Ken Clarke has given an interview to the FT. He vows to continue the fight against Brexit as you might expect from someone who has been pro European all his life. In the interview (behind a paywall) he says his views of a free market economy, open and liberal but with a social conscience were mainstream Conservative policy for most of his political career. This got me thinking about the climate on the right of UK politics at the moment.
If Ken Clarke's views have been constant, and I think we can safely assume they have been, we can use them as a sort of datum to calibrate the current Conservative party. He is now well to the left of every other MP in the party and the only MP to vote against triggering Article 50. Think about this. What were unremarkable, mainstream views are now seen as extreme Europhile. The whole party has shifted massively to the right. This surely is the UKIP effect.
What is most worrying to me are the views of those on the extreme right of the party. Euroscepticism is no longer the preserve of a few swivel eyed nut jobs like Bill Cash or John Redwood. A considerable number although still short of a majority, are viscerally opposed to the EU. Euroscepticism has itself become almost normal while Europhiles like Clarke are now an endangered species.
Those on the centre left of centre right of British politics should be concerned.
