clarke the Shadow Shadow Chancellor.
Will bringing back Clarke work? There are some parallels between his return and that of Peter Mandelson. Both have never been fully accepted by their party, and the returns of both men will have prompted questions from their own side as well as accusations of weakness from the other.
But there the similarity ends. Mr Mandelson’s issue is his personality; Mr Clarke’s issue is his policy. His disagreement with his front bench colleagues over a policy of fundamental importance given the global nature of the crisis could be a ticking time-bomb seated right next to the Leader of the Opposition.
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23 January, 2009 Back, in Business
The return of Ken Clarke put the big beast among the pigeons, among both the parliamentary and the grass-roots Conservative Party.
Clarke’s Europhilia has always made him something of an outsider with traditional Tory supporters and parliamentarians alike, and it has cost him dearly in three leadership bids to date.
So, for Cameron to have asked Mr Clarke to return to front bench politics, there must be a serious crisis on the front bench team. There is. The Conservatives have failed to come up with a coherent response to the economic challenges facing the UK, and have often come off looking lightweight. |
