Ken Clarke, John Humphrys

                                                          People

The Past, Walter Langley (1852-1922) 
Photo Credit: Penlee House Gallery & Museum [CC BY-ND]

… “We achieved considerable economic success from the 1980s, 1990s onward, which hugely advantaged the young, the educated and the entrepreneurial.

We neglected that bulk of the population left behind and living in post-industrial towns where their living standards were static or falling. And the new globalised economy, the rules-based order, the digital revolution meant nothing to them.

…Now I blame the political class to which I belong – the establishment, of which I was undoubtedly a member – for failing to see this coming.”

So, he does include himself in this failure? “Yes, he says, “I did not see it coming.” He represents “the prosperous part” of Nottinghamshire, where the schools were good and the house prices were high. But in the old mining towns, the signs were there. He admits he should have seen them earlier.

…Clarke was widowed in 2015, losing Gillian, his wife of more than 50 years, with whom he had two children. Does that help explain his decision not to retire from parliament, fighting for re-election in 2017 despite making some earlier noises about standing down.

“I normally avoid getting too personal in interviews, but my advice to all my friends who find themselves bereaved is: the best way of coping with bereavement is to keep yourself busy. Do not become a recluse, feeling sorry for yourself. Try to get busier than you usually are. That’s not the reason I’ve stayed in politics – I’m just an addict – but I think it helps.

I’m so laid back that I’m almost horizontal, is how I would describe myself. I’m a naturally cheery and gregarious guy.”

He collects his things: he has dinner plans. I assume there’s a formal function to attend, maybe black tie, perhaps with a speech to give. “No, not tonight,” he says. He has a weekly semi-appointment to keep at the Kennington Tandoori: a table for one, just him and a copy of the Economist. He’s looking forward to it.

(Jonathan Freedland interviewing Ken Clarke, The Guardian, 16.4.2019)

                      One of the good guys is the Father of the House.

Television

…The British Film Institute commissioned a survey of more than 500 television executives, producers, researchers and camera crews to find out what they thought of the way television is going. Half of those working in documentaries and current affairs said they felt they had been pressured to distort the truth and misrepresent the views of those interviewed to create “exciting, controversial or entertaining programming”.

(John Humphrys, Devil’s Advocate)