Thread by @WomaninHavana

“The govt insisted on holding a referendum for stupid reasons”: Ken Clarke MP holding forth on Brexit at #IBARome

“Hardly any mainstream politician makes the case for immigration; British society has hugely benefited from it.”

Ken Clarke on the anti-immigration fearmongering & #fakenews in Brexit campaign: Just as Farage campaigned with ‘brown people’ on his posters, so they used Turkey, 70m Turks would come to the UK to take jobs etc.

Mainstream politicians ran the Turkey issue - eg Michael Gove.

“Anybody who tells you they know what will happen in British politics is deceiving themselves. We are in the middle of a mad, anarchic situation as every other western democracy.” Ken Clarke when asked what he thinks will happen on Brexit negs.

Ordinary rules of conventional politics cannot be applied to last 2.5-3 years in Brexit Britain: Ken Clarke at #IBARome

In Irish politics for centuries, symbolism matters. A divided Ireland with a physical border would be a great recruiting tool for extremists, would damage our relationship with Ireland & is bad for the economy: Ken Clarke.

At the time of #EURef, Ireland wasn’t mentioned. It was a mystery to some of the politicians on the Brexit side about what to do with the Irish border if we leave SM/CU, and it remains a mystery to them. It’s quite appalling: Ken Clarke MP.

In the Middle East we were wrong from the start. I thought military intervention in Iraq was a disaster, I said so, voted so with about 30 Conservatives w/ Robin Cooke. I did support targeted strikes in Syria as chemical weapons wd be the last straw. Assad kept trying it: Clarke.

Fascinating from Clarke - when he supported joining EU, Enoch Powell etc were anti-EU & the last of the imperialists who never forgave dismantling of Empire. That has now spread to a wider, increasingly nationalist wing of party, growing for 20 yrs.

Thatcher was very pro-EU, at least economically speaking. Fall of Thatcher was a traumatic moment for the British right & it then started making anti-EUism into a symbolic movement which then grew... now a fantasy right wing movement which I don’t quite understand: Clarke

Both parties are almost unelectable - the public can’t be deceived by the shambles. They are close together in the polls because people can’t decide whom they are least attracted to. Someone like @YvetteCooperMP heading party of Social Democrats might be 20 pts ahead in polls.

Last point was in answer to a question about possibility of a Corbyn govt if UK crashes out of the EU without a deal.

Earlier, I wrote this about Prodi.

Listening to Ken Clarke QC MP this afternoon, I’m struck again how rare this dignity, reflection & experience now is on our political stage. A pleasure to hear him speak, so freely, on all that’s gone wrong. #IBARome

https://twitter.com/womaninhavana/status/1049216016054722560?s=21