DESPITE a confident declaration of victory by Clarke in the news on 8th
September, Smith emerged as the winner on Thursday, 13th September by 61% to 39%
of the votes cast; which were from more than 80% of the members. The result had
been postponed a day in reaction to the Twin Towers terrorism in New York. Smith
put together a Shadow Cabinet which Clarke denounced as way too Eurosceptic on
the news reports of 22 September. He also says that he will not be going to the
Tory Conference this year. He had refused to go into the cabinet, should he
lose, all along. What he meant by promising his full support to Smith in the
speech when the results were announced is none too clear. It is beginning to
look rather like the full support which Ted Heath gave to Maggie Thatcher. The
biggest change of the reshuffle is the return of Michael Howard as Shadow
Chancellor. No place was found for John Redwood, who was reported as being
miffed that he himself did not get the Shadow Chancellor job.
Top 50 books of all time : by Old Hickory:- "I have limited the selection to the books I have read. I keep to the norm of not recommending to others books I have yet to read. Clearly, books I have not read by now suggests a judgement of some sort."
What he meant by
promising his full support to Smith in the speech when the results
were announced is none too clear. It is beginning to look rather like
the full support which Ted Heath gave to Maggie Thatcher.
