John P Reid - his lack of integrity is evinced by this unhelpful intervention and his assertion that he would have done a better job than Gordon Brown despite the fact that he never challenged him for the leadership.

Surely, if so confident in his abilities, a principled man of integrity would have stood for the leadership, not sniped in hindsight.

You wouldn't be related to Dr. John Reid would you? Your "foaming at the mouth" spelling certainly indicates a penchant for a tinfoil hat.

Admittedly Charles Clarke does not have the pulchritudinous but intelligent look of an earnest George Clooney or Gregory Peck but........
Look at the first presidential election in which the junior George Bush campaigned.
Up against a taller handsomer more eloquent opponent George won.
Same result against Kerry!
There's no accounting for taste but we feel Charles would have lost out no matter what the situation. The Sun would not have shone out of his hindquarters. Besides he has a First Class degree in Mathematics. More of a turn-off than not sporting a flawless profile.
On the matter of looks, Cameron, in the days of the Hollywood matinee idol, a la Tyrone Power or Robert Taylor, would have played a weak bit player and George would have been type-cast as a crooked accountant.

Looks are not Everything

arturo bandini ,not related to Dr reid. sorry for the spelling due to iphone, I'll take the foaming and tin foil hat comments as A joke, Not standing for leadership isn't due to integrity, Why he didn't stand?you'll hve to ask him, Same as Why Tony benn didn't stand for leader in 1980,but did in 1976 and 1988.

This article should have a question mark in its title, thank you very much.

And the answer should be no.

I have yet to meet a Labour party member who regarded Clarke as anything other than a rather nasty thug. Maybe the media would have liked him better than Brown though: he was fully signed up to the free market agenda approved by bliarites in and out of government.

Another former Labour minister the party should be glad to see the back of feeding further quotes to be regurgitated by Cameron at PMQs.

Go away Clarke. Nobody is interested in your opinion any more.

I seriously doubt it, Charles. Perhaps Gordon lacked the personal charm that sways the vote of most dullards, but even the most grudging observer would concede he showed competence and integrity.

These are qualities you seem to lack in spades.

Arturo Bandini, Why did Charles clarke lack intergity When He took over teh Home office tehre had been Dozens of cases of new laws intrduced By david Blunkett that had been proved illegal under the Human rights act,and Clarek said teh home Office was In A state and would need 4 years to sort out,16 months in ,It was revealed that over the last 5 years 1070 foreign prisoners had been released with out beign deported, Now of these 270 were during calrkes time,a nd admitadly 228 were after clarke had found out aobut it and hadn't got them deported, even david davis said that TI wsn't A resigning matter till it was revealed the last 228 were released where he had known to need to be,and of the Foreign Prsioners being released with out being deported, teh authorities new where 1000 of them were, Clakre was offered the chance to be moved to be Foreign sec, then he declined feeling that he had given commitment to sort out the home office and it would have been wrong to have swapped job.His work at education secretary was'nt incmpetent and for neil Kinnocks right and man who wrote his 1985 conference speech that saved the Laobur party, shows intergity ,he also vote agisnt trident renewal, hardly A career choice, and Lets not forget working For Kinnock he increased Labours vote from 27%, or 8.4 million, and then with Blair to even at worse 96.million in 2005