Is Ken Clark really an EUphile?

[Suff]

He's just told all the Cameron haters in the country that the only act required to get rid of Cameron right now is to vote Leave....

The law of unintended consequence or does he really want to leave?

[Workingman]

I see a lot of Tory big guns have come out in support of damaged Dave, which, tactically, is not a bad move.

With Cameron in charge and there being no worthwhile opposition in parliament the Tories can take on the mantle of "nasty party" to push through some of their more controversial policies. Then, come the run up to the next general election, Cameron can be removed to give the new leader a clean bill of health and the party a fresh start.

Things are certainly looking good for Boris in all of this.

[cromwell]

Ken Clarke is 100% a Europhile. Imo he is just cranking up the pressure on Cameron - make sure the Brexiters don't win or you're toast, matey.

[Suff]

I was just pointing out that Clark's statement, if you are not sure but Hate the very ground Cameron stands on, may find a reason to vote Leave. Which, apparently, Clark does not want.

Perhaps I should have entitled it "Is Ken Clark an idiot?" Because Idiocy seems to be the name of the game in the Remain camp.

[Workingman]

Our votes cannot directly remove Cameron, that is for Tory MPs and associations to decide, but what they can do is act as a barometer of how things are going.

The next big test is the local elections in May for England and Wales, these are being held in some Assemblies, some Metropolitan boroughs, larger towns and cities. Traditionally they have been used to give the incumbent party a bit of a kicking and in these elections the majority of the major ones are held by Labour in Labour strongholds.

This time, however, there is a big unknown: Corbynolitics. If Labour do not make good gains it will confirm for many that Corbyn is the waste of rations they think he is; no substantial gains would be no surprise. However, if Labour do make good gains, despite Corbyn, that would be a shock to the system. Cameron and the Tories could then find themselves on a sticky wicket.

I wonder which way this particular barometer will swing?

[Suff]

I wonder which way this particular barometer will swing?

Yes it's interesting isn't it.

I was talking to one of the conductors on the Tram yesterday. We were talking about "project fear" and the EU referendum. We agreed that the Scots recognised it instantly as a tactic because of what was done in the Scottish Independence referendum.

Certainly if Project Fear fails CMD's days are numbered and the number will be quite low. It won't be so much the night of the long knives as the week of the blunt spoons..

[Workingman]

I don't know what CMD is but if it is Cameron I think he is already in limbo.

I live in a strong labour area and many of my extended family will vote Labour. What is interesting is that in the area Labour voters had become sick of the Blair Project and hoped for a new beginning. That started when they lost the election, getting rid of Brown, and brought in Ed the Red in the hope that, as the son of a Marxist, he would bring the party leftwards from Blair's right of centre position. He failed miserably, so in the last election they deserted Labour to the point where one notable MP, Ed Balls, lost his seat. Others had their majorities reduced alarmingly.

Now they have Corbyn. They might not agree with his Loony Left ideas, but they do like a lot of the other things he is saying. And they are not daft, never accuse them of that. They recognise him as the leader of the party, but they also know that he does not set policy, he is one of many.

If they come back in their droves and take back hung councils, or win some outright, a possibility, Cameron and the Tories will be on a slippery slope: decision time could be upon them sooner than they think..

[Suff]

It was you who introduced me to "Call Me Dave"....

We'll see. I have no idea what middle England is going to do as the messages are so conflicted because the press is lying it's ass off as usual...

[Suff]

Cameron may have issues, but Hollande has sunk without trace...

[Workingman]

Hollande is France's 'Ed the Red', but he has more forceful opponents than our Ed did. He has the FN and the Republicans, but who cares? It's France.

ETA. The next council elections are not 'middle England' they are mainly in working class areas in the old industrial parts of England and Wales. They are not in normal Tory areas.

Tough call.