Disastrous

The outcome of the Tory leadership contest’s first ballot is disastrous. The only candidate who can bring the party back into power has been eliminated by Tory MPs. Now that Ken Clarke is out, we are left with David Davies, David Cameron and Liam Fox for the second round. I can see only two possible reasons why the MPs decided to not vote for Ken Clarke. One possibility is that the MPs are totally disconnected from the real world. Ken Clarke is by far the most popular candidate among the British public (see the BBC video on this link too). I suspect the majority of the MPs did not even consult their local associations before voting. They definitely need to more frequently get away from the Westminster village. There is a bigger world out there, you know. The other possibility is that the MPs have conceded defeat in the next general election and they feel that it is not worth even a try. Eliminating Ken Clarke is akin to supporting Brown for Prime Minister in 2008. Unless Clarke agrees to take up a very senior post under the new leader, New Labour can laugh all the way to the next general election. I must say that I am disappointed with the outcome. I am so disappointed to an extent that I feel like doing something about it. As a first step, I will accept the invitation from my local association’s vice-chairman to help out at the associations’ office. See where it goes from there… In any case, it looks more likely now that David Cameron will win. Good luck to him.