Ken Clarke's Price

Decent speech from the seasoned campaigner and half-decent former chancellor. I still don't trust him, though, and with good reason. Do you?

I just wonder what his price is for loyalty. It must be high and European.

To me, you see, loyalty has no price, so (forgive the minor straw man) I just don't trust him. I don't think Cameron does either, so he will be a problem.

If only Clarke would grow the hell up - about everything. Or defect to the French.

The report in the Telegraph is good, you see:

Clarke said: “The burden of red tape and quangos is a millstone around Britain’s neck, stifling our economic recovery and playing havoc with our public services too.

“We need the right kind of regulation, based on giving people the responsibility to make judgements not forcing them to tick boxes and fill in endless forms.

“Under a Labour Government the regulatory burden has got out of control – costing more than £77 billion at the last count.

“It’s high time the Government got off people’s backs and started helping them instead. These new policies are the biggest and most serious attempt to lighten the load and I hope they're the spark that lights the bonfire of red tape."

The proposals include plans for a “star chamber” committee to ensure all new regulations are balanced by cuts to old laws on a "one in, one out" basis, a “sunset clause” for all regulatory quangos, forcing them to justify their existence after a period of time, and inviting the public to nominate unpopular rules for review and possible scrapping.

But most of that red tape comes from effing Brussels, Ken! Where's your head at, mate? Where's your head at.