Ken Clarke on the dire state of the UK economy (22Mar09)

[CannabisCorporation]

I just saw him asleep on the job. Do you know what happens if I get caught sleeping on the job?

I get sacked.

[makedoandmend2]

Ken Clarkes bad advice to the incompetent John Major caused the Black Wednesday mess when Clarke advised Major to force crippling interest rates onto mortgage payers. The Conservatives ERM fiasco gave Labour thirteen years to tax our manufacturing to death so that New Labour could get money to squander on their voters.

[JuanMacready]

The Lord Chancellor is great, I can't believe he's 70 when he doesn't look a day over 40.

[kkwillsaveus]

'When we get in' love that.

[ragnor56]

This man is truely gigantic in politics,,,One fat idle bastard...never put one debate to mandleson because he was based in the house of lords so Clarke has literally sat on his backside (His biggest asset ) getting paid huge amouunts of taxes for doing sweet F/A This pest is a fuckin waste of space we will all be better off when shite like him draw their last breaths.....................

[kkwillsaveus]

@ragnor56 The growth of the UK Economy from 1992-2008 was due to him, Labour copied his ideas for their early success, when he left office interest rates were low, as was inflation, as was unemployment, growth was high, and the deficit had fallen from £35 billion to £6 billion, if that's a waste of space I'd hate to hear what you call a success. Gordon Brown, deficit larger than Greece's having inherited one of £6 billion.

[ragnor56]

@kkwillsaveus You dont mention the billions stolen from the british taxpayer by the great thatcher selloffs !! The stolen assets of kenneth clarke & his bunch of lying con merchants he swindled his economic boom from money stolen off the backs of every man woman & child so he could make the rich even richer !!! Brown has a defecit because there was nothing left in basket case britain to sell off thanks to the glorious tory robbers !!!

[kkwillsaveus]

@ragnor56 I have no idea what you're talking about. 'billions stolen from the british taxpayer' taxes were low under the tories.

[ragnor56]

@kkwillsaveus I seem to remember the tories selling off the assets belonging to every man woman & child in this country so that the richtory voters could buy up thousands of shares & sell them off later for huge profits...remeber British Steel/Rail/Shipbuilders/Coal/P­ower/Telecom?? any of these jog Ken (tiredarse) Clarke I wonder !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!

[max31198]

I think Ken will help sort out the current mess. I trust him

[danlfc1983]

Ken Clarke is the only Convservative I respect.

[AlexBlondie92]

Ken Clarke: the most reasonable and liberal Tory of all time. Now, i'm a socialist and would never dream of voting Tory but a future Tory cabinet with Ken Clarke in it is a safer Tory cabinet for everyone. My greatest problem with him is on his economic policy but at least he talks about "social responsibility" and i love his internationalist tendencies.

[fichbar]

He is one of the most sensible people in politics today. He is like an oracle, and was an excellent chancellor.

[dukeboys123]

Nasty Ken Clarke is trying to blame it all on Labour, but the fact is that we are suffering from a world wide crisis. If it's all Labours fault then why has the United States had to bail out and part nationalise it's banks too?

Unemployment was higher when the tories left office in 1997 than when they came in in 1979 Ken won't tell you that will he? Nor will he tell you that for every day of 18 years of tory rule, unemployment was higher than when they came in.

[makedoandmend2]

Ken Clarke should have been thrown out of the Tory party for his part in the Black Wednesday mess. His terrible bad advice to the incompetent John Major cost thousands of people the roof over their heads when the Conservatives forced crippling interest rates onto mortgage payers even increasing interest rates six percent in just one afternoon.

All in a disastrous attempt to keep the pound in the ERM. This was how Labour came to power to ruin our economy and create public sector non jobs .

[AlexBlondie92]

Norman Tebbit was responsible for Black Wednesday, Ken Clarke did an admirable job (post black Wednesday) of recovering the economy

[pughpughbarneymcgrew]

@AlexBlondie92 Norman Lamont was responsible tebbit went well before that1

[AlexBlondie92]

right right, sorry

[pughpughbarneymcgrew]

@makedoandmend2 actually that was Norman Lamont who chancellor during the black wednesday mess Ken Clarke replaced him!

[makedoandmend2]

Lamont may have been chancellor but it was John Major and the Eurozealots Kenneth Clarke, Hurd and Heseltine who had all the say. Norman Lamont wanted to leave the ERM in the summer but was overruled. He should have realized that when it all went wrong in the Black Wednesday mess Major would leave him to carry the can.

See John Major Black Wednesday.

[markheim71]

The best PM we never had. The conservatives were insane not to elect this guy when Blair was around. If he'd been at the helm instead of the count from sesame street in 2005 , he could have smashed labour.

[JustB3NJI]

He's the only guy I know who could even make me contemplate voting Tory. I live next to his constiuency and although he instigated many changes which affected my constituency and are very unpopular (eg road humps) he ensured his own area was 99% exempt.

[fichbar]

Agreed, I voted for him in the 2001 leadership contest between him and IDS, Ken got 30% and IDS 70%, I think 90% of Conservative party members voted. Problem was most Conservative party members felt he wasn't euro skeptic enough.

[hall526]

If Ken Clark was oppositin leader, I would for him, David Cameron, if he gets the job, God help us

[zodiacie]

What did you discuss at Bilderberg 2009 Mr Clark?

You are a regular at the annual Bilderberg meetings.

[murraylodge]

I believe this depression will get worse,who knows where we will end up.

The abyss seems to be looming on the horizon.Sadly we seem to have no party to entrust the nation to.

[daleeasson]

Fuck off Kenneth Clarke!!!

You pay your fair share of the concil Tax don't YOU?

I hate you!!!

[12235117657598502586]

When we enter a full depression...

EVERYONE including the VERY RICH MUST CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCING THE ECONOMIC DEBT...He CAN'T rely entirely on the poor masses to carry us out of this national debt!!

THE RICH MUST CARRY THEIR FAIR SHARE OF THIS NATIONAL DEBT TOO!

Not just the public sector spending cuts!

[garysquirrelreviews]

the rich shouldnt have to pay anything more

[collaredsiren]

Gordon Brown has probably thrown the books away and started using Excel worksheets like the EU do!!

Let's get rid of the EU and run our own Country

[imst805]

Note that he's not as rigourous when interviewing zanu labour mps - the BBC is biased. Well done Ken.