Britannist

The dejected europhile Kenneth Clarke MP (who has lost three Conservative leadership challenges – his vote reducing sharply on his second and third attempts) was interviewed by the pro-EU Steve Richards (the former columnist on the pro-euro ‘Independent’ newspaper) on GMTV from 6.57 am to 7.07 am on 12.3.2006. Clarke was questioned – among other things – about his new job (given to him by David Cameron MP) to look at the Constitution.

The fact that Clarke has backed the transfer of a huge great chunk of the British Constitution to the EU already - and that, if he had his way. there wouldn’t be any British Constitution left at all was not touched on in the interview. Clarke talked about the need for political trust – even though the loss of it can be attributed to the public constantly being denied referendums on the EEC/EU issue by greedy political careerists with their snouts in the trough. Kenneth Clarke also used the GMTV interview to call for more democracy in the Lords – but didn’t call for more democracy for the Commons where at least half the legislation is in response to fait accompli from the EU headquarters in Brussels. Sovereigntists (who make up the overwhelming majority of the Conservative rank-and-file) were labelled “right wingers” by Clarke who arrogantly and tactlessly said in the interview that the democratically elected anti-EU continental politicians in the EU ‘Parliament’ (such as two of the biggest groups from Poland) were “comical.” Biased pro-EU interviewer agreed with Clarke. Dismissive of the will of most Conservative Party members to break free from the europhile straitjacket of the pro-EU Superstate EPP group in Brussels, Clarke went on to openly boast in the interview that links were being “deepened” with the fanatically pro-euro ‘Conservatives’ (i.e. EPP supporting parties) on the continent anyway (regardless of the settled will of Conservative members to want to distance themselves from the EPP). He even claimed the continental so-called ‘Conservatives’ in the EPP didn’t want a united states of europe – a laughable remark as – in writing, word and action – all the parties in the EPP are committed to an EU Superstate above any other policy (some in the EPP – and many outside it - believe that the EU Superstate already exists with the EU flag, anthem, passport and single currency part of it).

The text of the interview with europhile Kenneth Clarke is as follows (slightly abridged):

Kenneth Clarke (KC): I will look at the civil service to see if they need legal protection and to make it more independent. I will look at the Commons and also examine the ‘West Lothian Question’, the Royal Prerogative (the Queen only uses this on the advice of the Prime Minister). It is wrong that only the Prime Minister can declare war or sign a Treaty. I will look at the powers that the Prime Minister has and those around the Prime Minister.

Steve Richards, Interviewer (SR): Gordon Brown may try to address the issue of political trust.

KC: The mood of everyone is to get a more democratic form of government. A Brown government will try to get away from the unpopularity of Blair. Brown is a control freak. He doesn’t trust people and will want to work with just three or four people.

SR: Some of you colleagues are small ‘c’ Conservatives Does it worry you that they may not respond (to your investigation of the British Constitution)?

KC: Some of my colleagues still think that the Lords should be hereditary! Politics is now a soap opera. The public are not engaged. There is a feeling that we have to look at how we govern the country and modernise what we are doing to appeal to younger people in particular.

SR: Will the Conservatives go INTO phpbb_the next election committed to electing the House of Lords?

KC: I worked with Robin Cook (the Late Robin Cook, a fanatical Labour Party europhile) and Paul Tyler (a europhile Liberal ‘Democrat’) and we recommended that the Lords be 70% elected. It is untenable to go on with backing a Lords that is largely appointed and which still includes some hereditary members. 70% of the Upper House (Lords) should be elected. The British are ready for democracy.

SR: That means that 30% (of the Lords) would still be appointed.

KC: Some people got in the Lords because of the staggering amounts of money given or lent to the Labour Party or one of the other parties. It will stop under the Conservatives. It is getting strange to deny that this has happened. The Lords is supposed to be one of the finest models of legislature in the world.

SR: It will be interesting to see the mechanics of how you propose to reform (the Constitution).

KC: We will look at the patronage powers of the Prime Minister.

SR: Are you in favour of some form of English Assembly?

KC: The principal that it must change is unanswerable. The education bill may be passed only because Scottish MP’s in the Commons (who can’t vote on Education issues in their own constituencies) vote for it.
The Scots (Scottish Labour MP’s) are the most docile and easy lobby fodder. The Labour Whips (in the House of Commons) can always rely on Scottish Labour MP’s turning up to do as they are told (by Labour Whips). To go totally federal (in the UK) would damage the Union (of the four parts of the UK) and would be worrying. Tam Dalyell (the former Labour MP who opposed devolution) was right - English MP’s should vote on English issues and Welsh on Welsh issues. We want a sensible and reasonably objective way to improve the (British) Constitution.

Kenneth Clarke (KC) was then asked about the plan of David Cameron to pull the Conservatives out of the pro-euro European People’s Party (EPP) grouping in the EU ‘Parliament’.

KC: Since (the time of) Margaret Thatcher we have been natural allies of the German CDU (the pro-euro so-called ‘Conservatives’ that lead the EPP) and of the Conservatives in Spain. We will co-operate with the Conservative parties of the big EU nations – not nationalists and right wingers and anti-Brussels MEP’s. You can find some funny people among that lot.

SR: You’ve found some of them haven’t you?

KC: Yes, some of them are comical. The Conservative Party are looking at power more sensibly than for a decade. We are deepening arrangements with centre right parties in europe. Angela Merkel (Germany’s pro-euro ‘Conservative’ Chancellor and CDU leader) wants to change the EU in a sensible, moderate and Conservative ways. She (Chancellor Merkel) is a very formidable person to deal with now and in the future. She and the other continental Conservatives do not want a united states of europe.

The changes of David Cameron in the Conservative Party have benefited us. Blair took on the left. People on the right of the Conservative Party will grit their teeth that David Cameron has pulled ahead in the polls but the sensible on the right will join in (and help him). David Cameron will put more meat on policies eventually and will identify later those areas he wants to concentrate on. That’s when the right will realise this is now a more sensible Conservative Party.

Asked about the complaint of George Osborne MP (the Conservative shadow Chancellor) that the Chancellor Gordon Brown just ignores him in the corridors of the Commons (never smiling, saying hello or stopping to talk), Kenneth Clarke recalled his friendship with the raving europhile (and now Late) Labour politician Robin Cook:

KC: I get on quite well with Gordon Brown. I haven’t seen much of him lately. I haven’t had a chat with him in the corridor for a while. He is trying to be pompous and high handed to his opponent (George Osborne). That is not the way a politician should behave. I never used to get on with Robin Cook until I discovered he was a nice man when we co-operated over Lords reform and our opposition to the Iraq war. (End of interview text).

* Just before the May 2005 General Election, Howard Flight (then Conservative MP for Arundel) was found to have made a speech in favour of lower tax and possible cuts in public spending. He was immediately deselected and banned from seeking re-election (as an MP) by Michael Howard (then leader of the Conservative Party). Mr. Flight (who is now back on the Conservative list of candidates) was not given the opportunity (by Michael Howard) to explain his case or attend a hearing before his dismissal.
But Kenneth Clarke remains a Conservative MP despite his clear and open rejection of/and opposition to its policies on the Iraq war and withdrawal from the EPP. Michael Howard – a friend of Kenneth Clarke since their days at university – never criticised Clarke and allowed him to openly challenge Conservative Party policy whenever he wanted to.